Tales Of China
by Ben10extreme
Summary: Young Po always has dreams of going on an adventure. Meeting with a not-so-evil owl may finally grant him his wish. As an adult, he battles with China's untamed darkness, while picking up many friends along the way. Intense battles and hardship are inevitable...but so is the reward. Bonds that are both genuine and unbreakable. (AU)
1. A Panda Lost In The Snow

**My first solo KFP fanfiction.**

 **This is a story about the tides of fate affecting Po and the ones around him in a new, unforeseen direction than canon. His actions following these changing tides will affect the world around him as well as his future friends. And it all starts when he meets an evil owl...who isn't as evil as she thinks she is.**

 **This is an AU story that explores that possibility of said events. And the journies that follow after that. Where some of the main character's backstory is slightly darker than canon, with the payoff of even deeper friendships when understanding sinks in. I'll sum up a major theme of this story with a simple word. "Outcast".**

 **This is that kind of story. Called "Tales Of China". Was gonna call it the "Tales Of Po" but that's already an online game. *Sweatdrop* Dang it. Oh well. I'll just get it started and see how it goes.**

 **But first, something very important. I don't own Kung Fu Panda. Like...at ALL. It belongs to Dreamworks, and them alone.(This part wasn't too necessary, but I felt like I had to.)**

 **Let's begin!**

* * *

Po is always a cub who likes to do a little exploring. He's always been an adventurous little panda, despite his physique not really helping in that endeavor. As one would not often expect, he had a lot of energy to go around running and playing like the innocent cub he is. To himself and his loving goose father, Mr. Ping, he was just a young cub who wanted to have some fun, eat lots of food, and make many friends.

...the last one was his only huge problem.

Po, as often as one would misunderstand because he tends to smile a lot. Because behind that smile is that of an extremely lonely child. His very identity is a very difficult concept to understand. In this part of China, no one even knows what a panda is. As such, when someone knows very little about something, they often choose between simply interacting with said subject, or rejecting it with very little reasoning behind it.

Unfortunately, Po is subjected to the latter.

See, Po lives in the Valley Of Peace. And in the Valley Of Peace, it's mostly populated by rabbits, pigs, geese, and the occasional buffalo. Special exceptions are the Grand Master Oogway and his prized student, Master Shifu. Anyone else will not be greeted very cheerfully, due to it's tendency to fear the unknown. It's because usually the unknown that usually ends up nearly destroying the Valley numerous times, be it a supernatural tendency, a bandit infestation, or a Kung Fu Master turned evil beyond redemption.

So when someone sees someone they do not recognize nor understand, they tend to get rather paranoid. Ironic that so many bad things have happened to the Valley Of Peace, that the paranoia of the next event hangs over everyone's heads.

It's an unfair disadvantage on Po when it comes to trying to make friends. Because being a regular panda, which again, has not been seen before in this part of China, he is naturally...chubby. At least that's what he afffectionately calls it. But faye has pulled the "Children are Cruel" card on him, which led to various reactions. He has been repeatedly been called fat and lazy so many times that it has become numb to him. He's also been called a waste of needed space, which was slightly more hurtful than either of them. They refused to play with him, no matyer how many times he has constantly begged for it. Then they started being even more coldhearted.

They just started pretending he wasn't there at all. Pretend that the 'annoying nuisance' is gone, then eventually he'll go away. That's what they thought, no doubt about it. The cub was more emotionally hurt by this than he thought he was, because he became even more downtrodden than ever, not to mention being an extremely harsh blow to his already low self-confidence.

But the extremely bad situation was his father. No, not like that. Mr. Ping would NEVER treat his son like that. He knows that he loves his son, mistaking that is absolutely impossible. The main problem was the time. Even before Mr. Ping took him in when he mysteriously appeared in that alley in a crate of radishes as a helpless baby, he was already on a low point of his business. His shop is usually wrecked by bandits,some customers aren't very grateful, and he has little money to pay to keep the place he's in standing, even less to take care of a child, especially a panda child. He was too poor to do something like that, especially with the first problem being the most persistent, no matter what he did.

It's the fact that Mr. Ping took him ANYWAY, that made Po feel guilty. Mr. Ping could be doing so much more if he hadn't taken in Po and just focused on his business. Mr. Ping also feels incredibly guilty for not having enough time to spend with his adopted son, because he was too busy trying to provide for the both of them. He had the choice of closing down his shop and not being above to provide for Po, or keep the shop open and keep Po taken care of, while having little time for bonding. The choice was very aggravating, mostly making him angry at himself for not being able to do better. But he chose the latter.

It didn't stop there. Back towards the 'Children Are Cruel', theme. Po ususally came home with numerous bruises alp over his body, and he was forced to lie to Mr. Ping about how he got them, which should be obvious. But even then, Po could only smile through the pain. Mr. Ping had enough to worry about. This was one of the sure times that he truly cared for Po, and that was enough for the panda. He didn't want to be more of a burden than he already was for Mr. Ping. All he wanted to know was that he cared, he never asked for anything special, because he feared how the goose would pay for it, and not with money.

...Po was only 7 years old at this time. And he smiled through all the pain he endures. Must have gotten it from his father, because he does the same thing. They smile through their pain, because being negative all the time was definitely not going to make things better.

Fortunately for Po things WILL get better...just not in a traditional way. While it does have some positive moments, that's not until the second half of the event. The first half...would not be very pretty.

 **(Late In the Afternoon)**

"I at least got some awesome dumplings on my way here." Po said quietly, as he was walking through the snow, his red scarf flowing in the blurry wind. Winter has come around, and things were quite cold. His father was sleeping away, and he did not want to disturb him. So he just took the time to get out and explore like he always does. And he's going to do it solo. It's not like he had anyone else to spend time with anyway, as well as not being very sleepy anyway. So he just shrugged it off and left the area.

He was definitely in the mood for exploring outside the Valley, because he surely wasn't going to walk around and allow late-night kids to antagonize him as well. Avoiding that was a must. Another good thing about this that Mr. Ping was already aware of Po's tendency to venture off randomly, and he always came back safely. So he thought that he didn't have a lot to worry about. Though he had no idea that this time was very different. For a long while, Po felt like something was watching him, from all the blurred snow and darkness. And it was not making him feel comfortable that he could not see who was causing it, every time he tried looking over his shoulder to try and find whoever was hunting him down. It was starting to give him too many chills, and the snow had nothing to do with it.

"Okay, ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore the bad feeling. Stay calm, Po. Stay cool..." He kept whispering to himself as he squinted his eyes really tight as he kept walking. When the feeling did not go away, he began to feel scared. Still being a very young cub, as well as not being used to a situation like this. Sure, his usual bullies kind of corner him once in a while, but he never felt like this. He felt like he was being hunted down by someone.

So by sheer instinct, he just began running off as fast as he could. And he was right to do so, because seconds after he begam running, something was already chasing him down. He could hear them now, chasing him relentlessly. This only fueled him to run even faster. And in response, the footsteps behind him began getting much faster as well. His paranoia now taking control of him full force, he began running even faster while his eyes were now shut even tighter while his red scarf was flowing with the snowy wind.

"Ah man! Why?! Who's chasing me?! Please leave me alone!" He shouted out to his pursuers, though he could see that his words were not worth a lot, given that he could still hear them chasing him. It was clear that they would not listen. So Po could only continue to run, in fear of what happens if he doesn't. Unknowing to him or his pursuers, they running so far away that they were surprised, including Po himself that he was able to run for this long. And more sothat the place the were running to, was supposed to be off-limits, and for a very good reason.

Po was not always good at running, but even he has found this feat rather amazing, running for miles to keep himselfaway from whoever is chasing him down, as the snow got even worse. But soon, he had to slow down, and that would be his biggest blunder, as he tripped and crashed into the ground. "Ow...my arm..." He groaned, rubbing his sore limb, while he looked up in disbelief. They outright REFUSED to give up! To be fair, he didn't really feel like giving up either, but now his body was too exhuasted to carry on that will. He wasn't grown, like his pursuers were. But now he could at least see who they were.

"Well well...you were able to run quite a distance were ya...cub...?" He was able to fully identify the people who were chasing him. Though he didn't get much of a chance to respond, a hard blow to the head knocks him unconscious.

He didn't know how long he was out, but due to the coldness and the cold steel of a cage. He opened his eyes and looked up in a fit of fear. This was not the way he wanted his afternoon to turn out. What was going on here?

"I'm actually surprised that the tike managed to run so far. He sure is a lively one, that much can be said." There were three of these guys. There was a wolf, a boar, and a croc, and all have clothes that would belong to a rogue. And they all seemed very shady. "He's surely gonna be worth a lot, being a panda and all."

"Yeah, who knew that there was one all the way out here?"

"He put up one heck of a chase...but we got him in the end. And all we had to do was wait for him to stray away from thr Valley far enough so that no one would come for him. Tch, not like anyone would anyway. Have you seen how they treated that kid?"

"Sure have. It's like he never really belonged there, to him. Idiots really couldn't accept one little panda while they already have thousands of rabbits, pigs, and geese. Pfft, whatever. More profit for us."

Po suddenly realized the gravity if his situation. He didn't understand his situation very well, but he could just feel that this was very bad. And that if he doesn't escape, he won't ever see his father again. He began banging on the cage desparately in an attempt to break it open. Though with his freezing paws and weakened form, this was clearly very painful. But he had to try. "Let me go! Let me out of here!"

"Sorry kid, that's not happening." The croc shrugged it off. This only made Po more upset.

"Let. Me. GO!" He shouted in anger as he ran against the cage and rammed it as hard as he could. The boar, the one carrying the cage, yelped in surprise. The trio underestimated the small cubs strength, as the tackle was hard enough to knock the cage out of his handc sending Po crashing along the side of the mountain path they were crossing.

"Crap, he seriously sent himself flying off the side of the mountain!" The wolf shouted. "Don't lose him!

Po was crashing along the side of the mountain of snow, where his cage was battered and busted, until it finally sprung open and he landed on the cold ground, where he screeched. A high voltage of pain shot up his left arm. He looked at it, and could feel nothing but pain high enough to send him into tears. But he did not stop, as he got up again and tried to limp away from the destroyed cage. He was certain he was not going to get very far, but he wasn't going to give in so easily. He had to get back to his father. He HAD to.

...but how was he going to do that? He had no clear idea of where he was, he was injured, not to mention very hungry. He also felt like he was freezing to death. He knew that he liked to venture out, but at his current agec this was too much.

"Dad..." He said quietly, holding his limp arm. He could also feel that his forehead was bleeding. "D-Dad...I'm...I'm lost..." He dropped to his knees...then he fell forward in exhaustion. "Someone...anyone...please...help me...someone please..."

The wolf, boar, and croc could be seen on a cliff, and they clearly saw that he was close to losing consciousness. "Good. He's losing consciousness. That way he'll be easy to nab." The wolf said, with his companions nodding in agreement. They truly had no care for Po's condition as long as he stayed alive. "Now we just gotta-"

"Your poachers are nothing but despicable scum." A low, feminine voice said, with a tone of annoyance etched into every word. "I'm not a big fan of children, either. But not liking them, and actively harming them are two entirely different things. In fact, harming a defenseless child for no reason is one way to get on my bad side."

All their blood ran cold as they could feel the menacing aura behind them. They really hoped that the voice they hear isn't who they think it is. Though the croc was forced to check anyway, his already cold blood got even colder. "N-No way...we screwed up big time..."

"We passed by HER side of the mountain by mistake?!" The boar shouted in exasperation. They were all looking towards the winged shadow in terror. They see it raise one wing and suddenly the feathers looked a lot sharper.

"Another way...is to wake me up from my beauty sleep. If somehow managed to WILLINGLY do both simultaneously...well, I suggest you three goodbye to your lives."

The wolf whimpered. "...Goodbye life."

"SHUT UP YOU FOOL!" The boar and croc shouted at him.

Po seriously could not tell what was going on. All he could hear was three cries of agony...and then nothing after that. He tried to lift his head to see what was going on. Though instead of three people out to get him, he could only see one now.

He was not entirely sure who was standing before him. But he could see that he waa facing it's back. Therr was a purple blue robe with gold trimming, he could tell that much. The talons were sharp, and the wings were tucked in. Who was this person...?

"Pfft, what a bunch of cowards. I gave them one simple cut and they take off running. Idiots." He could her this person, and by the sound of her voice, she must be very irritated, since she was woken up in quite an unexpected way. Then, to his surprise she turned around to face him, so he could see her better. Judging by the makeup, eyelashes, and a bit of lumpyness from the chest(He thinks his father called this a 'bust') he was able to tell that this person was a woman.

Her eyes...he didn't know what to think of them. A simple description would be that they were yellow with blue irises. They looked distant, that much was certain. But while they did look like that, Po could sense another emotion emitting off of those eyes staring into his own. It felt like...

...relief?

"Boy. Are you alright?" She said in a forceful, yet also careful tone. She didn't want to needlessly scare him. But then her eyes widened when she got a closer look at Po. "A...a...a p-panda...? Here? But how...?"

Po could only close his eyes and lose complete consciousness. "You're...an...owl..."

She heard him say those words before he passed out. She could feel the icy winds getting a bit more violent, and she sighed. "Blast it...I need to get him out of this wind. When he awakes, we'll have a talk." With this in mnd, she carefully picks the cub up in her wings, and carried him back to her cave, where they would be sheltered against the feircw snow in the Northern Mountains. Where she has been living in isolation for many years.

Until now. Neither of them knew just how significant this encounter really is...

* * *

 **So...? What do you think of it? Be honest with me, I can take it! *brave face***

 **For real though, feedback will help me quite a lot. So please, do review.**

 **Bye, for now.**


	2. Po And Fenghuang

**I wanted to make things clear that I forgotten to do so in the first chapter. I shall not be using much material past the second movie(no matter how much hype I have for the third :3). Because AU is AU after all. Different events are bound to unfold.**

 **Well, that's saying my piece for now. Let's begin.**

* * *

Po didn't know how long he was out. All he knew was that his hunger, exhaustion, hypothermia, injured arm, and blood loss all equals a very long time to actually wake up. That wasn't even the end of it, because now he had to take even more time to fully recover from said conditions.

 _What happened...? My arm hurts a lot, I'm still kind of cold, I'm very...VERY hungry...and I'm still feeling a bit dizzy._ Po then blinked. _Wait a minute...how am I okay? Who saved me...?_ He moved his head slightly, only to feel something very soft and feathery press against the back of his head. _Huh? I feel so warm right here though. Weird. Where am I, anyway?_

"Hey boy. Try not to squirm so much. It's very difficult to carry you like this." It was that same feminine voice from before. He turned his head around a bit and looked up to his savior. It was the owl from before, no doubt about it. He was pressed against her chest due to her stuffing him in her robe. "Are you alright?"

Po could see that his life was out of danger, so he smiled and nodded to her with a smile. "Yes, I'm alright. But why are you carrying me like this?"

"Eventually I needed to fly up to my cave, so I had to keep you there so that I could see you, and I could focus on not dropping you as I flew up here. And after that I had to keep you here even longer." she responded. " But you also had hypothermia and I had to keep you warm somehow. You were painfully close to dying, boy."

"Oh..."

She then gently removed him from her robe, and placed him on the ground before stepping back. "Now that's outta the way, let's have a little chat, shall we? First off...how did those poachers even get to you? Poachers may not br too common around China, but there are still a couple occasional ones in certain places. But even then, they don't act in public places. What happened?"

The young cub sits down on the ground and folded his arms. "Well...I was just venturing out of my home for a bit, I can't say that I knew that I was going to get kidnapped. I never expected that to happen. I usually get to go out and explore, and I never ran into trouble before..."

"A 7-year old cub is running off without any kind of supervision..." the owl said incredulousy. "Hmph. That's great parenting, alright." She added with sarcasm.

Po didn't react negatively, like she halfway expected him to. He knew that her jab at his father was not fully intentional, but he also knew that she didn't care very much about it either way. It was her tone that gave it away. He smiled weakly at her. "Y-Yeah...Dad doesn't really have a lot of time to watch over or spend time with me, despite how much he really wants to. Cooking isn't as easy a business as it used to be. Though I can never blame him for it."

The owl looked at him again, this time with interest. "Your Dad hardly spends a lot of time with you, and you don't blame him?"

"No. He knew there was a high chance his problems would only double if he took me in. But he adopted me anyway." he said quietly. He could sense that the owl was not too interested in the subject. He knew an uninterested person when he saw one. They always have that look in their eyes. So he just shifted the subject. "So, how long have you been in this cave?"

 _What an interesting subject change._ She thought sarcastically. "I've been in this cave for an awfully long time, Cub. In fact...I've forgotten how long I was even out here." She said bitterly. Po tilted his head at her. _She's been living by herself in these mountains this entire time? How can she stand that?_ "Anyway...what's your name, Cub? We shouldn't continue our conversing without knowing each others names." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I...am Master Fenghuang."

Po's jaw dropped. He was just looking at her in pure childish surprise. She saw his look of surprise, and scoffed. "Well that's my name, Cub. I'm the real Master Fenghuang. What's your next move?"

His reaction was not what she expected. "That's so...so...supremely awesome."

She sighed. "Right. One mention about my name and you're already-" She took the time to recheck her hearing. "...wait...what did you say?"

"You said you're MASTER Fenghuang, right?" Po asked with a bright smile. "That means you're a Kung Fu Master! That's awesome!"

The owl blinked. "...I don't think you understand. I'm Master Fenghuang. A former member of the Furious Five. The one who...betrayed Master Oogway a very long time ago over a little...disagreement. Ever since then, everyone has known my name. And they all heard about me. Children in their nightmares, Elders in their complaints, that pint-sized midget Shifu...everyone."

Po tilted his head to the other side. "...Doesn't ring a bell."

Fenghuang's beak dropped for a couple moments..then she face-faulted. Recovering, she stood up and looked at him in pure disbelief. "Do you and your father live under a rock or something?! How can you pandas not hear about me?!"

"Oh, my dad's not a panda. He's a goose." Fenghuang face-faulted for a second time.

She recovers again, rubbing her head. "Okay, first off, you need to work on how you deliver your information." Po blinked innocently. "Second off, at least the adoption part makes sense. But still, NEITHER of you have ever heard about me? And you say me being a Kung Fu Master is cool?"

The cub sits back a little as he stares ar the cave ceiling. "To be honest, I've only recently gotten to like Kung Fu. It looked really cool when I got a glimpse of it."

"I see. I guess Oogway and Shifu know how to show off a bit, huh?"

"That's the cool part, it wasn't from them that I first saw it. It was a girl!"

This was what caught a bit more of her attention. "A girl...?"

 **(Flashback)**

 _It was the middle of Fall at this time. Po walked along the Bamboo Forest, nibbling on a dumpling as he wore his red scarf on a rather cold day. His dad was once again very busy with work, so he was allowed to go out for a bit. Take away the approaching cold weather and early preparations for the Palace Feast and Winter Festival being only a bit stressful, everything was going pretty well for the most part. He wasn't worried at all. He and his father would spend a lot more time together during the Winter Festival._

 _"Winter Festival...one of my favorite times of the year, seven years in a row. So cool." Po said to himself, finishing his travel snack and allowed the autumn wind give him a sense of peace. Many of the other kids usually give him a lot of trouble, but he never really let it hurt him enough for him to be depressed for long. Spending time with his father was always an awesome time. Not much can come close._

 _He was a little bit too relaxed, as he failed to notice that he was walking by a boulder, which stood rather unbalanced due to not being stood up against something, plus the wind was strong that day. He was completely oblivious to it though, until the shadow came over him, slowpy toppling his way. He would look up slowly at the boulder, surprised that he has never noticed it. He thought that it was completely going to crush him..._

 _Then he had to shield his eyes with his arms to block thr barrage of small pebbles when the boulder was shattered into many pieces right before him. He was so surprised by the swiftness of the event that he fell backward when it happened seemingly out of nowhere. When all the rubble stopped falling, he was able to peek at what has happened, and was surprised to see what was before him._

 _He had no idea where she came from. But he knows what he saw. Someone has stood before him, with both paws outstretched forward, which must have been the reason the boulder shattered. The person was wearing what looked like a red training vest, along with black training pants. There was also an orange scarf around this person's neck._

 _...it looked a lot like his red one._

 _This person was striped, and he could also see the rather long tail. He could see the person retreat from their stance, relax their shoulders...and slowly turned around to look at him._

 _Jade colored eyes have met Orange colored eyes. And he was able to tell, by their face. This person was no doubt a girl. A girl that just saved his life. She was...so strong to have done what she just did with her bare paws. He flinched. He hoped he wasn't hurt. He should probably say something-_

 _"Be more aware of your surroundings." She said. He immediately noticed something off about her tone. She indeed had a high-pitch voice, because she was a cub like him, maybe a couple months older. Though there was something else about the tone of her voice. It bothered him. It bothered him a lot._

 _Her eyes and voice...both were harsh, but also full of curiousity, both aimed at him._

 _Before he could respond to her, she disappeared in a blur. "WAIT!" He reached his paw out where she was a couple seconds ago, but she was already gone. He was still in a state of confusion more than anything else._

 _"Who...was she...?"_

 **(End Flashback)**

Fenghuang listened intently. Po was able to see what Kung Fu was? "I see...she used a Double-Palm Strike along with Flash Step. Even if the latter is only on a short distance, it's very impressive for her age. She might be a prodigy." She sighed. "But that can only mean that Shifu took in a student. Not surprising." The owl said. Thoroughout this entire conversation, she didn't pay enough attention to one important detail. "Say...where is your home located?"

"The Valley Of Peace."

The owl cursed her rotten luck. Of course. Of COURSE! Two rare cases in one. A panda shows up injured on her mountain, and NOW she finds out that he's from the Valley Of Peace. Well this was just perfect. She couldn't go back there. Oogway was there. If she goes back there, Oogway was SURE to apprehend her and send her to prison. And she wouldn't be able to escape so easily. She's wanted all over the country.

...but if she doesn't take the panda cub back, she would be reponsible for him. She couldn't leave a cub to fend for himself. He was physically damaged enough as it is. And if those poachers come back, he won't survive. They usually just drop caution and just kill the boy. Fenghuang was definitely not the nicest person in the world, but she wasn't heartless. She wouldn't hurt a child, nor would she leave one to die.

She then got a good look at his face again, his big eyes staring into her own, wondering what she'll do next. She could not help herself. He was adorable. What, with those big eyes, pudgy cheeks, that little tuft of fur on his head, the tiny black tail...

 _Don't admire his cuteness, dammit!_

She cursed her feminine side for that manmer of thinking. Just then, yhey both heard a loud rumble echo through the cave. Fenghuang honestly thlught it was an avalanche, but discarded that thought when she saw Po hold his belly. He looked up to her with a small whimper. "Master Fenghuang...I'm hungry..."

She had no choice, she had to get the cub back home, while find a way to avoid Oogway's detection. Wait, she learned to mask her chi, so that wasn't a big issue. But another issue was finding a disguise AND have Po keep her identity a secret. Fantastic. With a deep sigh, she neared Po's face. "Listen to me, Cub. I need to keep my face hidden while we get back to the Valley, and you **MUST NOT** tell anyone who I really am, nor where I reside. Okay?"

The panda nodded with a smile, though he was a bit annoyed that she kept referring to him as a cub. "Okay."

"You swear?"

Po did a salute, trying to look serious. It only made him look cuter, but the intention was understood. "I swear!"

The owl nodded. "Good. Now arms up." Po blinked, before he raised his arms up. She then picked him up and placed him in her robe. She couldn't risk having him ride his back, nor is she willing to carry him with her talons. "Try to stay still, Cub. This flight won't be TOO comfortable." She warned, as she flapped her wings and flies off from the cave.

He peaked out from the robe and looked up to her. "Master Fenghuang...what are these soft things?"

"You can ask that question again when you're older." She deadpanned.

 **(Meanwhile)**

"POOOOOOOOO! POOOOOOO? POOOOOOO?!" Mr. Ping shouted to the top of his lungs. Considering that his voice is usually loud, this wasn't good for everyone else around him. There were constant shouts of 'Shut Up!' Or 'It's too late at night for this!' Or 'Crazy Quack!' Or 'Is your morning special ready?'

But he didn't care for any of that. Not one bit. The only thing he had his mind absolute on is finding his son. His paranoia was amped up to crazy levels when he found out that his son had not yet returned. It put him in a lot of distress. So much distress that he was sure he lost plenty of feathers during his major flipout. Though once again, he did not care. His parental panic was cranked up to max, and it wasn't going down until he knew he was safe.

"POOO! My dear boy, where are you!?" He yelled again, calling out to the darkness of the snow. Though he could not see anything, nor did he get any sort of response. The goose was beyond was full of dread at this point, and it was shown with his tears. "Oh this is all my fault!" He covered his face with his wings, and began walking out of the snow. "The Winter Festival is in a few weeks..and this is when Po goes missing! That's it! I need to go back to the shop and get a lot of my cloaks, and I'm going out there to find him!"

He turns to where his shop was, then his beak dropped. Po was in a chair at one of the tables, waving cheerfully. "Hi Dad."

"Po...? PO!" Mr. Ping cried, flapping his wings rapidly before rushing forward and ensnaring the cub in a hug, crying tears of relief. This relief was emphasized by animated hearts circling around them. "My son, you're safe! You're safe and sound! You had me so scared! I thought...I thought that you were...*sniff*...I'm so glad!"

"Dad, I'm fine." Po said, trying to calm his father down, despite that he had every right to be concerned and relieved. He was hurt, he was cold, he was hungry, and he was tired. But Mr. Ping didn't need to hear HOW exactly he ended up like how he is. He didn't want to lie to him, either. He rubbed his neck. "I just...had a bad day at exploring. I fell down a steep hill and I rolled too much." Luckily for him that was the truth, just not the full truth. He doubted he had to give precise details about his misfortune. He was safe, he knew that's the only thing Mr. Ping cared about.

"Goodness Po, I can't keep letting you out of my sight like this." Mr. Ping sighed. "Not mention you're freezing. I can tell you haven't eaten anything, and you hurt your arm." He folded his arms and closed his eyes. "And most importantly, you forgot to tell me that we have a guest." Po's eyes widened. "I know my shop top to bottom, Po. I'll know when something is out of place. Come out now, stranger."

On cue, Fenghuang, in a long cloak that covered her face, jumped down from the roof of the house and she landed on the ground next to them, and tucked in her wings. "You have quite the observation skills, Goose." _I thought Po was joking about the whole 'goose being his father' thing..._

"Thank you for that. Now do you mind telling me who you are, stranger?"

She had to take a risk here. Sure, she was a good lier, but was that necessary right now?

 _Should I tell him my true identity? I mean...Cub did swear that he wouldn't tell. Will his father do the same? He looks like he knows when someone is lying...? *sigh* I'll have to chance it. I'll deal with the consequences later. ""_ My name...is Fenghuang."

Mr. Ping grabbed her wing in a wing-shake. "Well it's pleasant to meet you, Fenghuang."

She blinked. "...wait. That's it? That's really it? You're not going to ask anything else about my name?"

Mr. Ping waved her off. "I don't probe into other people's lives against their will. If they want to tell me, they'll tell me. If they don't, they don't. That's all there is to it. I'm sure you're the one who allowed my son to get home safely, so you have earned my trust. If you're self-conscious about your identity, then I will not bother you about it. You have my word."

She slowly removed her hood, and blinked. She couldn't believe it. Honestly she thought that the Cub was pulling her leg, but this proves it. These two...truly didn't know anything about her. Po is too young to completely understand, so he's somewhat justified. But then the goose casually says that he trusts her just for helping his son get home. He offered trust to a total stranger solely for that reason.

 _Just who are these two...?_

Mr. Ping clapped twice, as he wore a face of glee. "Now then! I'm going inside to make lunch, since I know Po is hungry. Why don't you stick around and eat with us?"

Fenghuang waved him off. "That won't be necessary-" Her eyes widened as she heard a very loud rumbke come from her stomach. She folded her wings stubbornly. "Like I said, not necessary." There was another rumble, and she blushed from embarrassment. "Curses..."

"Not to worry, I'll have something for you in a bit."

"But...I don't have any money..."

"My son is safe because of you. It's on the house."

Fenghuang looked up to the structure they lived in. It was not borderline hazardous to live in, but it was very clear that these two were very poor. And he was willing to let her eat here without pay...? He's either very foolish, or far too nice.

...maybe both.

After a couple minutes, Mr. Ping had three bowls of noodles fully cooked and gave two of them to Po and Fenghuang. The former is extremely relieved and eagerly digs in. The latter seemed a little hesitant. Though after a couple moments of persuasion, she gave up her stubborness and takes the bowl. She had very few times to actually have some good food, as she's always been hiding out in the mountains. It was luck she ever came across food at all. It would be her first time eating food from a village in quite a long time. With a steady wing, she began to eat...

Her eyes widened as she stares at the noodles in shock. "This...this..." In no time at all, she began eating much, much faster, in a change of mind that surprised both the males in her company. When her bowl was completely empty, shejust stared in disbelief at her now empty bowl. "I...have never...enjoyed eating food so much." She turned to Mr. Ping, feeling awkward. "May I...um...may I please..."

"You're one of those prideful ones aren't you?" Mr. Ping pointed out. "You don't like asking to ask for things. I've met my share of people like you. If you want more, take some. Just remember to at least clean after yourself."

"Are you sure you're not going to charge me?"

"I have better things to do. Po has to come first. I've got to get us ready for Winter Festival. This is the time I have much more time to spend with my son than I usually have."

Fenghuang looked at both Mr. Ping and Po. He had already eaten his bowl of noodles and had fallen asleep on the table. Then she looks back at the poor state of the shop. "But...how much longer are you willing to endure these poor conditions?"

"As long as I need to." Mr. Ping said firmly, as he softly pets the sleeping Po, which causes them both to smile. "I knew that adopting Po would have some cons, but I'm more focused on the pros. The main one would be to have a loved one to come back to." He sighed. "This goose was quite lonely, ya know."

Fenghuang lowered her eyes."You're making your own life harder for someone else's sake. That doesn't sound foolish to you?"

Mr. Ping shrugged. "People can say what they want. But I never regretted that decision."

The owl had to take a bit of time to think about that. Maybe over some sleep. "Whatever. Is there some place for me to sleep for the night?"

"Oh, you can use Po's room. He won't mind at all. He's always willing to help people. I'll just get Po his blanket." Mr. Ping smiled, as he walked back into the shop and up to Po's room. While he was going out to do that, Fenghuang was staring back at Po again. Her mind was reeling. Even when they had every reason not to trust her, they do so anyway. They're...strange. Very strange.

She felt chi from the entrance of the shop, and turned her head quickly. She was surprised to see a tiger cub peeking slightly from behind the wall, her eyes just staring blankly at the sleeping panda. Fenghuang saw an orange scarf around her neck, and was able to connect her to Po's memory immediately. There was no mistake.

"The panda is safe..." She could hear mumble quietly. She then released her grip on the wall and walked away from the shop. Fenghuang was slightly relieved by this, because there was a chance she wouldn't be exposed. But she was obviously confused by the moment. The cub completely disregarded the fact that the owl was there(or knew she was there and just didn't care) and focused solely on Po for an entire minute. He must have really caught her attention.

But how? And why? Fenghuang decided not to worry about that, it wasn't her problem. Her problem was paying the consequences for her deed, because she was somewhat trapped. What she did had to worry about was keeping her chi undetected, otherwise Oogway will find her. She can't fly away while he's vigilant. She needed to wait for an opening. But for now, she'll just have to keep a very low profile, keep her face hidden, as well as gather some money. She didn't want to stay here, but there was no way she was going back to that mountain. She HATED that mountain. Though Oogway wasn't going anywhere anything soon either, and waiting around was only increasing her chances of getting caught. And to top it all off, the Winter Festival was coming soon, where a LOT of people were going to be moving around.

 _Just...perfect..._

"Curses. I had very few problems up until now. I cross a panda ONE time and suddenly they all multiply. This is what I get for having a soft spot for children." She grumbled. She stared at the sleeping panda while pouting. "You're a bigger handful than I thought you were going to be, Cub..."

Meanwhile, the tiger cub from before had taken a little while, but she climbed up the Thousand Steps to the Jade Palace. When she reached the doors, they had already been opened by GrandMaster Oogway, who greeting her with a warm smile. "Ah, Tigress. You were out for a little longer, today. Shifu is waiting for you."

"Sorry, Master Oogway." She said while bowing. Her mind made a quick flash to Po, while looking up to Oogway and nodding. "I just needed to check something, that's all..."

* * *

 **I know things must be slow, but please bear with it. I did much better than I thought I did for the first chapter, so I thank you for letting me know that. The Next Chapter will be out soon.**

 **Feel free to review~**


	3. A New Friend

**The Second Chapter is underway! Forgive any mistakes I may have made, it's bound to happen once in a while. Can't get it right every time, ya know.**

 **Let's get to it!**

* * *

 _"It's over, Fenghuang." An elderly stern voice called out in a slightly tired manner._

 _Fenghuang was lying on the floor, beaten and slightly bloodied from the extreme duel she has just taken part of. She was struggling to keep one eye open as she looks up to her former Master she had willingly betrayed for her own selfish ambition. She thought she had fully caught up to him. She thought she could win. She thpught that she would be the one who would be in control._

 _She was brutally proven wrong on all counts._

 _While she had put up a decently even fight with Grand Master Oogway, it was painfully clear that she was still no match for him. She was exhausted, while his eyes showed no signs of such a thing. The very thought aggravated her intensely. Evident by her using one wing to pound the floor of the Jade Palace, cracking it slightly._

 _Dammit...damn that blasted tortoise..._

 _She used both of her wings to prop herself up, trying to recover. Then she sees her former comrades, Shifu(stupid Teacher's Pet) most noticeably, bringing in some sort of cage. A cage that looked specifically like her shape and form...they saw this coming, didn't they? Of course they did. Ever since she came here they always seemed to keep their distance from her, and they have the nerve to come up with a countermeasure for an occasion like this._

 _Well she is having none of it. She refuses to be locked in a cage. As an avian, cages are the biggest offense to her freedom, which is best expressed through her wings. If these fools seriously think they can just contain her and lock her away, they had another thing coming._

 _They never really believed in her, did they? Otherwise they wouldn't even have something like that lying around in secret. Developing it AFTER these events would be slightly justified. But they had the cage prepared for her this entire time._

 _She never should have trusted them. They were never truly on her side. Oogway...maybe...JUST MAYBE...would forgive her one day. His other students? Beyond impossible._

 _So with the strength she had left, she raised her wings and blew forth a massive gust of wind that was powerful enough to push everyone back, all but Oogway, who just stood there with his staff in tow. She flapped her wings again, airborne. "You can't stay being the best forever, Oogway! Sooner or later, I'll surpass you! When I do, I will crush you, and everyone here who has done me wrong. Do you hear me? I will **CRUSH YOU ALL!"** Her rant complete, Fenghuang turned around and flies far away from the Jade Palace, as her former colleagues watched her retreat, unable to stop her. Oogway just sighed as he turned around and away from the scene. __She knew that with great reluctance, he had turned his back on her._

 _It didn't matter to her. Isolation was her only companion from now on. Because as long she has such incredible power on par with Oogway, she'll never be accepted with open arms. Nothing but hostility from now on, but that's fine by her. She was better off on her on. No one would be able to hold her down anymore. No one can convince her to stray from her chosen path._

 _Because none of them really cared much. In their eyes she's just another criminal. In her eyes they're all hopeless fools. She'd never get caught in meaningless connections like theirs._

 _Never..._

Fenghuang shifted in her sleep from her dream-based flashback, just a little bit as she lies on the bed in Po's room. Though when she heard the sound of of little feet coming up for her, she was quick to wake up from her slumber. Being an owl, she's usually more active in the night. But she trained herself to go countless hours without any sleep, which allows her to be up for a long time in the day. Still, that doesn't mean she doesn't get drowsy.

"Master Fenghuang! Good morning!" She was right about the rush of feet heading to the room, because Po came into the room, as his injured arm was properly bandaged by his father. Now he was handing to her with a cheerful smile. "I brought you breakfast in order to start your day!"

Huh. Fenghuang never thought that she would get the feeling of having breakfast. She was lucky to ever get food at all, with her experience of going without food for weeks. But again, that doesn't mean she doesn't get hungry. She takes the bowl from Po anf began eating. "You're pretty cheerful today, despite your brush with death yesterday."

"Eh, I'm choosing not to think about thatc it wouldn't do me any good. Wouldn't do any good for Dad, either. Nope, in fact letting him know that would not be helpful at all." Po shook his head while shrugging. "He's far too busy managing the shop to worry about things like that. I just gotta get better at being careful, that's all. Then I won't have him worry about me so much."

"Whatever you say, Cub." Fenghuang shrugged. "Say, can you go and get your father? I need to speak to him about something. Regarding our little cooperation."

"Um...okay." He nods as he runs downstairs to get Mr. Ping.

Fenghuang took the time to look around the cub's room. It was surely not the best of rooms. There is barely anything in here except for his bed and blanket, window, a child painting of Mr. Ping as well as a painting that looks like it was done by a professional. Yet the painting...she could see that it was more carefully preserved than the well-done one. But...why...? "Ms. Fenghuang? You wanted to see me?" She turned to the goose who entered the room, and he was in his cooking apron. "I'm preparing for the morning rush, can we make whatever this quick?"

"No problem." Fenghuang responded. "Yesterday...you said something that intrigued me. You said that you were a lonely goose, right? What kind of sense does that make, since you have so many customers every day? What's the deal with that?"

Mr. Ping froze up for a moment, then he sighed. He walked down to the kitchen with her, as he picked up a knife, looking at his reflection with it. "It's true, I have many customers on good days, and decent amounts on other days...but it doesn't mean that I'm not a lonely goose. Many of these people see this place as merely a place to eat. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't blame them for that. In fact had I not been a chef, I would feel the same way. I blame my own need for emotional attachment more than all else. The family left me behind, and as you can see...romance in my life is clearly nonexistent, no matter how much I tried. For the many years I owned this shop, I was no more than that goose who was great at making noodles." He placed his other wing on his cheek, smiling sadly. "My kind of situation is one major reason why me and Po can connect so well."

Fenghuang shook her head. "I don't see the problem, honestly. You have so many people around you, and both if you are very kind, sometimes to the point of foolishness. How can you both feel so alone?"

"It's quite easy. It is completely possible to feel alone in a crowd. You may be surrounded by people, but there is always something that sets you apart from the rest of them, and they wish to persuade you into thinking that its a bad thing. Po is a constant victim to this. People are constantly putting him down and making him feel worthless just for being who he is. He's a panda, so what? I don't see what is so bad about that!" His anger unintentionally rising, he stabbed his knife into the cupboard. "The adults telling him to get lost. The children that don't know any better than to bully him. Beating him up, shoving him down, taking his lunch...they're making him an outcast for something that's out of his control! I absolutely **DESPISE** those kinds of people!" He took a deep breath and looked at the ground. "...a chance. He at least deserves a _chance_. But for some resson they can't give it to him...JUST BECAUSE his species has never been seen in this part of China. I have a good mind to clobber all of those idiots for antagonizing my son like that..." He took a bit of time to calm down, while Fenghuang was given time to process what she was hearing. From her perspective, it looked like the panda was being tormented for being different. She thinks back to her own situation.

She at least DID something to earn the villagers ire. Po did not. That kind of perspective has never occurred to her. Ever. "But wait...he told me that he DOESN'T tell you those kinds of thngs about him being put through all of that...?"

"I would have to be a pretty bad father to NOT know what's really going on. Po lies to me about his pain to keep me happy, despite it doing the exact opposite. He's trying to be strong for me, because knows that if he or I retaliate to such behavior, we may find ourselves homeless. The paranoia from so many horrible events happening to this Valley, it's causing people to think very unreasonably, out of sheer fear. The Valley Of Peace...no matter how hard Oogway tries, and I do respect his efforts to prevent it...it seems that the 'Peace' in the title is beginning to lose it's meaning..."

"..." The owl was left surprised by Mr. Pings rant. It's almost like he's blaming the entire VALLEY for how his son is being treated. Their own fear and paranoia of another terrible event befalling them is causing a large majority of them to ostracize Po. Worse than that, it seems that all of that fear and paranoia is beginning to lead them to their own destruction. This was not a status she expected the Valley to be in during her very long term absence. She had no idea that the people here were being consumed by their own judging emotions. If even Oogway could not keep the situation completely under control, there was no doubt that things really were spiralling downhill for everyone here. She was merely seeing the effects they have on Mr. Ping and Po.

...she has been gone longer than she thought. And to think that she has a hand(or wing) in the state the Valley was in now. She was beginning to reconsider her next actions. She wishes to rule the Jade Palace and the Valley...but there's no point to it if the Valley was already broken. There's no accomplishment in it at all.

"...what I believe was the last straw...was the Tai Lung Incident two years ago that nearly destroyed the Valley, and various people were killed. That was the worst offense, considering he was tutored under Shifu." Mr. Ping sighed. "Thank goodness me and Po weren't here to witness it first glance...we hid out in the basement...he didn't see a thing."

Fenghuang was stunned. She heard about that disaster. The 'wannabe' Dragon Warrior. He made a whole lot of ruckus over a little scroll, big deal. But she would also think of this as a big major screwup for Shifu. Filling his son with so much pride that his arrogance was overwhelming and it caused him to turn on everyone he cared about.

 _Fitting, isn't it Oogway?_ Fenghuang thought sourly. _That sounds like the exact same thing you did to me. Not surprising that Shifu would allow history to repeat itself..._

Mr. Ping began chopping vegetables when he fully calmed down. "Although...I know of only one child in this Valley who could possibly know how Po feels and what he goes through daily, though we never actually spoke. She is a young tiger cub, I think."

"Tiger...cub?" Fenghuang repeated.

 _"The panda is safe..."_

"I saw her right at the entrance of your shop. She just stared at the boy for a while then took off without even acknowledging my existence." She said, looking outside. She couldn't go anywhere right now, she had to stay inside and not be seen by anyone. This would not be easy. "You said she is the only one you know of in the Valley that can relate to his kind of loneliness. He's a panda, and panda's aren't well known around here. What's _her_ deal then..?"

 **(Flashback: Two Years Ago)**

 _All she could do was sit in the extremely dark room that had nothing but a candle, a window and a pillow, where the caregivers of the Bao Gu Orphanage have put her. At this point, she could not blame them for it anymore. She was hugging her knees as she wore a blank look in her eyes. The room she was placed in was completely made of metal because she couldn't break through that. But she did scratch the walls a lot with her claws._

 _Mostly because she wanted to get out, of course. Who locks a child in a cage? People who are afraid, that's who. She keeps saying she doesn't mean to. Multiple times, she has said that she was sorry for breaking something, or scaring the other kids(at worst, accidently hurting them), and currently her greatest weakness: losing her temper and lashing out at everyone because there are times where she just can't tolerate the children's abuse. Unlike another certain child, she DOES fight back. The problem with her was that she didn't know when to stop. She'll keep punching and clawing away at someone until she's sure that they leave her be. They have a word for someone like her._

 _"Monster..." She said quietly, staring into the metal walls. The word stings, and the people and children that voice them towards them say it as if it were horrible venom. This was a very troubling ordeal for her. When the children see her as a monster, it's preventing her from making any friends. When the adults see her as a monster, it ultimately prevents her from becoming adopted. Both cases are emotionally tormenting due to her desparate need for company. But they couldn't e_ _ven give that to her. In an environment like this, there was only one thing she could do._

 _Leave._

 _It was the only thing she could think of. If such a place has treated her so poorly, she has no idea why she's staying there. So with a steady resolve gripping her, she turned to the bars and took the risk. Making sure no one by the door was passing by or watching her, she took her short opportunity, jumped to the bars of the window, and proceeds to forcefully break them apart enough for her small body to fit through, and she slipped through with much ease. It wasn't difficult for her to escape the place undetected, because she had a pretty good guess that no one there was going to miss her. The main priority to them was to get rid of the monster, not befriend it in any shape or form. She refused to stay somewhere she wasn't wanted. She's waited too long, and did not feel like doing it anymore. She was escaping, and she wouldn't come back. It was better that way, in her eyes._

 _...but now what? Sure it was cold, but it's not that much different from her metallic room. The problem was that she had to find a place to go. Where should she go...? Well, she doesn't care where she goes, but she didn't want to stay there anymore. Treating a five year-old tiger cub like this...it's unbelievable. She was not going to stay there like a caged animal, she was not going back there._

 _"Dear do we have here...? A cub all by her lonesome?" She turned quickly to see a red panda who was just barely her height. She thought that was a bit strange. "I see you ran all the way out here in the cold, then it must be for a reason, am I wrong?"_

 _She nodded, keeping her head down. "I didn't belong in that place. They all said I didn't belong with them. Because everything I touch, breaks. I didn't know what else to do, other than get away. I don't want to go back there. I hate it there..."_

 _"Well well then, I can't exactly leave you out here. How about you come with me?" His offer left her shocked and temporarily unable to respond. She rediscovered focus after a couple moments._

 _"You'd really take me...but...I'm a monster..." She whispered as she stared at her paws. "I can never control myself, my fangs and claws male people stay away from me...they think I'm scary..."_

 _"If this is what they mean by a monster, they're horribly mistaken. They shouldn't ostracise a cub for something she can't handle yet. They should have called me.I am Master Shifu, and I'm certain I will be able to help you keep control of your strength. Trust in me." He said, holding his paw out to her. She dumbly looked at the paw, then to Shifu's smile. Could...she really do this...?_

 _With a moment of hesitation, she made her decision..._

 ** _(Jade Palace:Training Hall)_**

 _"HA!" The powerful force of double palms meeting wood. Wood Dummy was no more. Wood Dummy was completely obliterated by this powerful force of nature._

 _This powerful force of nature's name? A mighty snow leopard named:Tai Lung._

 _"Damn. I broke another one. Shifu really ought to make these more durable." He chuckled slightly. He hears the doors open, and turns to see Shifu standing in the doorway. "Ah, you're back, Shifu." He grinned. Then he saw a longer orange and black and white tail behind him, which confused him. "You didn't grow a second tail, did you?"_

 _"Very funny, Tai Lung." Shifu rolled his eyes. "I'm here to introduce you to your new sister."_

 _"Sister?"_

 _"Come out, Tigress." Shifu stepped aside, revealing that she was trying to hide behind him. When her cover moved away, she flinched and looked away._

 _"U-um...h-hi...B-Brother..." She said shyly. She had always wanted to be part of a family. But now that she hsd one, she had no idea what to do next._

 _Tai Lung chuckled, his tone slightly scaring Tigress alongside his size and aura of fierce power. He kneeled down and patted her head. "So you're gonna be my foster sister, huh? I gotta say, you're kinda cute."_

 _"Hey! Don't call me cute!" She growled, pouting childishly. "I'm going to train to be tough. Cute isn't tough."_

 _"Woah. Little sis is fiesty isn't she?" He raised his paws in mock fear, then laughed again. "I like her already." Tigress noticed his fangs and claws, and couldn't help but wonder._

 _"You have fangs and claws just like me...are y-you...a monster too?"_

 _Tai Lung raised an eyebrow. "Where did that come from?"_

 _"The orphanage I was being raised in didn't treat me very well because of my strength, claws, and fangs..."_

 _He huffed. "That's it? That's their big reason for picking on a little kid? What a load of crap." He looks Tigress in the eye. "Listen up, as your official older sibling, lemme give you a lesson. You're a feline, just like me. There are many people who have claws and fangs just like us."_

 _Tigress was surprised to hear this. "Really?"_

 _"Yeah. There are hundreds like us all around the world, but that doesn't make us monsters. We're just different. Don't count yourself short. People treated me the same way, so I decided to deal with it and make my strength to accomplish my goal."_

 _"You have a goal...? Can you tell me?" She said, waving her tail in anticipation._

 _"Sorry kid, we're not that close yet."_

 _"Hey!"_

 _Shifu chuckled. They meet for the first time and already they have engaged in sibling banter. It's amusing to watch. He leaves them to their own business. Tai Lung folded his arms. "So, Tigress. You wanna train yourself, is that it?"_

 _"Um...yes...?"_

 _"Good. You can at least throw a punch, right?" With her nod confirming this, he pointed to the dummy that's used for young ones. "Don't be shy now. A lot of things begin with a small step forward. At this case, it's a small fist forward." Tigress felt a bit nervous, she allowed herself to relax. She rememberd the pose Tai Lung took, managed to closely replicate it, and punched the dummy. It slid back and hit the wall, making a loud *BOOM* sound thst echoed through the entire room. Tai Lung was actually taken aback. "Woah..."_

 _"Gah! I'm sorry!" She said quickly, bowing. She was once again confused as Tai Lung chuckled loudly. With his own skillful eye due to Shifu's training, he was able to see what one simple move could mean for her._

 _"Don't apologize for that! That was incredible!" Tigress's eyes sparkled at the praise and she didn't realize it. "Just think, Tigress. Once you learn to master your true potential, surely no one will see you as a monster anymore!"_

 _Her eyes sparkled even brighter at this. It was possible? "And I'll make friends?"_

 _"MANY friends." Tai Lung kneeled down, and placed a paw on top of her head. "Trust me, kid. Stick with me and Shifu, and you're gonna be one of the most well-known Kung Fu Master's of all. Count on it."_

 _Tigress looks up at her foster brother with a very happy smile. Then she hugged him, nuzzling her head into his chest fur. He chuckled and just patted her head again as a response._

 _Their bond began this way. Tigress had a family to be with now. Shifu as her father, Oogway as her grandfather, and Tai Lung as her big brother. All three of them trained her in the basics of Kung Fu when she thought she was ready to starr. To their surprise, it was revealed that she was quite the prodigy herself. She learned very quickly, almost on Tai Lung's level. He was very proud of her, and Shifu was happy they were getting along._

 _Over three months, Tai Lung wss not being as fierce with his training as he used to be. Oogway thinks that Tigress may be the main cause. Understandable since now that he had a sibling, he had someone who could look up to him and admire his greatness. But after the first month, he began genuinely spending time with Tigress. Playing games, reading through scrolls, giving her cute baths(which neither of them enjoyed) . He was gentle with her when it came to training, and he would even tuck her into bed whenever Shifu couldn't do so. Overall, they had a pretty good Brother-Sister relationship. Tai Lung was a very kind big brother to Tigress, and Shifu was a loving father. It made her very happy._

 _...then one day, it all came crashing down._

 _She wss in a pretty deep sleep that day. Her brother was out with Shifu and Oogway to do some big reveal,and he wsnted to be fully representable. She could expect that about him, he always wanted to look his best so he could leave a good impression. It was a good trait for someone strong like him to have._

 _"AGH!"_

 _Her ears twitched slightly as she suddenly woke up. "That sounded like Father...is he hurt?" Her concern taking over her, she left her room and ran down the hallway towards the sound, ready to do whatever she can to help if it was needed. She made a sharp turn on one hallway, to the Palace Halls._

 _She could only widen her eyes in pure shock, disbelief, and horror._

 _Her brother, Tai Lung...wasn't himself. His fur was rustled and wild, his tail lashing behind him, his claws on a heavily bleeding Shifu, and his eyes were slitted with violent blind fury, and his deep predatory growl was just as scary. Oogway was nowhere in sight, he was taking the priority of the citizens first because he thought Shifu was capable of fixing his mistake. If only he knew that Shifu lacked the will to fight back. Tigress looked on in horror. Her brother was someone entirely sifferent right now. This wasn't him._

 _He...he couldn't be a monster. He just couldn't be! He said so himself! "...Brother...?"_

 _Tai Lung whipped his head towards her, letting out an even louder and feral growl, but ceased when he saw that it_ _was Tigress. And his action didn't go unnoticed. There were tears streaming down her face as her eyes are still wide, being unable to process what was happening before her. "Big Brother...why are you hurting Father...?"_

 _Tai Lung looked towards Tigress, feelings of guilt taking over him. Tigress has just gotten into this family...she shouldn't witness this. His quarrel was with Shifu and Oogway, he didn't mean to drag her into their feud. "Tigress..." His voice was filled with guilt as well. He then returned his glare to Shifu. "This isn't over." He growled before he harshly threw him to the ground and busted through one of the walls, disappearing into the mist of the night._

 _Oogway rushed back to the Jade Palace when all the citizens were safe. But he arrived too late. Shifu was critically injured, bleeding heavily and having a shattered right hip, and Tigress was standing in a doorway, still unable to process what has just happened here. He rushed towards them both to help them both. Unfortunately, the damage was already done._

 _Shifu was reduced to limping and lost his son to darkness, Tigress has just been emotionally scarred three months after adoption, and Tai Lung managed to escape. This was a rather bitter day..._

 ** _(Five Days Later)_**

 _Tigress was sitting alone on her room, lying on the ground as her eyes were closed._

 _"It's been a while since my big brother left. Master Oogway was sending big rhino guys to search for him qhen he ran away, but they never found him...but I can't understand why this had to happen. Why would he hurt Father like that? Now he's feeling really really bad, and he barely talks to me anymore. All he does is train me and go to his room. I swear I hear him cry himself to sleep at night. I do the same thing. Because of what Big Brother did to Father, I don't think he likes me anymore...'_

 _'Master Oogway says that's not true. I want to believe him, I really do. But it feels too much like the time I was back in the orphanage. It hurts that Father hurts because of Big Brother...and now Father is ignoring me...it hurts so much...then Master Oogway told me the reason for Big Brother's bad actions. It was because Father always thought that he would be someone called the 'Dragon Warrior' . He thought that when Big Brother became this Dragon Warrior person, he would be even greater than he ever was before. But...Master Oogway said that he was not meant to be the Dragon Warrior. Big Brother didn't take it well when Father didn't even try to stand up for him...and so he took his anger out on everyone else. He only stopped when he saw me...then he left...'_

 _'...I hate this Dragon Warrior stuff. Hate it, hate it, hate it, hate it, HATE IT! I finally had a family, a family that truly cared about me. Then this one thing tears all of that apart! Big Brother is a bad person now, Father is not paying attention to me anymore, and Master Oogway is the only one who's truly there for me, but he has the entire Valley to worry about...'_

 _Tigress hugged her knees as she glared at the ground. "Big Brother became bad because he wanted to be the Dragon Warrior and make Father proud. Well...I'll make Father proud of me, my OWN way. I'll become strong, so that people can respect me. I won't become what Big Brother turned himself into." She whispered the last part, hugging her knees tighter as a tear ran down her cheek._

 _"I won't become a monster like him..."_

 **(Present Time)**

Tigress was walking through the streets when she eventually left the Jade Palace. She could feel that people were still keeping their distance away from her, and whispers could be heard all around her.

 _'Stay clear of her. Don't make her angry.'_

 _'Who names their child 'Tigress' anyway?_

 _'Not a good parent, for sure."_

 _'Heard that her temper still isn't completely under control.'_

 _'Let's hope she doesn't become the next Tai Lung...'_

Apparently these people forgot that words can hurt just as much as punches can. Because that last one really stung Tigress hard. But she refused to let them see it. She won't.

 _One day, they'll stop seeing me this way. I'll become strong enough to keep them safe, and then they won't avoid me anymore..._

"HA-HA! You snooze you lose, tubby!"

"What?" She heard a scuffle going on, and followed the sound of the noise. She turnes to the alley and saw that a goat and a pig her age kicked a panda to the ground.

Wait...PANDA?!

 **"HEY!"** she growled furiously, gathering all three of the boys attention, Po's most noticably.

The bully duo turned to the source of the growl and got very frightened. "Gah! The monster found us! RUN!" They shoutd as they ran off from the scene. Tigress unclenched her fists and watched as Po picked himself up, dust himself off, and smile.

"Hey, that's one less injury than last time."

"UNBELIEVABLE!" Tigress shouted, getting his attention again. "Those two kicked you while you were down! Why didn't you fight back, panda?!" Truth be told, she was always following him from a distance. She was interested in him because his own circumstances matched hers in many ways. But this...this was so much contrast on the bully card. When bullies try physical harm on her, she shuts that DOWN. At the cost of getting even more hated by complaining parents. But this panda just sits around and takes the abuse, dusts himself off, and goes on about his day as if nothing happened. Something about that mindset just...bothers her. She noticed he was looking around, looking quite confused...much to her confusion. "Did you not hear me?"

"Those guys said that they saw a monster, but I don't see one."

She blinked. "You don't agree with them? That I'm a monster?"

The panda responded by laughing. "Ha! You're not a monster, you're a girl!"POW! "OW!"

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!" She said, as Po nursed a bruise on his head. She expected him to react, but not like what he did.

"Haha, okay. I admit, that was a bad choice of words. I mean is that I can't see you as a monster. Why would I?"

"Well...my claw and my fangs...also I'm really strong...and people think that's a very bad thing..."

"...why is being very strong a bad thing...?"

"Because I can't always control it..."

Po blinked the he rubbed his head. "Yeah...I never really understood why they would think that's a reason to pick on people. If you want my opinion, they're kinda dumb for that." Tigress looked up at him to see his confused face. "People are picking on you for being strong and having claws and fangs. They may think you look scary, but that's hardly a reason to pick on you. They call me fat and lazy, and they tend to take my food because they think I eat too much. That part is kinda true actually, but that's just me being me. I'm not going to apologize to them for being myself." Tigress looked at him in shock. "Anyway, what's your name? I'm Po. Maybe we can be friends...?"

"W-What?! My name is Tigress...W-Why would you want to be my friend? People are picking on you and me for different reasons. If we spend time together, it will just get worse. Besides, I'm not totally alone, I have my Father. But...he's so strict and sad all the time...it's like most of the day he's not really there..."

"Huh. With Dad working a lot, we don't get a lot of time together either." Tigress seemed shaken by another similiarity between the both of them. The only main difference there is Mr. Ping's lack of time and Shifu's lack of care. And both are very crucial when it comes to raising children. Their fathers were having an extremely hard time raising them, and it was becoming difficult for them to take. "So whaddya say, wanna be friends?"

"I...I..."

"Don't think about it, just say yes." Po smiled at her, holding out his paw. He seemed fairly confident that she would say yes, and strangely the smile he gave alongside the gesture put her heart as ease for some reason. This was a genuine gesture to her, and his Jade Eyes back up this up. Her heart desparately craves friendship, and yet it's also afraid of rejection, like the many times it's happened to her before. Will this really be any different...?

 _...I...I have to try..._

Tigress outstretched her paw as it grasped Po's. The reaction was instantaneous. "Hahaha! Awesome! A we're new buddies!" He laughed jovially.

Tigress was taken aback, but then she smiled. "Buddies...a friend..."

Fenghuang was watching them both from atop a roof, making sure her chi remained nonexistent for the time being, as the cold winter air blew by her feathers. "Hm...the goose was right, that tiger cub looked like she would have done anything for attention. They were both alone, even with their fathers who don't have a lot of time for them. This allowed these two to connect easily. After all, misery loves company."

She thought back to her time in the Northern Mountains, sitting in the cave in nothing but total isolation from the outside world, due to her being too afraid of Oogway. Fear of Oogway kept her crom ever leaving the mountain for nothing but food and water.

She sighed. "Yeah...misery loves company..."

 **(Valley Of Peace: Entrance)**

"Is this the Valley of Peace...?" A young small croc asked, looking up to the sign, and then the village. He carried a backpack and he was wearing a small helmet. "Yeah, it's gotta be. I made it! Now maybe I can find something that will help me in my self-made mission. But...what do I do now...? I didn't really plan that far ahead..."

...

He growled as he grabbed his helmet and threw it to the ground. "Gosh...freaking...DARN IT!"

* * *

 **...Now who could THAT young one be...?**

 **Anyway, this time we looked into Tigress's history with Shifu and Tai Lung at her young age. What could be next? You'll see soon enough.**

 **Later~**


	4. Exposed

**Here's yet another chapter for all. I hope I did well on it, spent plenty of time. Sure, I'm aware that there might be a couple mistakes, but meh~**

 **Let's get started.**

* * *

Shifu was sitting in meditative position in his room, which was bright with carefully lit candles all around him, as he breathes in deeply, then breathes out. This process repeats for him, and it does help some. Though he was having a very hard time keeping himself at peace.

Because so far his heart has been hit with nothing but relentless, unforgiving, emotional torment.

He remembers how he first came to the Jade Palace. His father Shirong, a professional con-artist, once left Shifu on the top of the Thousand Steps and told him he would return in five minutes. Being the naive child he was back them, he actually believed him. It took waiting an entire day, sitting out in the rain at nighttime, and Oogway's comforting shoulder to dully convince him that his father was not coming back.

Ever since then, Master Oogway took him into the Jade Palace, and he mentored and fathers Shifu for many years, teaching him Kung Fu, right from wrong, as well as many ancient mysteries about China itself. He was always marveled by Oogway's compassion and wisdom, and thus devoted himself entirely to making the tortoise proud and standing up for his beliefs. For the entire time he's known Oogway, he's shown nothing but complete loyalty to him and the teachings of Kung Fu.

He did not realize that this loyalty would have many negative emotional consequences. As great as his loyalty to Oogway and Kung Fu is there are some times when he's forced to view this perspective in a different light, and he's even questioned whether or not he made the right choice. He could never resolve his inner conflicts about his loyalty to his Master compared to his loyalty to his other loved ones. Every time, he was faced with a choice. And every time, he's faced with rather nasty consequences due to them.

 _"Kung Fu...is outdated and useless!"_

 _"Of course Oogway would pick you to be the GrandMaster. You've known him the longest."_

 _"You no longer have your own backbone, Shifu. Oogway always has to carry it for you."_

Those were merely three instances in where his passion in Kung Fu have turned against him and his relationships with former colleagues. But at this point, he has always come back to two main relationships he's seriously maimed with his devotion to his honor:

 _"I can't believe you'd choose your love for Kung Fu over your love for me...you **JERK!**_ **"**

 _"How can you choose Oogway over your own son?! Tell me, Shifu! **TELL ME HOW!** " _

Shifu suddenly pushed his palms outward and all the candles went out from the gust that followed, and he got on his knees as he is now in the dark. He was beginning to get mentally exhausted. How many times must he go through this ordeal? His honor was so strong that it cost him many potentially strong relationships. He betrays a very gifted mechanic that could probably do good for China's technology had he not said that it had no heart, he didn't try making up with a fellow student when he got jealous that he was picked to be the next Grand Master of the Jade Palace, he personally chased away a fellow comrade because she attacked Oogway, he gave up his lover because he didn't bother being patient and attempt ridding her of her thieving tendencies, and he failed to speak up for his own SON when he was fold he was not the Dragon Warrior of legend. All of these because he favored Oogway's influence over theirs. Close friends and a son, were now all enemies of his due to his actions and decisions.

And now he was threatening to do it AGAIN, because his heart is refusing to reach out to Tigress, due to fear of repeating the mistake he made with Tai Lung.

He was truly beginning to wonder if the universe hated him. At first he just kept dismissing that idea, but the more relationships that get broken, the more bitterness latches onto his heart. Tai Lung's actions directly being his own fault really drove it home. Because he may have released a very dangerous threat upon China because of one simple mistake causing his total corruption to darkness, and is afraid of doing the same to Tigress.

"How many times...?" He said quietly, as he stood up and limped to the sliding door, his hip made very difficult to get around, so he needed a walking cane most of the time. How many times must I endure these betrayals by my hands... I've even turned my own son against me. Is there any way for it all to just..." He trailed off and shook his head. "No. My own inner conflicts are not important right now. I may resolve them later, but first I must help prepare for the Winter Feast." Shifu went and opened his door. Since he wasn't using his ears, he didn't expect Oogway to appear at his door. He jumped slightly before recovering quickly and bowing to him. "Oh, Master Oogway!"

"Shifu, my friend. You seem very troubled." He responded gently.

"What? No Master, I'm perfectly fine. Why would you say something like that?"

"I sense that you're a bit stressed about something, Shifu." Oogway clearly knew what that something was, but he decided against it until Shifu has calmed himself down. "How about you take a stroll around the Valley for the time being, Shifu? With all the early preparations we're making for the Winter Feast, you look like you could use a bit of time away from the Palace. I don't wish for you to overwork yourself. Please, take a bit of time off."

Shifu could see the amount of concern etched onto his Master's face, and he caved in to his request. "If you say so, Master." He bowed again and left Oogway's presence, leaving the turtle alone with his own thoughts. He held his staff as he made his way to the Palace Hall entrance, and looked upon the Valley from there.

There was one thing he knew Shifu was feeling, because he was there every time. Shifu was getting tired.

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Dad! Hey Dad! DAD!" Po shouts repeatedly as he holds Tigress's paw while walking into Mr. Ping's shop. For the entire time, Tigress was blushing pink, though it was unnoticeable due to her orange fur. She didn't think Po realized that he never let go of her paw ever since their paws connected in their handshake. Or maybe he didn't want to let go of her paw.

Either way, holding his paw...made her feel...funny inside. She had no idea what that feeling was, but she was rather disappointed when he let go of her paw. Strange...

"Oh, hello son! Glad to see you're home..." Mr. Ping said with a bright smile on his face. Which got even brighter when he sees Tigress right behind him. "And you brought a friend!" She took note that he just KNEW that she wasn't the one who hasn't inflicted Po's current injuries on. Even when she's the one with the claws and fangs...he just knew. Unknown to her, it was because he already knew full well who she was, and was feeling ecstatic inside because she now gathered the nerve to directly interact with his son. "And what would your name be?"

"Tigress..."

"Well, good meeting you Tigress! I see that you've become acquainted with my son! Do come and have a seat!"

"Son...?" Tigress said to herself as Po walked past her to give his goose father a hug. "Oh...he's adopted." _Another thing we have in common..._

"Betting you two could use something to eat. Few things show a new friendship by eating good food together!" Mr. Ping said happily. He could hear Fenghuang stealthily enter the building from Po's room, and reminded himself to serve her later. Hiding among a huge crowd in a rather crowded place must be hard. Geez, wait until Po grows up...they're gonna need a bigger place by that time.

That's when he noticed the silence. And that's when he began to exercise some caution. Right when Tigress entered the vicinity, everyone else around them became very quiet at the sight of her. Po did not seem to notice, but stayed next to Tigress when he noticed her discomfort. Mr. Ping narrowed his eyes, and he slowly went back to preparing his noodles while keeping a very sharp eye on the people there. Fenghuang could sense the air around him shift, and she deduced that any negative intentions aimed towards those two children would be met with **HARSH** retribution. He has been burning inside for a very long time now, but for Po's sake he has kept his beak shut and has been very patient. But Po being harassed alongside his new friend would surely make him snap. The owl had to admit, she never felt this kind of fierce protectiveness from a civilian. She wondered how he would act out. He once said that they hold out becaude they were cautious of the backlash on his business. But Mr. Ping may be nearing the border of 'I don't care' if he gets pushed too far.

"So Tigress, do you go outside often?" Mr. Ping asked, trying to steal her attention away from the people glaring at her for seemingly no reason other than to make her feel very unwelcome. He could see the discomfort on her face, amd was trying to comfort her like his son was attempting to do.

Tigress shook her head. "Not much. I am usually training inside the Jade Palace with my father."

"Who might your father be?"

"Master Shifu."

Both Fenghuang's(while hidden) and Mr. Ping's eyes widened when they heard this. If she was adopted by Shifu was well, that could only mean that Tai Lung was her foster brother. While everyone else was very much aware of this, this was news to the two of them. Po on the other hand, didn't even know who Tai Lung was, not that he was very interested in him. All he knew about Tai Lung was that he was the reason why he and his father hid in the basement while he rampaged across the Valley, devastating everything and everything in his way. Mr. Ping couldn't explain to Po that some people even died, that's something he didn't need to know. Again, Tai Lung isn't someone he's interested in right now, because he was focused on his new friend Tigress. But he could see that the subject was greatly changing the air around the shop, with most customers mood being even more sour than it was before.

To Fenghuang, she understood the situation perfectly. _Being Tai Lung's little sister, alingside being far too similar to him, is getting her some undeserved ire. These villagers must be harassing her out of fear, given the looks on their faces._ She shook her head. _Ah Shifu. Father of the Year. Let's give him a big damn hand about how he accidently corrupted his son and is ignoring the fact that his daughter is an outcast for her brother's actions. I don't have to ask her about it, it's in her eyes..._

"Tigress? You okay?" Po asked in concern, seeing her look crestfallen when mentioning her father. In an attempt to cheer up, he handed her a bowl of dumplings that Mr. Ping had prepared beforehand. "Here, try some! They'll cheer you right up!"

"They will...?" She asked as she stares at the bowl. Her cat-like curiousity getting the better of her, she placed the dumpling in her mouth with a rather adorable 'nom'. Once she sealed her mouth, her eyes widened, then closed quickly as she placed her paws on her cheeks and actually purred lightly. "This...is...THE best dumpling I've ever eaten!" She cheered happily. Mr. Ping and Po had just as cheerful smiles to her reactions. Fenghuang smirked.

 _Would a monster react like that to food? Stupid villagers._

"I'm glad you liked it, dear! You have an entire bowl of those for yourself, as well as a bowl of noodles! Take it as a small celebration for your newfound friendship." Mr. Ping smiles at her. She nodded enthusiastically to the idea if eating more of his food. Mr. Ping's eyes shifted quickly to the villagers, as they looked rather angry that Tigress looked so happy. _Oooohhhh no you don't! You're not ruining her good mood! I won't have it!_ "Say children, why don't you tale your food and eat elsewhere? I don't want to make you feel crowded in here, you oughta have time to yourselves. And don't wander off too far this time, Po."

"Good idea Dad! And I won't go too far, promise. Come on, Tigress!" Po said, grabbing his bowl of dumplings and noodles in two hands and walking out of the area. Tigress smiled and followed after her with her own food. Mr. Ping smiled at the sight. His son has finally made a friend.

"Glad to see that she finally left. No one wants to eat with a monster. Ping, you should probably get your son away from her before-" BAM! "UGH!"

The rather unfortunate pig who had the gall to insult Tigress right after she left was struck very hard in the head by Mr. Pings metal ladle. Fenghuang's eyes widened when she saw this, but she stayed hidden in the shop. The goose pointed his ladle at the pig, his glare full of fury. "Now you listen here, and listen good. After being ridiculed and harassed by most of the villagers in the Valley for simply being a panda, my son has _finally_ made a friend who shares his pain and has genuinely connected with her in their first meeting. I barely tolerated harassment towards my son in fear of long-term consequences. But I outright _REFUSE_ to let **_ANYBODY_** ruin this friendship I waited so long for Po to have. Po says he can handle your rather irrational dislike towards him, and I believe and trust him enough to not interfere. But it's crossing the line when you badmouth both my son and his new friend WHILE IN MY PRESENCE!" Mr. Ping's voice became a bit darker. "...My son has found a friend. A friend who can understand him, and vice-versa. They're hitting it off nicely, as I just saw. This will be my one and only warning. **Leave them alone.** Do not bother them. They'll gladly stay away from you, and I don't have a problem with that. But I won't have anyone purposely start a conflict with them. I don't care if this has a negative impact on my business. If you so much as **look** at them the wrong way while in my presence, I will not hesitate to BEAT YOU SENSELESS. And when you recover, I'll do it again! Remember this well. See all this? Hm?(shows wings to space) This is a restaurant. MY restaurant. I will not tolerate any irrational treatment of any kind. Not here. Nope. You come here to EAT. NOT to pick on my son and his new friend. This goes for everyone. You can either order some food, or you can GET OUT. **AM. I. CLEAR?!"**

Everyone else has either shrunken in their seats in fear or they were too shocked to make that kind of face. Mr. Ping, one of the kindest souls anyone will ever meet in the Valley Of Peace, snapped quite angrily. Just because someone insulted Tigress. Fenghuang, when over her own shock, smirked. _This goose knows how to lash out..._

The pig, now slightly fearing for his life, nodded quickly. "I...I ordered the bean buns a couple moments ago..." Mr. Ping was still clearly upset with him, as he slowly waddled back to the counter and got him his food, and being paid the proper amount.

"Now leave." He pointed to the entrance, and the pig didn't have to be told twice, he scurried away as quickly as he possibly could. Then, to the shock of everyone there, Mr. Ping did a complete mood change by returning to his large smile. "Have a nice day!" Everyone there face-faulted. Such a swift mood change!

Mr. Ping waddled back into the shop and closed the door as well as the window so that no one could see Fwnghuang meet him. "My goodness, goose. You sure went off on that pig."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes. After all the mistreatment my son has faced, and realizing that Tigress can relate to him, I just snapped. I really needed to get that anger out of my system. It's a bit stressful to keep it all in, you know?" He folded his wings. "I've already put two and two together. Tigress is not Tai Lung. She will never be Tai Lung. I swear, most villagers in this Valley has turned incredibly bitter from all the misfortune happening to them over the years."

"I see that..." Fenghuang sighed. If these were the kind of people she harassed in her Furious Five years, she wouldn't feel so bad, because it would be somewhat justified for her.. But no, she has a part in the bitter emotions of some of thee people in the Valley in the present. The thought was making her frown. "Hey, Ping. I'll keep an eye on your boy for you."

"That'll be great, thank you." He bowed, and she returned it. She made she sure no one saw her, sneaked out from the back and made her way out.

Unknown to them, Shifu heard a good chunk of that rant that has just occured, and was rather shocked that it was Mr. Ping of all people going off on the villagers. He had no idea what exactly he was talking about, but he didn't need super hearing to see that the goose was highly upset. He was also clueless to the fact that the goose's rant involved his daughter...

 **(Valley Of Peace-Playground)**

Po and Tigress were walking along the path of the rather small playground. Tigress took notice that as soon as she appeared, most of the children immediately cleared away from them. There were small whispers. _'What are THEY doing here?' 'Isn't she Tai Lung's little sister? And the panda kid?' "Mom says he rubbed off on her, and it's best to stay away from her.' 'The panda is crazy if he's hanging with her...'_ The voices made her slightly crestfallen again, but then Po turned his head to her with a reassuring look.

"Just ignore them, Tigress. They're just jealous that we're so awesome." He smiled. She greatly appreciated the claim and continued to follow him to a small area, all to themselves. Or ar least they thought it was to themselves. Tigress narrowed her eyes and growled. This caught Po by surprise. "Woah! What's going on Tigress?" She didn't answer as she suddenly pounced into a bush, which was followed by a loud 'OW!' Po gets up and pushes the bushes away to see what was going on. It's not what he was expecting.

Tigress had someone pinned, and to him, it looked like a crox who's helmet has been knocked onto the ground. One arm was repeatedly tapping the ground, while the other was being presswd against his back by Tigress. "Ow! Okay-OW! I give I give! GAH! It hurts a lot! Uncle! UNCLE!"

"He was spying on us, Po." Tigress said seriously. This must be her in Kung-Fu mode.

"Woah woah woah! Tigress chill! Let the guy explain himself!" Po said frantically. Seeing his panic, Tigress relented, while quickly apologizing. The croc then stood up, rubbing his arm with a pained look on his face.

"Gosh...that is some crazy strong strength. Coming from a girl, no less." He muttered. Tigress raised a fist, and he covered his face. "I'm sorry! Not the face!"

"Who are you?"

The croc bent over to out his helmet back on his head, and he placed his paws on his hips. "My name is Fung! And I was just having a relaxing walk around here until your cat just pounced on me." Tigress growled again, but Po made sure she stayed calm.

"She only pounced on you because you spied on us. So in a way it's kinda alright ro do so, isn't it? Because we couldn't see you, and all?

"I was NOT!" Fung defended weakly. "Now if you two would excuse me, I need to enjoy my lunch I have packed in...huh?" He tilted his head to the side when he reached into the bag. The pouch that had his packed lunches. "They're GONE?!" There was a hole in the bag...Fung jawdropped. Then he snarled and threw his helmet t the ground. "Agh gosh DARN IT! My food fell through that STUPID hole! Now what am I going to do?"

Po and Tigress looked at one another, then back to Fung. "Why don't you come eat with us, Fung? We have plenty for all three of us. Luckily for you, I always pack an extra." Tigress was impressed by Po's preparation skills when it came to food. And he was merely seven years old right now.

The croc folded his arms and huffed. "Keep your food! I don't need your charity!" A low growl emitted from his stomach, and he blushed. "...That means nothing!" The growl only persisted, and he sighed while gripping his head. "GAAAAAAA! Alright fine! You win, gut! You WIN!"

"Hey, I tend to say that sometimes!" Po pointed out while laughing. Tigress smiled, while Fung just huffed that he was called out. "Here, have a taste preview." He grabbed a dumpling and tossed it towards him.

"Why would I want a taste pre-" Fung started before it landed in his jaws while he was speaking. With not much time to react, he eats it quickly and gulped. His eyes widened and he grabbed Po by the arm. "You have more of this stuff? I WANT IT!" Po merely smiled, another one enjoys Mr. Ping's food.

The young trio spent plenty of time eating their lunch, consisting of the noodles, dumplings, and bean buns that were enough for everyone. Obviously Po was finished first, but all of them were savoring their meals with happy smiles. When they finally finished, they were lying on their backs, facing the sky, looking very relaxed.

"Ah...that was really good." Po grinned, patting his belly.

"My belly feels so warm..." Tigress smiled, rubbing her own belly, which bulged just a bit since she was the slimmest of the three. She was speaking of the noodles, which were indeed the warmest.

"I haven't never eaten so well in my life..." Fung mumbled, his tongue hanging out, but he didn't completely notice. "Dude...your Dad...is like the best cook...in the history of time." He said, turning his head to Po.

"Thanks, dude." Po smiled. The three of them sighed. After a while of not saying a word, out of the blue, Po burps. "Haha! Must have eaten better than I thought!"

" _Please._ I can beat that, easy." Fung waved off. He takes a breath, then lets out a slightly louder burp. The two laughed and high-fived one another.

Tigress folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "You two are gross..." She mumbled. Then _she_ unexpectedly burped the loudest of all three. Surprise was clear on her face as she covered her mouth and blushed heavily. "...Excuse me."

Po and Fung just sat there, eyes and mouths wide from the unexpected event. Then..."PFFFFFFT! Hahahahaha! Gross, huh? Look who's talking, tiger-girl!" Fung chuckled, while Po was having a total laughing fit, his legs kicking the air. Tigress pouted at them. Then she slowly smiled and she joined in on their laughter. She was happy. She has never laughed this much. And to double it, she made yet another friend, even if he is a bit more rude than Po was.

From a safe, hidden distance, Fenghuang watched the three play together. She smiled softly. "How about that. The panda managed to befriend two other kids on the same day. Hm...I wonder..." She thought to herself. She shrugged her wings and stayed perched in her position. A gust of wind blew by her for a second, andbshe swiftly turned her head to the right. She narrowed her eyes. She didn't like the feeling of this wind. To anyone, it would be another change in the wind, but to a Kung Fu Master with an affinity for wind, she knew what this meant.

Something was about to go down...

 **(One Week Later-One Night Before Winter Festival)**

Po had been a very busy panda in the span of one week. So have his friends Tigress and Fung. The Winter Festival was going to begin in a few hours. He was slightly disappointed that he couldn't go to the Jade Palace, due to Kung Fu Master's from various provinces gathering from all over to have their Winter Feast there, and it would be hosted by Shifu and Oogway. Tigress chose to stay out of their way, and just be with her friends. Back to Po, he was incredibly busy. He has been completely focused on making individual presents for both his friends. He had already finished Fenghuang's, but he would be patient. Mr. Ping already got his present, a sun lantern that he and Po painted together.

"Hello, Po dear!" He lifted his head and turned around to see who's calling him. He was happy to see somene he recognized.

"Mrs. Yun!" He cheered as he ran up to the entrance to hug her, and she gladly returned it. An elderly but kind-hearted goat that had befriended Mr. Ping, and Po as well, when he learned to walk and talk. She's on of the few adult villagers that treat Po fairly, and nicely. "Are they ready? Are they properly secured?"

"I've got it covered, Po. All your friends need to do now is open them, and they're gonna be so pleasantly sirprised when they do. You really put a lot of time and energy into them, and I'm sure they'll appreciate that." Mrs. Yun, for the past week, has been secretly assisting Po on the creation and wrapping of the presents he plans on giving to his friends. She knows people from many places in order to get things done. Mrs. Yun...is more mysterious than she realizes. Though she has a rather...shaky relationship with Mr. Ping.

Let's just say that they went on one date, it ended with him knocked out cold and her storming away in a huff. That...was not the best of days for either of them. They're still on good terms, but things have been rather...awkward ever since.

"They're gonna love these! I'm positively sure of it!" Po grinned.

Mrs. Yun giggles and pinches his cheeks. "You always remind me that you're such a sweetheart. And absolutely adorable at that." She kisses both cheeks, making him laugh. "Well, the rest is up to you. I'll see you later." She bows, he bows back, and she turned around to face Mr. Ping. There was a small awkward silence due to this.

"...Mr. Ping."

"...Mrs. Yun." They both nodded to one another, and Mr. Ping turns to Po. "We'll be gone for a while, Po. You can close up and have your friends over. I'll be back, alright?"

"Okay Dad." He nodded to him, as the goose and goat left together. Just in time, Tigress and Fung enter the shop, waving to Po happily. He of course waves back, but he remembered he had to keep their gifts hidden from them until it was time. He kept them inside, in his room, in a place only he could reach. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"We're coming to see you, dude!" Fung folded his arms. Tigress nodded in agreement. With this, the three of them sat down and began some friendly chat.

Elsewhere, Mr. Ping and Mrs. Yun were walking along a single path, and they stayed quiet, not wanting to try and start some awkward chatter. They thought they had gotten over the awkward phase of their relationship, though they were clearly mistaken when they actually meet face to face. Though they had to at least try to focus on a subject, they couldn't just stay silent.

"So..." Mr. Ping said.

"So..." Mrs. Yun said. This...clearly wasn't working.

"Goose!" Mr. Ping could hear Fenghuang's voice. _Oh thank goodness, a distraction!_ He turned towards the owl descending upon the pair, and he could see she had something to say. "What is it, Fenghuang?"

The owl stared at Mr. Ping with just a bit of regret in her eyes. "Mr. Ping...it's time for me to leave, while the going is good. With the Master's gathered at the Jade Palace for their precious Winter Feast, they can't hear or sense a thing from the outside. This may be my only chance of getting out of here undetected. I...just tell Po I said goodbye."

Mr. Ping looked genuinely upset. "You're not even going to stay for the hanging sun lanterns...?" She shakes her head no, and he sighed."He'll be so disappointed...but if you insist." Mr. Ping reached into his pack and handed something to her, and her eyes were filled with surprise. "Po wanted you to have this sun lantern as a proper thank-you for saving his life that time when you both met. He been spending a very long time on it, and he hopes you really like it."

Fenghuang was genuinely surprised by what she saw on the sun lantern. Po was not the best artist in the world, but one could tell that he put a lot of concentrated work onto this lantern. He had gotten her features in the form of a colorful silhouette of her raising her wings and soaring through the skies, a beautifully detailed shade of purple, knowing that was her favorite color. On the other side of the lantern, she was in full color, standing in front of the noodle shop though she was not flying around this time. This time she was merely standing around and looking somewhat happy. She didn't see the big significance in...no...wait..there was something significant there.

Po was holding her left wing with a large smile.

Fenghuang could not believe what she was seeing. Though there were no words present, the images themselves were more than enough to convey the message. _The Cub looks up to me..._ He didn't care about what she did in the distant past. He only cared about what she was doing with in during the present. Them having fun together, laughing together, eating together, being friendly towards one another...he's focused entirely on those memories instead of those that involve her inflicting pain on others. Truthfully, she was going to give him a present. But she didn't think he would give him one in return...

"Po..." She said gently. Then that same unsettling wind blew through her feathers. Then her eyes narrowed and knew why she felt so unsettled. "Thanks for giving me the gift, Mr. Ping. I better go." She said with hidden urgency as she flew away in a blur. Mr. Ping and Mrs. Yun watched her fly off, then they looked at one another.

"...Are you two 'friendly' with one another?"

"Really, Mrs. Yun? You're gonna do this now?" Mr. Ping deadpanned.

Back at the shop, the three kids were still talking with one another, currently unaware of the danger that they were in. Hidden in the shadows of the night, one wolf was watching them from the rooftops, a rather emotionless glare on his face. The children were in the way, he didn't expect anyone to actually be there. Well it didn't matter, he would just eliminate them silently and take whatever was inside...

Tigress sniffed the air once, and she narrowed her eyes. "Someone is watching us..."

"What, where?!" Fung panicked slightly, looking around quickly. "Who's watching us?!"

Tigress kept sniffing, while staying perfectly still, trying to get an exact idea on who's watching them. When she heard the short but slightly audible sound of a throwing knife being thrown, and she quickly pushed Po and Fung out of the way. Right where they stood, three throwing knives were stuck to the ground where they just were standing much the shock of Po and Fung. She looked up to see the wolf growling at him missing his marks. She didn't like the look he was giving the three of them. He was hostile, for sure.

"You three kids...just stand still and allow me to kill you." He said quietly. No one is supposed to see him on this operation. His superiors won't be happy at all.

"Kill...? Why would they..." Fung said quietly. He then screeched in panic when he sees the wolf slash with a sword, and dodged to the right. While he was still rolling, he was kicked aside, into the wall. He groaned slightly, and his helmet fell off of his head and rolled across the ground. "Darn...it..."

"Oh no, Fung!" Po shouted as he tried to run towards him. Though the wolf got in his way and knocked him into thw ground. He shouted out in pain and held his head from the sudden pain. He felt the wolf's sword touch his neck, and he stopped moving completely.

"You're the child..." He said quietly. "I'm awfully sorry about this, but you can't be allowed to live. Not with the potential threat you present. You probably do not know what I'm talking about. But it won't matter in a couple moments..."

"Double-Palm Strike!" Tigress shouted as she thrusted both her palms into his chest, pushing him back into the wall and creating slight cracks into it. She'd apologize to Mr. Ping later. "Leave him alone!"

He growled while getting back up, mildly irritated. "Wretched troublesome cub..." He said. Moving swiftly, he appeared before Tigress and knocked her aside as well with little effort. She crashed into the ground in a heap. Her growl was deep as she held her head, which was slightly bleeding now. She jumped up and clawed at his face, he yelped and punched her into the ground even harder. The pain was even more apparent now as she held her head. _Who is he...? Too strong..._

"You are starting to get on my nerves, cub." He snarled. He began reaching out to bite her, but he was hit in the head with a pot by Po, from behind. The sensation of metal impacting his skull was excruciating, but he steeled through ot and backhanded the panda, knocking him into the corner. He then lunged and bit into his shoulder, making him cry out in immense pain. "You're aggravating me as well! I'm just going to end you right here!"

"Gagh!" Po shouted, as the wolf bites down harder onto his shoulder. Po grabbed the pot again and bashed his head, making him let go. He kneeled to the ground, holding his heavily bleeding shoulder. "...dude...what is your problem!?" He shouted more in anger than in pain. "If you have a problem with me, then I should be the only one that matters! Stop attacking my friends!"

"Po. Stop talking like that!" Fung shouted, though his headache prevented him from moving. Tigress was panicking as she was not strong enough to defend Po against whoever this was. The wolf was no longer interested in their affairs, he was here to kill the panda. They were merely being a distraction. He raised his blade to cut down Po...

"Go ahead. Bring down that sword. You'll be down before you even reach him." He turned around to see Fenghuang glaring straight at him. She then noticed the mark on his armor, and her eyes were wide with shock. _N...No way...he's from..._ She shook her head and focused on getting the wolf away. She swiftly moved and grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him outside the shop harshly. He recovered quickly and stood upright to confront her. "Why would you come all the way out here, _dog?_ "

"I'm here to kill the panda cub."

Fenghuang's eyes narrowed. Then they slitted. "Why would you want to do that...?"

"That's none of your concern."

"That's a bunch of bull." She spread her wings and scrapped her talons to the ground. _I don't care if I get caught now. This dog is not going to kill Po while I'm here to stop him._ "I'm bringing you down...RIGHT NOW." She rushed forward ans kicked him in the chest, sending him skidding backwards, but he recovered quickly, again. She was not letting this wolf out of her sight. She just couldn't, he was far too dangerous. She flew towards him and flapped her wings hard, sending a gust of wind his way, though he rolled to the right to avoid it.

The wolf reached back, and whipped out his chain hammer to lash it at her. She narrowed her eyes and ducked under it when it flies over her. She smirked, thinking he just made a big mistake, though she remembered the important detail, and she barely managed to avoid it a second time when it came flying back from behind her. She nearly forgot about that trick. This couldn't be anymore than a mere scout probably because he thought he was dealing with a mere cub. He surely didn't expect her to be here.

Then she got angry at yet another thought. This was the holidays. Po and friends shoupd be spending it being together. Not fearing for his life. Her irritation grew, and her will to toy with this wolf diminished in mere seconds. She spun around quickly. It confused the wolf for a moment. "Spinning around? That's won't confuse me." He launched his chain hammer, though she disappeared at the last moment. "What-"

She reappeared right in front of him, a wing straight to his chest. "Thundering Wing Hammer." Right after she casually said those words, a blue orb of light shot out of her wing and impacted his chest. It caused him to be blown back,and he coughed up blood due to the intense force impacting him, and he fell across the landscape before landing in a heap against a building. She tucked in her wings and turned to Mr. Ping's shop. "Po? Are you okay?"

He blinked, and nodded with a smile. "Y-Yeah...my shoulder hurts a lot...but I'm fine..."

"Good." She nodded. His shoulder was messed up, but he was okay. There was one thing bothering her...

 _Why would the Lin Kuei pick Po as an assasination target...?_ All of a sudden, she heard the sound of a staff hitting the ground, and she turned to the sound. It was as she expected. She feared this would happen. _Well, I might as well face the music..._ She took a deep breath and calmed herself. With her actions, this was bound to happen.

"My my...it's been quite a long time, Fenghuang." Oogway's voice called out. He stood across from her, a calm smile plastered on his face.

Fenghuang lowered her eyes and spoke back in a just as calm tone, returning his smile with a smirk. "Hello, turtle bastard."

"I thought you would have mellowed out a bit since our last meeting."

"You can't always be right."

"Hmhm. That's true."

A gust of wind blew by the both of them. Both of them were very tranquil, and yet their auras, green for Oogway and purple for Fenghuang, were repeatedly clashing with one another, multiple times, thought it was invisible to everyone else. She knew she was in a tight situation. All the other Master's were gathered in the Jade Palace, and if need be, they'll be down here as well. If she fights Oogway now, she'll be too exhausted to fight off the other Masters. Flying off will just make them give immediate chase.

In other words, there's nowhere to run this time.

* * *

 **...Busted. The owl has been totally busted.**

 **How will Fenghuang handle this situation? Will she get out unscathed?**

 **But most importantly...how will Po react? Because it will most surely be significant. Well anyway, that'll be enough for now.**

 **If you'd like, leave a review? :3**


	5. Promises At The Peach Tree

**Here's to another chapter!**

 **...I have no idea what else to say...**

 **So let's just start this!**

* * *

Fenghuang was not going to lie about this. She was extremely anxious. She hasn't seen her opd Master in decades, and here he was , right across from her, wearing that warm smile. It was because he knew she couldn't win in this situation. Oogway was definitely not the arrogant type, make no mistake. He was just calling the circumstances as they were. And according to those circumstances, Fenghuang's only choice was to fight, or run and fight. Either way, she was not going to be having any fun.

And this was the holidays. She was _seriously_ going to get caught and thrown into the slammer on the holidays. Needless to say, it sucks to be her right now. It _really_ sucks to be her right now. But at the very least, she had to ask a question.

"How long did you know I was here?"

"I knew for quite a while." Oogway responds. No surprise to her. She should have known that he would know that she was in the Valley the entire time, because the 'universe' was on his side. _Screw you, universe._ "I must say, Fenghuang, I was genuinely surised to know that you willingly came back into the Valley on your own accord, and to help someone in need."

"Hey! That panda cub just came across me on my mountain, running away from some stupid poachers. I cut tuw kid a break, nothing more. It was just an accidental meeting."

"There are no accidents."

She groaned. A rather bitter reunion(at least from her side) only goes on for a couple seconds and he's already annoying her. "Hey, tortoise. Do me a favor and keep all your riddles for the midget. He loves to solve riddles."

"But if I reserve my riddles for only Shifu, no one else will learn anything new."

"Freaking...you're doing it again! Cut that out! You know I don't miss you!"

"No. But I missed you." She flinched. "Of course I was the one who cast you out. But it was not something I wanted to do. I hoped you could have properly thought through your descent into darkness and changed your mind. I guess I was wrong...or maybe not."

She tapped her talon to the ground. "Dammit old turtle, quit with your weird talk! It won't work! I know you all never really cared about me!"

"No Fenghuang. I see all students I take under my teachings as my children. As such, I was most sad when you chose darkness instead of light. I truly expected you to have become one of the greatest Kung Fu Master's of the new generation. I believe this is the realization that corrupted you. You wanted to be a leader of ypur generation, but all you've managed to do is paint yourself as a very greedy owl who wants to be acknowledged as the best. Indeed, you were very close to crossing the point of no return...luckily someone managed to pull you back before you were able to do so."

Fenghuang raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? How could you even figure that?"

"You're in the Valley Of Peace, are you not?" He asked of her, which made her pause. "Think, Fenghuang. You admitted yourself that it's because you were too afraid to face me that you never came back to the Valley for many years...now...put in one panda cub and suddenly you've changed your mind and immediately came back there. Wjy would that be?"

Fenghuang was struck still for a moment. She herself had no idea how things have escalated to this kind of level. She merely meant to drop the panda off at his home, she didn't expect herself to actually stick around for it. Yes..clearly she's stuck around longer than she expected. More like a week and a half, at best. She was sure she'd be leaving sooner than that, but for some reason, she was never able to get around to actually leaving. It was like she forgot all about it, almost. She was truly about to leave tonight, but Mr. Ping giving her a sun lantern, and having the realization that Po handmade it himself to thank her for saving his life. Then she went to save his life from the Lin Kuei at the certain risk that she would get caught, and didn't care one bit about it, and would rather face the consequences with a brave face. Mr. Ping also didn't tell Master Oogway or Shifu, or anyone about her being in the Valley, and he fed her quite well, and with no charge. The most crucial part comes in that neither of them new about her status when they first met her, and when she told them, they still accepted her fully. Those two were very generous and kind to her, and she even took into account that they could have risked banishment for harboring a dangerous Kung Fu Mastwr.

She figured out why it was so difficult to leave. She didn't _want_ to leave. Or more specifically, she didn't want to leave Po and Mr. Ping. They treated her as a friend, before and after she told them her true identity. Out of everyone there, those two were the ones who accepted her with open arms, no questions asked. It...felt nice, and she didn't want the feeling to leave when she does. Po's gift to her merely confirmed the realization. And now...she'll face down the consequences like a warrior.

No regrets.

Oogway was about to continue the conversation, but he was interrupted by the sounds of three hasty footsteps made their way down the Thousand Steps, and one of them sounded REALLY heavy. She recognized that overpowering chi anywhere.

Within a few moments, three figures entered the fray. And Fenghuang's chances of eacape dwindled by a large margin. Her frown deepened. "You have got to be kidding me..."

"Master Fenghuang." The deep voice of Master Thundering Rhino, accompanied by Master Storming Ox and Master Croc, called out her name. All three of them were wearing whitea to signify their participation in the Winter Feast. His tone was neutral, at best."I've heard a lot about you. One of Master Oogway's best students turning into one of the most vile Master's in history. And you could have become so much better."

"Are you serious? Now the big bad rhino is going to lecture me too?" She pouted. "Well...to justify the means, he is pretty badass..."

"You should have stayed in your icy cage in the Northern Mountains, owl." Storming Ox snarled. "Now you have the gall to interrupt the Winter Feast as well? How much mischief do you plan to instigate?"

"It's not like you're doing anything up there!" Fenghuang shouted. "Seriously, you're only eating food in total silence while mimicking the actions of the host. That's just... _boring._ All of you are boring."

"Insolent Fowl!"

"And there goes your temper. Honestly, why must you be such a hot-head? Is it because of all the hot-air in it. Because all it can think of is 'Attack! Attack! Attack!' And the logical side of you is like 'No thanks, on a tea break.' Even I show more patience than you. You ox's tend to just sit around lazily and lash out at those who bother them. So yeah, _I'm_ the insolent one. Seriously, why can't you be more laid-back like your partner, the croc over there?"

"She's definitely earned her reputation for being a snarky one..." Master Croc mumbled. "Also...it WOULD help if you would listen to me a bit more."

"We're facing an enemy and you speak of this NOW?!"

"Oh my, look at what you did now, Fenghuang. You're started an argument." Oogway chuckled.

"What's so funny, you old reptile? I already told you-" she was silenced immediately by the bolt of lightning coursing through her entire body, resulting in a rather loud screech of agony as she fell forward, only being held up by her wings. The shock finally ended, while her body was emitting smoke, and she could just barely stay conscious. "What...the...hell...?" She looked up to see Thundering Rhino had brought his Cloud Hammer, and she was pretty sure it shot the lightning at her. _More elemental chi attacks...? I HAVE been gone for a long time...damn. Can't...move..._

"Apologies, Fenghuang." He said to her. The dude was a genuine nice guy...but pulling punches is not something he does for the enemy. Not even a little. "We can't risk you flying off again, so I paralyzed your wings. Now you'll be able to come with us without resistance."

Fenghuang raised an eyebrow. "You paralyzed a grown woman in the middle of a village, and I can't make any move of resistance. I'm at your mercy. I wonder how you men plan to handle me, hm..."

"You're sick, you know that?" Master Croc sweatdropped. Another, smaller figure jumped into the fray, creating a small cloud of dust, right in front of Rhino, Ox, and Croc. As well as facing Fenghuang.

"Oh goodie, the midget is here as well. Might as well bring the rest of the team together so that we have a set." Fenghuang rolled her eyes.

"Fenghuang?! How dare you show your face back here?!"

"Are YOU gonna start lecturing me too, Big Ears?" She asked sarcastically.

Shifu's glare only intensified. "You are not going to ruin the Winter Feast with your trickery and maliciousness. I'm getting the guards to haul you away."

"Too much of a coward to do it yourself, eh? Send your problems away so that they can't bother you. That'll work. "

"Your sarcasm knows no bounds." He responded blankly. He turned around and begins his trek back up the Thousand Steps. Master Croc and Storming Ox neared Fenghuang to further restrain her. Though they backed uh up when they saw a frantic loony goose flapping his wings and quacking frantically at them with a slight look of madness. Oh wait, that's just Mr. Ping.

"Now you just hold it right there!" Mr. Ping shouted, outstretching his wings. "You Kung Fu brutes best back away from her!" Storming Ox walked straight up to him with a condescending glare, but the goose wasn't affected at all. "She has done nothing wrong over the entire time that she was here! She could have done something damaging to the Valley, but she never raised a wing against it!"

Ox was not very convinced. "So you admit to harboring a criminal?"

"She's done nothing wrong here. In my perspective, I see no criminal. I see someone who's been lonely for a very long time, and it finally made her seek out a connection to alleviate that loneliness. She's not the same owl that scarred this Valley. She's changed."

"Regardless, we are not certain that she will keep this so-called change as a permanent occurrence. It is better to be safe than sorry. We cannot take your word for it just because you're the only one here that thinks differently. Now...step aside."

"I refuse." Mr. Ping folded his wings, and the look he sent Ox shows that he meant what he said. The villagers were staring at Mr. Ping as if he lost his mind. He was seriously refusing to let them take a dangerous individual away. He was taking a criminal's side over the judgement of three members of the Kung Fu Council. He made a blantant disagreement and was sticking by it. Even Fenghuang was temporarily speechless when she sees his firm resistance to her arrest.

"Goose...what are you doing...? You don't have to do this." She said to him. "I'm...not worth it."

Mr. Ping didn't moved an inch. "Fenghuang...you saved my son's life not once, but _twice_ now. If I don't stand up for you here, then I'd never be able to let it go. I owe you so much."

"Why must you be so foolish?" Shifu voiced. "You stand up for her? You don't know her like I do. She's beyond redemption, she needs to be locked away!"

"HOGWASH!" Mr. Ping shouted, loud enough to hurt Shifu's ears. "You don't get it. She DID get locked away. She hid herself away from the world so that she wouldn't get hurt. But she couldn't take it anymore. It doesn't matter if you're good or evil, or even neutral. Anyone will be desparate for compaionship or at the very least some attention, be it good or bad." He closed his eyes. "She got sick of pretending she doesn't exist just to avoid trouble, because she's better than that. What she needed was the courage to face the world again. An outside force needed to pull her away from her barrier...and that outside force is me and my son. And since then, she has done nothing that makes me distrust her. She's confused, sure. Is she a heroic figure? Not quite. But she definitely isn't the evil owl you remember her as. Not anymore."

Shifu shook his head. "Have you really fallen for her deception that much? It's foolish to trust someone like her qithout question."

"And yet you refuse to see that she still has a chance. She told me that you two used to be comrades. You abandoned her. Oogway did not, at least not completely. If there is any fool within this vicinity, it's YOU."

"EXCUSE me?" Shifu glared hard into Mr. Ping's eyes, and the hostile feeling was neutral. Before it could escalate, three children managed to break them up. One pushed Shifu back, the other pushed Mr. Ping back, and the last stood in the middle, trying to defuse the tension.

"Dad! Calm down!" Po said, wincing through his injured shoulder.

"Father, don't do this." Tigress begged.

"Okay, everyone just chill out for a second, okay?" Fung said while waving his paws in a 'take it easy' kind of gesture.

The following silence was not what they expected. The villagers around them expected loud disagreements, not silence. It made them wonder what just happened.

Thundering Rhino, Storming Ox, and Master Croc, ceased all hostile intentions and just stared at the panda cub known as Po. They just stared at him, like they were surprised that he existed. It's justified, considering what they said next:

"It...can't be...can it?"

"There's no denying it, Croc. That's a panda cub."

"That can't be! The pandas completely disappeared after the attempted genocide on their homeland, even we couldn't find them!"

Time stopped around Fenghuang as she heard those two words. _Attempted...genocide...?_ Her view on Po changed drastically. She honestly thought that the sudden disappearance of the pandas was merely a need for migration. But now she knows the true reason. They ran off...because someone or something tried to wipe them all out, for whatever reason. Po must be one of those survivors. She remembered a detail of Mr. Ping's description of when he first found Po: _When I found him, he was dirty, covered in soot, hungry...and oblivious to most things around him._ Now it made more sense.

But then...how did Po get here? What did he witness? _What the hell am I missing here...?_ She didn't bother voicing that thought out loud. This realization merely furthers the fact that she had blatantly ignored the events of the world around her...up until now.

Rhino was the first to get over his shock, and began stepping forward. Po, thinking he had hostile intentions, instinctively stepped in front of Fenghuang. "Fenghuang is my friend. She saved my life two times, and she's actually a good person if you actually take the time to spend some with her. I'm sorry, but I can't let you take her."

 _You too, Po?!_ Fenghuang thought in disbelief.

"If Po says you can't have her, then you won't." Tigress said blankly, standing next to him.

"Can't you just let her off with a warning?" Fung asked with a shrug, though his decision was clear as well. The cooperative rebellion had caused Rhino to stop, and caused everyone else around them except Mr. Ping to stare on in utter disbelief.

Thundering Rhino practically towered over Po, but the look on his face says that he could care less. The panda was glaring right into Rhino's eyes, holding him back with nothing but sheer defiance. Rhino recognized eyes like those, they were the eyes of a warrior. Of course he wasn't going to harm the cub, but even if he did, it would hardly matter. Phas made his decision clear, through his actions and words.

Here he was standing, just a small cub, against one of the most powerful Kung Fu Masters in the world. And the result was...

"...Very well."

Ox and Croc were understandably shocked by this decision. Shifu more than anyone. Oogway was watching casually, as if he knew that this would be the end result. It simply didn't process through the minds of the younger Masters that one cub of an endangered species managed to get Thundering Rhino to back off, with nothing but his own tranquil but fierce defiance. Mr. Ping sighed in relief. He thought he would have to go crazy if they actually intended to harm Po.

Plus, Thundering Rhino had sensed Fenghuang's chi the entire time. It was no longer dark and twisted, but merely confused. It's because she didn't realize that anyone would actually stand up for her, and succeed. She honestly thought she was done for.

"Come. Ox, Croc, Oogway, and Shifu. As well as you, Fenghuang and Mr. Ping. We have something else to discuss." Rhino said, before making his way back up to the Jade Palace. With confused faces, everyone followed their lead, including the children who stood up for the owl moments before.

 **(Jade Palace: Hall Of Heroes)**

"This is absolutely preposterous! Are we really going to trust Fenghuang? Despite all the noticeable dangers she can pose to everyone?!"

"Glad to see you still have faith in me, _rat._ "

"Enough, both of you." Rhino ordered. They both just turned away from one another and frowned. "As I was saying, we have quite a crisis on our hands, and not just in criminal activity rising. Po was attacked twice, the latter being a flat-out attempted assassination. That can only mean those bounty hunters Fenghuang chased off notified others about their find."

"Bastards. I knew I should have finished them..." The owl hissed.

"Regardless, if the Lin Kuei know that your son is here, Mr. Ping, and the fact that he's been marked a target...he's no longer safe in the Valley Of Peace. The Lin Kuei are evolving into a total organization to improve their clan. Trust me when I say that they won't stop here. They're too stubborn."

"...I see." Mr. Ping said in a depressed but understanding tone. "So...what can we do about it?"

"We may be able to give him some protection...but we'd have to take him to a rather isolated location far away from prying eyes." Storming Ox offered. "But even so, someone has to teach him to defend himself. We can't be around for him 24/7."

Fenghuang thought carefully about her next move. Then she raised her wing. "I'll train the boy."

"YOU?"

"Yes me, you damn ox. I can take him far away from here, but not to the Northern Mountains. I'll take him to an isolated location where no one can bother us, and no one will rat us out."

"And how do we know that this isn't a trick?"

"You wanna out me under probation? Because I'm fully capable of putting up with that, so long as I can help the cub get strong enough so when he grows up he won't get himself killed. I will train him. And you will agree. Because I have the type of free time that none of you have."

There was an extended silence after her claim. Rhino and Croc nodded in agreement, Ox reluctantly did the same, Shifu looked like he would refuse, and Oogway agreed as well. It took a couple moments to realize that Shifu was outvoted. Oogway nods. "It's been settled then. Now, I shall take my leave."

They both looked at him in confusion. "With these events, I have assigned myself a very important mission. I will be gone for a very long time. Fenghuang, when do you expect Po to be ready to face the harshness of the outside world?"

Fenghuang nods. "Under my care...I'll say around 15 years. The Lin Kuei are no joke, plus other irritating guys running around." Mr. Ping choked a bit when he heard how long he and Po would be gone. It was a neccessity, but still. That's a bit crazy. "Anything against that?"

"Not at all."

"I shall take the croc child." Master Croc offered, which earned him a couple of questioning looks. "Something about him...reminds me of myself. In my younger days." No one objected to this decision, it was his own.

"For now...the Winter Feast continues. Let us try to relax a little." Oogway smiles as he turns slowly and walks away. All the other Masters gave a quiet nod of agreement to one another, and left in different directions.

Rhino and Ox looked at one another. "Do you think Shen has a part in the Lin Kuei's attempt on the cub's life?"

Rhino sighs, as he remembers the peacock that plagued his memory. "Ox...I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he did..."

 **(Peach Tree)**

The children trio were sitting at the Peach Tree, gazing at the night sky, eyes full of wonder. Although one paor of eyes were full of sadness. She hugged her knees, gazing at the ground. "This isn't fair...I finally made two friends...and now I have to let them go. And I won't see either of you for a very long time...this just isn't fair!"

"Tell me about it. We met on the exact same day, too." Fung sighed. "This sucks...this totally sucks..."

Po sighed. "Maybe this is for the best, guys. I mean...we were in serious trouble back there. I almost died twice this month. It's becoming more and more obvious that I have to do something about this. You guys got hurt trying to protect me."

"I was too weak..." Tigress grumbled.

"No Tigress. It's not about weakness...it's something else entirely...I just don't know what it is."

"Preparation, young one. The word you're looking for is preparation." Oogway appeared behind them, making the children jump. He was amused, given his chuckle. "You three were not prepared to meet the dark side of the world, but you've already been exposed to crueler aspects of life...and I am sorry you had to. At the very least, you will become stronger from these experiences."

"Truly?"

"Truly. Now Fung, it's time for you to leave with Master Croc. But before that, Po has this present for you." Oogway handed something to Fung. His eyes lit up. It was a brand new helmet! His current one was seriously busted at this point, so he gladly takes this helmet and tries it out. It fits perfectly.

"Like a glove!" He shouts happily. He then turns to Po and hugs him. The panda gleefully returns it. "Thanks, man. You just seriously boosted my spirits, cause I barely get gifts. Really, thanks."

"It's no problem, Fung." Po smiles. They break the embrace, and Fung is now smiling a lot. "Now for..."

"Indeed." Oogway hands Tigress her gift. Her paws covered her muzzle for a sec, before she reaches out and takes it. A scarf...a carefully woven scarf with the insignia of a tiger running across it. The main color was red, while the tiger itself was orange with black stripes. "Po asked for the finest fabric as well as the finest wovers to make this scarf, very carefully. He really wanted to make his first gift to you special."

"That's right!" Po grinned.

Tigress gazed at Po, with tears in her eyes. "Po...thank you so much...for this..." She whispered, as she reaches t hug him. He gladly returns this embrace, but this one lasted a bit longer, as she didn't let go of him for a while.

Oogway smiled once again. "Now Po, time for your present, it's from Tigress. Close your eyes."

Po nods and closes his eyes. After couple moments, Po felt something light on his head, and he had to push it back up. "Huh...? What's this? Is it...a straw hat?"

"Indeed. Tigress told me how much you like straw hats, because it makes many people much more...ahem, 'Awesome'. Is that right?"

Po was stunned for a couple moments, before he hopped with glee. "I love this! This is definitely many shades of awesome! I've always wanted my own straw hat! You can make such amazing entrances when you wear a straw hat!"

"Hmhmhm...I do agree with you. I have one myself, see?" Oogway days, spawning his own straw hat. How did he even...never mind. He's Oogway.

Po's smile gazes back to to Tigress. "Thank you, Tigress." She blushed a bit, and she nodded, her new scarf warmly wrapped around her neck. Fung watched on with a smile of his own. "So...Fenghuang says that I have to leave with her tonight, because she flies farther at night. So...I guess this where we part ways, guys. I'm leaving with Fenghuang, Fung leaves with Master Croc, and Tigress has to stay here with Shifu. I'm sure we can do it guys. It'll take some time, but we totally can."

Tigress and Fung gazed at Po for a while, until they both nodded with smiles. To prove heir connections, Oogway tapped the Peach Tree twice, and three peaches fell from the branches. They all looked at the fruit with a confused stare, until they smiled. "We will meet again, someday." They all said at once, as they all bit into their peaches. After a while, it was time for Fung to leave first, as he left by Master Croc's side. Po was about to follow suit, but Tigress stopped him. "Po..."

"Tigress?"

She honestly didn't know what she was thinking at the moment. But she did it anyway. She removed the straw hat from his head and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead, which made his eyes widen. Then she placed it back on his head. "I know you will be gone a very long time Po. You're my very first friend...promise me you'll come back..."

Po gazed inti her crimson eyes compared to his jade ones, and nods with a smile. "I'll be back, Tigress. When we meet again, we'll be strong enough to challenge whatever the world throws at us. Together."

"Yes..." She nodded with a smile. He nods back, and then turns to leave with Fenghuang and Mr. Ping. Though the owl tells him to get ready, she swiftly turns to Tigress and wrapped her in one wing.

"Hey kid. Have you ever been mistaken as a boy, before?" The mischievous look on her face says that this was not going to have pleasant results for Shifu. Which is why she's doing this.

Tigress blinked, before looking to the side in embarrassment. "It's annoying..."

"Hmhm. Never fear, young one, for you'll never be mistaken as a male ever again, when you become a young woman."

"H-Huh? REALLY?" Her face lights up, her tail swishing excitedly behind her.

"Of course. Your body matures along with your mind, after all. And soon enough, no one will mistake you for a male. Because by then...you'll have something to make them think differently. I know because I have them too."

"You do?"

"Indeed. And lemme tell ya, they're soft, and-OW!" She would have continued, but a rock impacted her skull. A rock thrown by Shifu. "What the-(covers Tigress' ears) ...hell, you pint-sized jerk! I was just informing her about something!"

" _THAT TYPE OF INFORMATION SHOULDN'T BE GIVEN TO HER AT HER CURRENT AGE!"_ Shifu roared, comical shark-like teeth emphasizing his fury.

Tigress, like the young cub she is, is just standing there watching two grown Kung Fu Masters argue like children. And she hasn't the foggiest idea as to why...

 **(Later)**

Tigress stands in front of an Ironwood Tree, wondering if this was the right way to go about things.

Po tilted his straw hat upwards, as he smiles in anticipation to his quest.

Tigress raises one paw, and clenched her fist. Shifu was watching her from an observing distance.

Po looks up towards Fenghuang, who smirked at him, she's also looking forward to this.

Tigress pulls back her fist, and strikes the tree as hard as she could. She felt the heay pain in her knuckles, but she refused to stop. She'll improve her endurance exponentially with this type of training. Her strict teacher was hesitant, but he approves of this. It'll help her in the long run. The pain is temporary.

Po looks towards the sky and raised his paw, as he gets a feeling for the breeze in the air, it relaxed him a bit, eased his senses. He was being looked over a Kung Fu Master who had many faults, but nonetheless values freedom very much. She is one who will have Po learn many things so he doesn't fall too far behind.

And at the same time: A faded image of Tai Lung hangs above Tigress, and a faded image of Shen hangs above Po. They both look forward. Tigress with her fierce resolve to work for raw strength in order to protect her friends, has her scarf around her neck. And Po, having a cheerful smile under his straw hat, and a big heart that will undoubtedly win over many valuable allies. And Oogway, before he leaves on his 'mission', has a few thoughts. These two will undoubtedly be two major figures in their generation. He believes this with every fiber of his being.

"They will be strong..."

* * *

 **It has begun...yay~ :3**

 **Now that I have finished that five chapter prologue, I'll finally get to the real beginning of this story. As you can see, the Lin Kuei shall be a major antagonistic force for who knows how long.**

 **This story shall not be broken up. This story, in some terms or another, shall be very long. Yep, one big adventure. And again, I'll try not to use anything past the second movie, except some names...that's about it. And, I shall _try_ to keep characters in...well...character. I can already see it, staying in-character will not be easy, even when it's my intention. It happens. **

**Now as for T-rating related stuff. There is already blood, so that's one off my list. Mild Language...oh boy... some of the young adult males and young tough females will be pretty guilty of this(notable exceptions being Po, Viper and Crane, though they'll have their moments). As for dark themes...well...I did say a major theme would be 'Outcasts', and I do intend to use it. Though of course I'm not a dark kind of guy. Humor and light-hearted themes are not out of my reach, they'll still be here.**

 **As for the cast...you'll just have to see how I handle that one.**

 **That's it for this chapter. Starting the next one, we start off with the adventure. And I'm contributing the following major factors: Po was training under Fenghuang of all people, so when we see him come out he'll be a bit more rough when it comes to some things(ex: Anger, Irritation, or Necessity, all three may or may not involve fighting) But not by a lot, and overall he'll still be the same big nice guy panda. Tigress, having experienced friendship with Po and Fung, will be somewhat more relaxed, but her seriousness will still be around.**

 **And remember...this is AU.**

 **Anyway, I've spoiled enough stuff right now, I'll see you later~**


	6. Oogway's Request

**15 Years Later...**

The Morning Gong was rung once again...it was morning time in the Valley Of Peace. It has been quite a long time, and not much has changed about the Valley itself. No, not much has changed at all. The people in the Valley, however...had a lot of growing up to experience.

Po's actions 15 years prior to this point have left quite an impact on most denizens of the Valley. And it's the reason for his actions that struck them in a new light. He had stared down Master Thundering Rhino and won his side of their disagreement without trying very hard about it. With an injured shoulder, and nothing but his own defiance, he actually got Rhino, who is usually unmovable on those kinds of decisions, to back off. Not only was that shocking to everyone, but it also showed them that Po is not the kind of panda that they like to look at him as. He stood up for someone who they thought would always be pure evil. Fenghuang's actions, despite her sarcastic wordplay, were entirely genuine, however confused she was that day. It made them think twice about how they think, at least a little bit.

One other noticable change was that they tried to relax a little more(key word on _try_ )and not be so overly paranoid about many things, though they're still very jumpy about many things. Because one of their own being able to stare down a powerful Kung Fu Master and not back down an inch. As Master Rhino says, a steel glare like Po's is not seen in any ordinary child. No, the potential he can bring out definitely lies deep within. He just didn't think that Fenghuang would be the one to help him bring it out. No one expected that, not at all. Except probably Oogway. He somehow knows when things are going to happen, even if it isn't in the order he sees it.

But what was most noticable was a insightful change in attitude in Shifu. He had refused to admit it out loud, but how he reacted to seeing Fenghuang again was quite inappropriate and very immature of him. It was impulse. Her betrayal of Oogway left Shifu very angry at her even when they've seen one another again. Mr. Pings scolding summed it up.

 _"You don't get it. She DID get locked away. She hid herself away from the world so that she wouldn't get hurt. But she couldn't take it anymore. It doesn't matter if you're good or evil, or even neutral. Anyone will be desparate for compaionship or at the very least some attention, be it good or bad." He closed his eyes. "She got sick of pretending she doesn't exist just to avoid trouble, because she's better than that. What she needed was the courage to face the world again. An outside force needed to pull her away from her barrier...and that outside force is me and my son. And since then, she has done nothing that makes me distrust her. She's confused, sure. Is she a heroic figure? Not quite. But she definitely isn't the evil owl you remember her as. Not anymore._ "

 _"And yet you refuse to see that she still has a chance. She told me that you two used to be comrades. You abandoned her. Oogway did not, at least not completely. If there is any fool within this vicinity, it's YOU."_

Shifu did not expect to be told off and scolded by a mere cook. Even more unexpected, is for him to be absolutely right. He was being unfair, and a tad foolish, but only because he was hurt that a fellow comrade could turn on he and Oogway, and he didn't believe it when the possibility was shown that she could turn herself around. He was being protective of Oogway. In other words...

 _I let myself get carried away again. I really am a fool..._

Of course, Mr. Pings scolding as well as Fenghuang's offer to train Po, along with the fact that Oogway will not be at the Jade Palace for quite a long time...there was no one else he had left there, for fifteen years.

Well...no one except his daughter Tigress. He was left alone in charge of the Jade Palace with no one but Tigress to keep him company. At first, he was distant like he always was to her. But she never gave up trying to appeal to him, always using Po's relationship with Mr. Ping as inspiration. She never got very far with him.

But then...

 **(Flashback)**

Ten year-old Tigress was pouding away at the ironwood tree in front of her. She's been going at it for hours now, she did not get much sleep, and it didn't look like she's eaten enough, either. She was exhausted, she was sweating, her knuckles were bleeding, and she felt dizzy. But she did not stop. _I can't rest. I need to keep going...I need to do this to make my arms stronger...I have to..._

Shifu was just walking by the fields to check on Tigress. He didn't see her go to bed this morning, and was checking to make sure she was still around. He was surprised to see that she was still punching the ironwood trees. She semed more excessive than usual. She was still wearing the scarf Po gave to her...she must have been very devoted to him. He was a constant inspiration for her to get stronger so she could look after him when the time comes. She was also overexerting herself so he would notice her more than he udually did, which was barely. She was the only one here with him. He should probably be a bit more easy on her...

The next moment was something that knocked him out of his trance. Tigress threw another punch at the tree...the she collapsed in a heap. Shifu's eyes widened as he jumped down and ran to her. "TIGRESS!"

Later~

The tiger cub opened her eyes and groaned from a headache. She had no idea what happened, she just fainted randomly and didn't know why. She sat up and looked to the left side of her room, her scarf was neatly folded on the floor, and she had a bag of ice on her head. She felt hot, and she felt a bit nauseous. She rubbed her head slightly, while she held the ice bag to her head, then looked to the right of her room.

Shifu was sitting right next to her. Wait...how long was he there...? "Tigress. You worked yourself too hard." She nodded in a bit of embarrassment. Also, being ten years old at this point, she has grown a bit taller than Shifu at this point. He continied on: "You've come down with River Fever, Tigress. It won't go away until tomorrow. I suggest that you take then rest of the day to rest."

"But Father...I'm fine. Really. I just needed the nap is all." She attempted to get up, but she suddenpy got into a coughing fit for a minute. Shifu gently pushed her back down as a result.

"You need to rest." He said quietly. He reached out and placed a paw on her head. "I understand that you want to become stronger for Po. But overworking yourself every single day is not how to go about it. There is nothing weak about resting during training. Now please, just rest for the day. I'll make us some tea." He nods before turning and limping out of her room. She never found it easy to remember that Tai Lung was the one that caused that injury to Shifu. But she has definitely made some progress with Shifu today, considering how he reacted when her health had suddenly took a hit. He showed concern for her once again in a long time, ever since Tai Lung disappeared.

He had spent the majority of the day taking care of her throughout her one day having River Fever. Giving her tea, tissues for her sneezing and coughing, cleaned up after her without complaint when she vomited, and since her muscles felt weak and she tended to spasm, he had to help her bathe.

...which lead to this exchange.

"Father...do you really have to do this?" Tigress pouted, as Shifu stood from the edge of the bath, currently washing her head. She was covered in many bubbles at this point.

"You're feeling weak right now and you have occasional muscle spasms. It would be rather unfortunate if you accidentally hurt yourself." He responded, whilst she could only pout some more. At this moment, she spasms again, and the sudden movement knocked Shifu off balance and he falls into the water with her. He immediately resurfaced, spitting out water, and he sweatdropped. "...of course I didn't take into account that _I_ might accidentally hurt myself..."

He and Tigress looked at one another...then they laughed. Laughing...Shifu hasn't done that either, in a long time. It felt nice. Then Tigress made the move to splash water on him. He frowned a bit. Then he splashed her back. "I am a a legend at this point, Tigress. You would openly challenge me?" Response? Splashed him again, and she laughed louder. Then they continued to splash at one another multiple times, while laughing the entire time.

Having their fun, Shifu dried her off, she dressed herself up, and she went back to bed after eating dinner. She had a hard time falling asleep, so he reached out and softly petted her head. It was a slow process, but she eventually closed her eyes and fell asleep peacefully. Shifu smiled gently. He then kissed her forehead goodnight, blew out the candle in her room, and closed her door.

He sighed as he walked down the halls, alone in the Jade Palace with no one but Tigress, and the recently hired palce servant, Zeng.

He made his way to his room, he asked Zeng to clean up while he wasn't here. "Oh, Master Shifu. I just finished." He sees the deep look on Shifu's face, and he softened up. "Master Shifu...?"

The small Master sighed, as he turned to a wall with paintings of his past relationships. "Zeng...can I tell you something personal?"

"Um...sure, Master."

The red panda looks at each painting. "Zeng...I let my loyalty to Oogway get the better of me, multiple times...(passes by a painting of he and Oogway)I crushed the dreams of my friends(passes by a picture of himself and Taotie)I made bad blood with someone I didn't intend to antagonize(passes by a picture of himself and Junjie, as well as Master Chao)my teammates went their separate ways, one had turned evil...and I didn't try to help her(passes by a painting of himself with the previous Furious Five, Fenghuang included)." Shifu then stopped by a painting of himself and Mei Ling, the latter cheerfully kissing his cheek. He felt a tear leave his eye. "I didn't even try to make things work with my lover..." He then looked to the side, a painting of himself and a young Tai Lung, then himself and an adult Tai Lung. "And I let my pride horribly corrupt my son...and made it worse by not even trying standing up for him..." Shifu sighed. "...and I still did not learn my lesson when Fenghuang returned..." Then he turned and left his room, Zeng following behind him.

The red-panda re-entered Tigress' room, and knelt beside her. He began to pet her head again, and saw that it brought a smile on her fave in her sleep. "I am not that big a fool. Sooner or later, I will have to face the consequences for every single one of my betrayals...but right now...I just want to be here for Tigress." He nods. "Fenghuang was right about me...I spent so long being loyal to Oogway...that I allowed him to completely overshadow me. Most decisions I made was in an effort to please him. I lost more than I gained..."

Zeng seemed a bit lightheaded, as Shifu was opening his heart to him. It may have something to do with the fact that he was new here. Wanted someone with a clean slate when it comes to knowing him, so that he wouldn't negatively judge him. "And...what does these revelations do for you, Master Shifu?"

He keeps his eyes on Tigress. "I promise, Tigress. I'm going to try to be better...for you. I won't chase you away like I did everyone else. With Oogway gone for a long while, it will give me plenty of time to regain my confidence in making decisions for myself. I can't always follow his examples...I must become my own leader for a change." He says, as he smiles gently at his slumbering daughter.

 _Now matter how painful it is for me...I must be a father again. (Flash to Po and Mr. Pings relationship) I can still have a connection like that...if I try...indeed. I HAVE to try._

 **(Present Time)**

Tigress opened her eyes at the sound of the Gong, and she sat up and yawned, raising her paws in the air. She got up from her bed and was getting ready to start her day. She went to her closet and opens it, while getting a hold of her clothes. She reached out and grabbed her sleeveless red training vest with yellow flowers, and black training pants. Though she put off her training vest for a second to wrap bindings around her chest.

There was a good reason for this. That short conversation she had with Fenghuang finally began to make sense to her. She was currently 22 years old, a growing young woman. Of course Shifu expected her body mature over time, and was able to delicately, patiently, and effectively help her through those changes.(Having Mrs. Yoon visit _REALLY_ helps in these awkward conversations) So she knew what she needed to know. But she didn't really know what to think about it on a certain level. So she just pulled through it.

Said changes involved the following: she noticed herself getting somewhat slimmer and curvy, yet still well-toned, given her training, and her fur has grown to that of a grown tiger at this point. Her tail has gotten longer, and her crimson eyes have grown more fierce due to training, though there was also gentleness behind them as well. Her whiskers have also gotten a bit longer. But the most embarassing(at least to her) feature was the reason why she puts on her wrap. Her chest has...well... _developed,_ and they're bigger than she expected them to be. She was understandably shocked at the growth, but Shifu looked _horrified_ at the discovery, only because neither of them want her to attract...unsavory attention. Nonetheless...they were getting in the way of her training, so she always wore a wrap around her chest so that she herself could train unhindered. She doesn't fully deny them,(Mrs. Yun says it's nothing ashamed of, it's merely natural development) she just doesn't want them getting in her way. Overall, she'd say that she definitely looked like a female, so there's no need to be concerned about childish comments about her gender...unless they like to be jerks.

Enough about that now. She tightened her wrap to a comfortable degree, put on her vest, and left her room in a quiet and calm manner. She didn't forget to put on her scarf, either. She takes it everywhere she goes. Walking down the hallway, she could see Shifu waiting for her.

"Good Morning, Tigress."

"Good Morning, Master." He had the slightly serious face on him, so she was focused on business.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Indeed I did."

"Did you remember to put on your binding?" She blushed at this, and nodded. "Ah yes, very good. Now if you wish, you're allowed to go on your daily patrol. Be careful "

"I will, Master." She bows gently, then leaves out the Jade Palace doors, while remembering to say good morning to Zeng. She took a deep breath and jumped off the steps. She was feeling a bit impatient and just wanted to get things done. She feels the breeze pass through her fur smoothly, and she lands on all fours, landing on her feet like cats usually do. After dusting herself off and adjusting her scarf, she pressed on.

The villagers were not being unreasonably hostile of her anymore, but they kept their distance out of caution as well as not getting in her way. After all, training under Shifu managed to make her stronger, and she was able to make the Valley safe, even if it's only a bit. After all it was just her and Shifu, and sometimes it was very irritating to do most of this on their own. She never complained, not even once. But it was very clear that the constant threats were becoming an increasingly annoying hassle. She was just going to deal with the threat and go on with her day.

...except this day wouldn't be like any other day.

Tigress was stopping by a local restaurant somewhere not too far from the Valley Of Peace. Since Mr. Ping was not present, they found over places to eat. Travelers usually stop by here to rest from long journies. She listened intently as she could hear something related to a ruckus. Narrowing her eyes, she stepped inside.

"Will you please leave the premises, sir?! You're scaring everyone here!" One of the patient yet intimidated geese in the room were begging the rather rough curren occupant of the place. The others were just trying to relax and eat their food, though now it was quite difficult to relax with bandits messing things up here. It was a group of boars, ten in total, and they don't look nice. With mean glares, weapon in their hands, and the supposed leader currently choking the owner of the inn. This earned a glare from Tigress, and she began moving forward...but stopped. Everyone just went silent.

They were silent because someone began eating...VERY LOUDLY. Everyone turned to the large figure in the corner. Whoever the person was, was currently eating his serving of food as if he had little to no table manners, not that he was sitting on a table. Technically he was at a counter, but the meanings are the same. Loud chomps, munches, slurps, and other noises sounded out through the room, and it annoyed the bandits who were in the middle of business. No one could see his clear features because his straw hat created a shadow over his face. He really seemed entirely focused on his food to not notice the bandits leaving the goose alone and standing right behind him.

"Hey. Hey you! We're talking to you!" The lead boar shouted, though the stranger barely paid attention. "Hey, didn't ypu hear me?! I'm saying this is a theft, and you're just sitting there eating!" Again, he was not heard, the person just kept eating. Now all of them were glaring at this person. "Are you ignoring us?!"

After another moment of large eating, the person finishes eating signified by a large belch. "Ah, that was good..." This person was male, according to the voice. He sat back in his seat a little and patted his belly. "It's a good thing all that was prepaid..."

"Are you done yet?" The boars asked all at once, now completely irritated.

The figure turned around and lifted his straw hat with a grin. Tigress froze up when he did. Jade Eyes...black and white fur...that large belly, the even large grin on his face...

 _Po...?_

The panda cocked his head to the side. "Hey, did you guys need something?" All ten boars face-faulted, and he sweatdropped. "Was it something I said...?"

"WE'RE TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION YOU DUMBASS!" They all said at once.

"...Oh. Sorry about that." Po said blankly. His head turned to the side, and his smile and eyes sparkled with immense delight. "TIGRESS!" He got up his seat and ran straight past the boars who were failing spectacularly to intimidate him. He closed his arms around the surprised tiger and got her into his bear hug. "It's been a while! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Er...um...it's great to see you too, Po." Tigress genuinely smiled. She would have hugged him back, but his affectionate and gentle bear hug pinned her arms to her sides, paired with being lifted into the air. She couldn't believe that the panda managed to get even _jollier_ than he was when he was a child. He certainly has the warm smile and large belly to back it up. She could also see that he has grown in strength, seeing that he can lift her without any difficulty.

...Plus, she could barely breathe. "Po...breathing...difficult...please...let go."

"Oh, my bad." He set her down and dusted her off. "Just look at you! You look all mature and strong and a pro at Kung Fu...and mature."

Tigress chuckled lightly. "Thanks Po. And I have to say, I'm surprised at you. Aside from being jollier and more cheerful, you haven't changed much."

"Not true! I have become...50% percent more fluffy and cuddly!" He patted his belly, watching it jiggle for a bit. "And apparently jiggly on the gut..."

She raised her eyebrow in amusement. "And the other 50%?"

"Me learning some top-notch awesome Kung-Fu from Master Fenghuang! You just can NOT tell me that I'm not awesome!" It wasn't arrogance talking, due to the amount of playfulness in his voice.

While the two friends were casually catching up, the boar bandits have completely escaped from their attention. This has gone too far. "He's ignoring us again! Grr...that's it! I'm sick of this guy! HEY!" Po turned around and waved.

"Hey, did you guys need something?"

"YOU SAID THAT ALREADY!" They all said in exasperation.

"Oh. Hehe, my bad. Anyway, what do you guys want?"

"We're trying to rob the joint, and you're just eating and sitting around like nothing here is happening at all! Are we not worth your attention?!"

Po folded his arms with a thoughtful look. "Well...my master did say that I don't always have to waste my time fighting guys that don't have any real strength. That I should never intentionally do harm...(pounds fist into open palm) unless I intend to do harm, then I get to do **LOTS** of harm." Tigress sweatdropped. _What the heck did that owl tell him...?_

"Are you saying we have no strength?! You bastard!"

"Buuuut on the other hand...I'm a nice guy. I like helping people, and things like that. So come on bros, you don't wanna rob this place. Just sit back and relax, then leave quietly. Because if you don't, and continue to harass these good people, I'll have no choice but to knock you all out. So whaddya say, fellas?"

They all just glared at him. He's treated them like a joke by being Mr. Nice Guy! "You're going down, chubby!"

Po sighed. "Tigress...do you often be fighting criminals on your own?"

"Huh? Well, yes." She nodded, not understanding his point.

"Alright. Lemme take care if all ten of them for you." Tigress looked surprised at his bold statement. Filled with loads of confidence.

"Gonna take care of all ten of us, will you? You're a bigger moron than I thought!" The leader and his gang laugjed.

Po didn't falter. He just tilted his straw hat and smirked. "Heh. You guys are just goons. Bet that I can beat all of you, one blow each."

"That's it!" The first bandit charged at Po and thrusted his sword at him, but it impaled nothing. "What...?! Where did he-"

"Didn't expect a panda to be so quick?" Po said from behind him. He could only look for a couple moments before Po knocked him out with a punch to the face.

"Grr! Get him!" The rest of them said. Po merely stood by and waited for them. The first two charged at him from both sides and tried to hit him with their respective maces, though he was able to block the both of them without effort, and bashed their heads together, and they fell to the ground. Another three charged him with small knives, which didn't help them with reaching him. He just jumped up and spin kicked all three of them at once, knocking them all to the ground. Four of them were growing rather impatient, but they charged with reckless abandon and tried physical attacks, which was a momumental mistake on their part. He countered every single one of their blows, grabs one by the arm and spins him in an arc, making him crash into all the others and knocking them out as well.

After all of this, he dusted himself off and looks towards the leader. "Now then. How should I deal with you?"

The boar looked extremely hesitant at seeing his gang get taken down so easily, but nonetheless grabbed his own sword. "Don't be so cocky!"

"It's not being cocky, it's just me asking a question. And I just found the answer." Po said, as he waited for him to try and cut him down. He predicted correctly, as the gang leader tried to slice him with the sword. He ducked casually and held his paw back.

Po struck his chest, putting more force behind the punch. The impact was severe, and the bandit's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he fell forward in a heap. Tigress was understandably shocked at the display as Po adjusted his Straw Hat with a smile. "Sorry about the mess, guys. I'll stay and clean up."

"Po...that was amazing." Was all she could say at the moment. Po sheepishly rubbed his neck.

"Panda! Let's go!" They looked up to see Fenghuang come down from the stairs. She sees Tigress and her eyes twinkled with interest. "Oh. Lookie here, the tiger cub is growing up."

"Hello Master Fenghuang." Tigress said with a bow.

"Save the formalities, child. I was never too into that stuff anyway." She waved off. She then tucked in her wings and walked around Tigress in a circle, examining her. "Hm...not bad, not bad at all. You have definitely worked out a lot, and it's done you wonders." She stopped in front of her. "You even got taller than me. Growth spurt just like the panda, huh?"

Tigress nodded. "I guess so."

Fenghuang smirked playfully, as she raised one wing up to Tigress and poked her in the chest. The feline yelped in surprise when she stepped back a couple feet. "As I thought, you're wearing a wrap."

"What?! N-No I'm not!"

"You totally are! You wouldn't need one if you didn't grow there!" Fenghuang laughed loudly, embarrassing Tigress further. "Alright. I'll cease with the teasing, we better check in to the Valley Of Peace." She waved as she walked out the door first, followed by Tigress and Po(after he cleaned the place up) and then the entire place was silent.

Until Mr. Ping came out from the room he rented and blinked at the sight of bandits collapsed on the floor. "...Sheesh, and I thought this inn was supposed to be high rated..."

 **(Jade Palace)**

The quartet eventually made it back to the Valley Of Peace, with Mr. Ping rushing off to check on his empty noodle shop which was untouched for 15 years. The other three continued onward to the Jade Palace, where Shifu would be waiting for them, though he was surprised to see that Po and Fenghuang were with Tigress as well. He would do what he can-

"Long time no see, Big Ears."

-to keep his patience. Though her snarky tone would not be easy to ignore. He sighed. "Hello, Fenghuang. Po. And I see that you're back, Tigress. And that you've reunited with Po."

"Hi Shifu!" Po waved. It seems that Shifu's hostile attention towards Po's decision to defend Fenghuang didn't faze the pands in the slightest. "Wow...you look so small now!"

"That's because you grew, Po..." He deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah."

"Anyway, we don't have much time for chit chat. Zeng?"

"Of course, Master Shifu." Zeng was holding two scrolls in his wings he handed one to Tigress, and the other one to Po. "Oogway has returned recently, but he's meditating at the Peach Tree for the moment. He wanted you to have these messages. They're both important. One of them is from Fung."

Po nods enthusiastically, and opens the scroll to read it.

 _Dear Po and Tigress,_

 _Hey, what's up guys? Hope you're doing fine like I am. I have become quite amazing at Croc-Style Kung Fu, and I'm currently kicking back with Master Croc, Ox, and Rhino in Gongmen City. Place is pretty amazing, really. I make a pretty awesome prison guard! No one has gotten past me! I'm just that cool! I even got my own crew to help me out. They're a bit ditzy, but they're cool._

 _...except for Gah-ri. GOSH. He irks me in so many ways! Always pointing out my errors, which is NOT constructive criticism, shooting down my confidence, and overall just being a pain in the ass! And even worse, he doesn't realize that he's doing it! I just...GRAH! I SPILLED SOME INK!_ ** _DARN IT!_**

 _Ha...Anyway, you two probably have some important stuff to get to right now, whenever you get this message. I'm gonna be held back, but I promise to be there before you leave, because Oogway told me you guys got something going down, and I want in. Well, that's all from me. See ya guys._

 _Sincerely, Fung._

 _P.S.: Hi guys, Gah-ri here. Can we be friends? My boss is a jerk._

 _DARN IT GAH-RI! GET YOUR GRUBBY CLAWS OFF MY MESSENGER SCROLL!_

Po and Tigress sweatdropped. He left those last parts in the message instead of redoing it. Yep, this was their Fung, alright. They chuckled out loud. Well they wouldn't see each other for a bit, but at least they know he's on his way.

"Alright, so we know that Fung is doing well." Tigress says, gazing at the other scroll. "But what significance does this one have?"

"Open it and find out." Shifu nods. Tigress follows the advice and opens the scroll:

 _When you young ones get this, I will be resting for the time being near the Peach Tree. My journey has been very taxing, but I was able to succeed in the end. What I have on this scroll...is a roster._

"Roster?" Po and Tigress said together, as they continued reading.

 _I sense the winds changing around China, my friends. It is time we prepare for a new generation. These are the names of young ones with great potential. Some around your age group, others are younger, and a couple are older. I wish for you to seek these young ones out, and allow them to join you in training. Some of their strengths are similar, others are exclusive only to them. And the main similarity between you and them is that they each know what it's like to feel alone in the world. Some got by with the help of others, some did not. Here are their names:_

 _Monkey_

 _Crane_

 _Mei Ling_

 _Viper_

 _Mantis_

 _Song_

 _Bian Zao_

 _Peng_

 _Lian_

 _Fung_

 _Ànyǐng **(OC)**_

 _Xuě **(OC)**_

 _These are recommended people, but you're free to do your own analysis on other potential recruits. Seek out these people, young ones. Befriend them. Connect with them. Have fun with them. So that when the time comes, they will stand by your side and fight alongside you, without hesitation. Because I sense a mighty storm is coming. I do not know when it will be upon us, but it's inevitable. And you need to be prepared to face it._

 _I bid you good luck, young ones._

 _Oogway_

Po and Tigress looked over the roster a couple times, making sure that it was clear for them to read. When they finished looking it over, they looked towards Shifu and Fenghuang.

"Oogway wants us to form a team..." Po starts.

"...who is best suited to represent the next generation of heroes..." Tigress finished.

Shifu nods. "And he wants the two of you to be the leaders of such a team."

Po blinked. "We'll be...Co-Leaders?"

"...Ha...yes Po, Co-Leaders." Fenghuang sighed.

"...So cool!"

"I'm not so sure about this, though..." Shifu rubbed his beard. Fenghuang sighed.

"We have to take this risk, Shifu. Take the fact that the Lin Kuei are after Po's head, Tai Lung is still out there, most of your friends are now bitter enemies besides myself. I just don't like you." Shifu's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "My point is that it's better that turtle brought this up sooner rather than later. Po and Tigress _have_ to go on this journey. In order to prepare unknown, they need the team to help them face it." Shifu looked troubled. Some of these problems were indeed getting out of hand. Old long time threats as well as arising new ones...some can only take so much. "Shifu. I've made peace with the fact that we can't stay as the big dogs forever. But I at least need to know that the new generation has the potential of doing better than we did. Don't you think so?" The owl sighed. "Look, once the tortoise wakes up, HE can protect the Valley, he's powerful enough. We'll watch Po and Tigress, evaluate their performance. We only interfere when we seriously have to."

Po keeps staring at the list. Then he begins to crack a wide smile. "Sooo...you mean that our mission is to find some more friends to hang out with? That's so awesome!" Fung was already a friend of theirs, so that was one down already. Good progress so far.

"It's not that simple, Po."

"But it's an overall goal, isn't it?"

"...Well-"

"Of course it is! Plus Oogway said all of them know what it's like to be alone in the world. We can totally relate to that. So...we'll connect easier that way. Tigress...I know that we're tough, but we can't do this alone. We need this team. On a fighting scale, and an emotional one. I know I want more friends to hang out with. Don't you?"

Tigress sighed, before meeting his eyes and nods. "Yes, Po. I do."

"Then we know what we must do. We are going on this awesome journey to recruit some awesome friends for a goal to be among the awesome of awesome! Isn't that awesome?!"

"Does he say that a lot?" Shifu asked.

"What? Awesome?" Fenghuang looked at him as he nods, then she facewinged. "Every...damn...day..."

"Alright, we got this. We _so_ got this Tigress! High five!" Po raises his paw up with a grin. Tugress thought for a moment before she smiled and complied, high-fiving him. He wasn't quite ready. "GAGH! Hurt paw! Hurt paw! Hurt paw!"

"Sorry Po!" Tigress said in concern. She was actually as excited as he was. So much that she forgot to cut back on her strength the moment she high-fived him.

Po kneeled to the ground, nursing his paw. "Geez, with high physical power like yours...this will be a breeze!" Po chuckled, though winced a bit. The feline sighed, smiling nervously. Shifu and Fenghuang merely chuckled st the sight, forgetting their mutual hostility for the moment.

This was going to be quite a rocky road, that much is certain. But it is a road worth walking on.

* * *

 **Well, I told you you'd find out how I'd make the cast. At least, the ones with notable main focus. I _could_ have just kept the names secret...but that's not my intention, nope. I want the recruits to be known. _HOW_ they join the group is where I mix things up, even if it is only by a little bit. That's the part that truly matters. Plus...Oogway's the one who got the information, so of course he knows their names. The point is that Po and Tigress don't know ANY of them yet besides Fung. That'll change once they find them all, for sure. Look forward to it.~**

 **See ya then!**


	7. The Departure

**Okay, here's another chapter. Ya know, even when this story only has six(now seven) chapters at the moment, it's doing MUCH better than I thought it would. Thank you all.**

 **Now, I'm gonna try something rather drastic...and make an intro scene. My own intro scene. If it does well, great! If it doesn't...well...crap. XD**

 **Here's a link for a song I believe fits the first part of this story. watch?v=hLoeS3REf6k**

 **This song is called: Mamoritai: White Wishes: English Version, by BoA. There is a Japanese Version, you can listen to that one with subs if you want. Both of them fit very well, once you see and/or hear the lyrics. It's quite a cool song.**

 **Here it is...**

* * *

 _The title **Tales Of China**_ _appears from black, then it quickly fades away in a blur of peach petals..._

... _It was a flashback to that day. Po, Tigress, and Fung. They were sitting in the winter air just outside the Jade Palace, right next to the Peach Tree. Fung was casually speaking to them while Tigress watched on with her scarf with a small smile, and Po looking and listening with hyped interest, while keeping his straw hat balanced. Oogway, Fenghuang, Shifu, and Mr. Ping were watching them from the Jade Palace roof, smiling gently...then Mr. Ping comically almost falls off, saved by a swing from Oogway's staff, while Shifu facepalmed and Fenghuang laughed._

 _Tigress is now standing at the Peach Tree alone, as Po leaves with Master Fenghuang, Fung leaves with Master Croc, Oogway goes on a personal journey, and she's left alone with Shifu. But she doesn't feel completely alone, as she closed her eyes and felt the warmth of the scarf Po gave her. Her eyes opened again as she's now a young woman. She turns around to see young adults Po and Fung wave at her, wondering if she was ready to go. She nods happily and follows them both._

 _Cue a sudden shift to the blue sky...then back down to the green earth._

 _Crane seemed irritated as he was constantly pointing his accusing wing at Monkey and Mantis, who seemed to be completely bored by his ranting...then they get slapped in the head by Viper, and they're suddenly paying attention, to avoi_ _d her wrath. Mei Ling(Lee Da) cocked her head to the side, then began laughing at their reactions. Not too far away, Po was cooking for everyone while his straw hat hung on his back, Fung was sleeping, with his jaws wide open, complete with a snot bubble. Mr. Ping and Shifu were locked in an intense game of Chinese Chess...then Shifu dramatically falls to his knees as Tigress tries to comfort him, while Mr. Ping high-wings Fenghuang for his victory._

 _Scene shifts to an open field. Po was attempting to pull off a couple of the Twelve Impossible Moves, the most successful attempt being the Thundering Wind Hammer. A boulder suddenly shatters into multiple pieces, and it shows Tigress with her fist out, smirking at her accomplishment. Crane was soaring through the skies at a very high speed. Monkey was showing off agility and mobility as he flips through a dense forest effortlessly. Mantis uses pure speed to zip from one place to another in a flash. Viper strikes multiple tree trunks with the surprising sharpness from her tail. Fung was carefully constructing armor with surprising talent. And Mei Ling is turning to the group waving the peace sign and sticking her tongue out...while sitting casually over a heap of defeated bandits._

 _They each have something, are something or something happened that separated them from society. But somehow, despite all the shunning they endure, they would be okay. Monkey gave a thumbs up, Crane tilted his had in greeting, Viper gave a warm smile, Mantis stood in fighting pose, Mei Ling cheerfully raises her paw, and Fung lightly tapped his helmet before cracking his knuckles in preparation for battle. The rest of the recruits remained shrouded in shadow..._

 _Po and Tigress were sitting in the darkness. Po was sitting against a tree as his straw hat shadows his eyes, while Tigress was hugging her knees while her scarf was wrapped comfortably around her crowd around them were shadows, paying them no acknowledgement at all, making them alone even in a large crowd. Then, the darkness disappeared and was replaced by a bright light, where Mr. Ping and Fenghuang, Shifu and Oogway respectively, stood by their side and offered them a wing/paw. Both of their faces lit up with immense joy as they got up from their positions and followed them into a brighter light._

 _The final scene shows the younger members of the gang sleeping peacefully. The traveling mentors: Shifu, Fenghuang, and Mr. Ping watch over the young adults protectively. Monkey and Mantis were on the ground, Crane was on one leg with his face covered by his hat, Mei Ling(Lee Da) was curled around Crane's standing leg, Viper coiled up on the ground. Po and Fung were snoring loudly as they laid back-to-back under the shadow of the tree, straw hat shadowing the former's face, and Tigress was curled up on Po's belly like a big fluffy pillow, purring in peace. A Peach Tree petal suddenly appears, and la_ _nds perfectly on the tip of Po's hat, which signified that Oogway was watching over them all, no matter where they were._

 _Then things slowly go black..._

 _ **End of Intro scene, and now the actually chapter begins.**  
_

* * *

 **The Next Day...**

"Are you serious, Po?!" Mr. Ping shouted in disbelief as he waddled around in a frenzy, while Po was watching him in a mix of confusion and amusement. "We just got back home and now we must leave again?! So that we can prepare for something, something big?!"

Po blinked, then smiled. "Yeah, pretty much."

The goose just sighed, as he made his way towards Po and slowly fell forward while plopping ont the panda's belly, which stopped him from hitting the ground. He looked up at Po with a tired gleam in his eyes. "Po...I have no problem with you making new friends. Heck, I actually _want_ to go on this trip with you more than anything right now. But...you have to _tell_ me these things sooner, because I tend to forget things. My memory isn't as sharp as it used to be, ya know."

The panda could only smile as he set his father upright. He knew that his father was perfectly alright with Po's decision on going on this journey of his, despite having already taken a 15-year training quest. Now they were going out _again_ to get Po some more friends who share the same potential as himself, and they don't know how long they will be gone. The goose was understandably exhausted just thinking about it. Though he has learned to endure his son's tendency to rush into things without thinking. He used to be like that too. Except it was about cooking. So rushing things was not the best idea, especially when handling knives.

That was the first thing he taught Po when it came to cooking. Be careful with knives. Because they can and WILL hurt. A LOT.

"But ya gotta admit it, Dad. You're excited for this kind of trip. Ever since we spent 15 years at-" Mr. Ping briefly jumped up to cover his mouth.

" _Shhhh!_ Fenghuang said that location is to remain _secret! "_ That was the catch. Neither of them were allows to reveal the location of their training spot. It was for...personal reasons. And they never know who might be listening.

"Oh! Right! It's a secret. I almost forgot." Po rubbed his neck sheepishly. "So...are you gonna pack for our trip, Dad?"

"Ha...might as well. One day isn't really enough to jumpstart business here, anyway. It'll only be for a couple hours Po. So...do something for a couple hours." Po opened his mouth. "No sleeping." Po closed his mouth, pouting. He couldn't spend his hours sleeping like he usually does to make time pass by quickly. He had just eaten breakfast, so that was out of the question. Well, he could always just talk with Tigress. Yeah, that's something to look forward to, in a way. Tigress is always a fan of company. Fenghuang is currently asleep, and Shifu was in deep mediatation. Oogway...is Oogway.

Yep. Hang with Tigress. That'll do.

He smiles and hugged his father, telling him that he'll see him later, and left the shop. He took notice of the people around him, eying him with obvious looks of surprise. No one expected a giant panda to walk among them, it felt very bizarre in some way or another. Seeing a very rare animal will sometimes do that to people. Po doesn't pay too much attention to it, not like he used to. Spending time with Fenghuang fixed that right up.

 _"Listen up, Cub."_ She was saying to him once. _"I have no idea why, but you are of an extremely rare species that isn't commonly seen in many places. This doesn't mean anything bad, I promise you. It is not a crime to be different from everyone else. That includes the tiger cub, yourself, and I. It's like you said..."_

 _Po smiled. "I won't apologize for being myself. If they don't like me for me, either get them to accept me anyway, or just keep moving."_

 _She smirked. It was obvious that Po would choose the former quite a lot, in the future. "Good cub."_

Due to Fenghuang, Po was no longer insecure about who he was. He was a big, fat, panda.

No. He was _**THE**_ Big Fat Panda. And 100% proud of it, too. But that doesn't mean he won't punch the lights out of someone who mistakes his kindess for weakness and make fat jokes hostile, rather than playful banter. Fenghuang also taught him how to be more assertive. Though unlike her, Po was much more patient, overall. So coming to blows over insults was possible, but highly unlikely.

He stopped walking when he felt someone tap his shoulder twice. He turned around and saw a croc standing before him. The smile on the croc's jaws was nothing short of jolly. "What's up, Po?"

The panda's face gleamed from the realization. "FUNG!"

"PO!"

They yelled out their names in unison as they ran up to one another for a bro hug, patting each others back and then a hangshake to casually finish off. "Wow Fung, you got bigger just like me!"

"Not as big as you, though. I mean, look at this." Fung quipped as he lightly struck Po's stomach with his tail, causing them both to laugh. Like mentioned before, playful banter is accepted. "I swear Po, I did not think you could get more weight on you to equally match your jolly nature."

"Yeah, well, here I am. Jolly me~" Po smiles. "You don't look too bad yourself."

"Yeah. My training with Master Croc has made me quite a force to be reckoned with. My Croc-Style Kung-Fu is not to be underestimated." Fung puffed out his chest. "Yep. I am a tough croc of my own right. Nothing can penetrate my super tough exterior of extreme focus!"

"Rawr." Something whispered behind him.

"GAH!" Fung jumped out and looked back to see Tigress smirking behind him. She and Po were very amused. The croc was not. "Darn it! Tigress, don't do that!" He wheezed, pressing a paw to his chest. "Almost gave me a freaking heart attack..."

"You'll live." She said blankly. Fung merely pouted at this, but nonetheless accepted her offer for a hug. It lasted for a while, and then they let each other go. "Have you been doing alright, Fung?"

He shrugged. "Like I said, my training in Gongmen made me stronger under Master Croc's teachings. Though the place does have a few influences that may not be entirely positive."

Tigress raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Let me narrow it down. Some guys are nice. Some guys are not so nice. And them there are those guys you just want to beat the crap out of until they're unconscious. Master Croc kept me away from the last one."

The other two shrugged at his wording, and the trio walks away to catch up with one another. Since Mr. Ping won't be ready for a couple hours, they would talk for a while to pass the time until he was. Which involved quite a few interesting subjects. Such as...

"Say what?" Tigress asked. The three of them were lying on the grass in a field not too far away from the Jade Palace. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Fung looked up to the sky. "Master Croc told me that one of the most dangerous things in the entire world is a patient mans fury."

Po tilted his head. "Hey...I think my Dad said the same thing to me once."

"Really?" Tigress asked.

"Yeah. He said that making nice people angry is a sure way to get beaten up."

"Damn straight." Was heard from above has Fenghuang flying overhead, and she lands in front of them with a small gust of wind. "It is very unwise to intentionally make a nice person furious." There was much truth to these words. Mr. Ping was wiser than he acted/looked. And she can speak from experience too, as she tried picking a fight with Oogway. It did not end well for her. He even mentioned it once.

 _"A wise man once said, 'Beware the fury of a patient man.'"_

Even Mr. Ping repeated this. _"The nicest people tend to cause the most damage when provoked. Especially when it involves their loved ones."_

And he was right. And it took her three tries to fully acknowledge it. She challenged Oogway after she defeated her comrades, he wiped the floor with her. The villagers were mean to Tigress when she and Po became friends, Mr. Ping snapped at them with extreme hostility. The wolf that attacked Tigress and Fung, Po bashed his head with a pot before she got there to finish him off.

So yes. Making the nice people angry is up high on the list of momumental mistakes one can make. She understands that now. Unknown to her, this will come into play, multiple times...

"Anyways Po, I was just here to tell you. Your father has finished preparing for this little journey of ours." She said, tucking in her wings. "So you three might want to get moving a soon as possible. By the look of things, we have quite a way to go."

Back at the Jade Palace, Shifu was preparing to leave for the journey as well. He seemed to be passing by everything that resides in the Jade Palace for the last time in a while. It was obvious that he wouldn't be back here for a very long time. Zeng must have known it too, because he was doing everything he could to help him.

"Are we almost ready to go, Zeng?"

"Yes, Master Shifu." The goose bows obediently. "We're all ready to go."

Shifu nods to him, then made his way out of his room and outside. He was heading to the Peach Tree in total silence. He had something to ask his Master Oogway.

"There." The elder turtle whispered gently as a breeze blew by him, while he closed his eyes and calmly took in the cool air. It was nice to be warm, though there are times that having a bit of cold wasn't too bad either. A healthy balance of the two is possible, but not easily obtained. He then sensed Shifu coming from behind him as he reopened his eyes. "Ah, Shifu. You've come to say goodbye before you leave?"

"Master...are you sure you want me to leave you here by yourself? You're even asking Zeng to come with me. You:ll be completely alone here." He asked in concern. Oogway merely turned around and smiled at him.

"Do you not believe I will be fine here on my own?"

"What?! N-No Master, that's not what I meant at all!"

Oogway chuckled lightly at Shifu, before looking forward. "Come by my side, Shifu." He was a bit confused, but Shifu did as he was told, anyway. "This is not a journey just for Po and Tigress, Shifu. This will also be a trial for yourself."

Shifu blinked. " _I'm_ being tested as well? The journey is also for me to take? How so?"

The tortoise turned towards the skies. "I did not become a living legend simply by creating Kung Fu, Shifu. I also did it by having connections. Many connections with numerous people, as I traveled all across China, and even the world, on occasion." Shifu was just listening as Oogway told him this. "Overall, while I am glad that I have managed to see Kung Fu grow so well, it's the journey behind it that always remains my greatest experience. Shifu...I want you to experience this as well."

Shifu turned to Oogway. "But Master...Kung Fu is your greatest contribution to the world. How does meeting new people surpass that accomplishment effortlessly?"

"That is why you are going on this journey, Shifu. To learn the answer to that. I can't just tell you exactly how the experience feels. That takes the fun out of it."

"...Oogway...what was fun about your journies?"

Oogway put on a mischievous smile. "Well...I used to drink a lot." He found much amusement from the red panda's shocked face.

"Master Oogway...you drink...?"

"Why of course. I'm usually the one who drinks a lot after I finish a certain task that calls for such a celebration. Indeed...the days of my youth...they were good times indeed."

Shifu was still trying to wrap his mind around what Oogway was telling him. "I...I never knew that...Master."

"Of course. I used to be an INCREDIBLY heavy drinker..." Oogway paused. "...of Tea."

WHAM! That was the sound of Shifu face-faulting hard. He stayed on the ground for a couple moments, his tail and ears twitching, before he stood up and dusted himself off. "You trolled me."

"That is correct."

"Gagh..."

Oogway patted his shoulder. "In all honesty, Shifu. Please try not to stress too much on this journey, you have been stressed enough already, on mamy occasions. I am not saying there will not be times when getting serious is a must. But still...it's important to have fun on this journey. Can you promise me that you'll try to enjoy yourself...and also make up with Fenghuang? Please?"

Shifu had a bit of hesitation. He has always been the serious type, though he tries to relax more around Tigress, but he wasn't always successful. In truth, he hasn't had true fun in ages. Oogway knew he was asking a lot out of him, because many events in his life hage been preventing him from truly enjoying himself for quite a long time. And he was saying that his was his chance to change that.

"...I will try...Master."

"Good. Very good." Oogway gave another warm smile as he tapped the Peach Tree. A Peach harmlessly hit Shifu on the head and landed in his paws. "It doesn't matter what trouble comes your way. I know that you'll be fine, as well as the others. I have full confidence in you."

Shifu smiled, and bowed to him. "Thank you, Master Oogway."

"Come. I will see you and the others off." They both nodded towards one another as thwy made their way down the Valley.

Fenghuang was waiting for them at the bottom, tapping her talon impatiently. "Hey Turtle Fossil and Big Eared Midget! We're ready to go!"

"Charming as always, Fenghuang." Oogway smiled. The owl groaned. Insulting him was completely and utterly useless, because he's never fazed by it. Shifu however, was boiling up inside. But for his Master's sake, he bit his tongue. No, really. He bit his tongue really hard. It hurts quite a lot.

 _Getting along with her will be a trial in itself..._

"POOOOO! I'm ready at last!" Mr. Ping sounds out.

Po, Tigress and Fung hear him clearly, and made their way towards him. "Awesome, Dad! Now we just gotta-!" Po jawdropped. Mr. Ping had hand-crafted a carry-along restaurant in the form of a very large cart. It read **"Pings Noodle Shop Cart: Special Edition"** in clear colorful paint. "Dad, did you make this yourself? It looks awesome!"

"I know, right!?"

"But wait...shouldn't it say "Mr. Ping's" Noodle Shop Cart? You missed the 'Mr.' in it."

"And what makes it Special Edition?" Fung asked.

"The latter question is top secret." Mr. Ping said blankly. Then he smiled. "And I said only 'Pings' because this is _our_ Noodle Shop Cart, Po. We're managing it together."

"Awwww, Dad~" Po smiled widely as he hugged the smaller goose, who cheerfully returns it.

"Wait. Shouldn't you be worried about being robbed along the way?" Shifu asked worriedly.

Mr. Ping only laughed heartily. "You mustn't worry about me, Shifu! For your information, Fenghuang has taught me a bit of Kung Fu as well! This goose can put up a fight. Because NO ONE is gonna try and steal OUR hard-earned profits! Right Po?!"

"Right Dad!" Po cheered. "Should we do it?"

"We shall!" Mr. Ping cheered back. Both he and Po stood back to back for a couple seconds, then faced everyone else.

They both began chanting: "1! 2! 3! The Ping Father and Son Cooking Duo's-!" They both stomped forward, thrust one paw/wing out, which had a bowl in them, then they through them in the air, and they landed perfectly on their heads. They then raised their arms above their heads while holding one leg up.

 **"SPECIAL FIGHTING POSE!"**

...

...

...

The villagers around them were staring at them in awkward silence, a gust of wind passed by them. Tigress, Zeng and Fung looked like they were going to burst with laughter, Oogway just chuckled slightly, while Shifu and Fenghuang were too stunned to create any kind of reaction aside from wide eyes.

Po and Mr. Ping relaxed, and high-fived one another. "NAILED IT!"

Shifu's eyebrow twitched. Oogway, still chuckling, patted his shoulder. "Remember what I said. Have fun~" he snickered before easing off and made his way back to the Jade Palace.

"What have I gotten myself into...?" He said quietly. "They're...they're... _morons."_

"Yes. Yes they are." Fenghuang said while preening her feathers. "But they're our morons now. And they're a heck ofa lot more fun than we could ever be. And you NEED some fun in your life. And since the Tiger was the only one with you, she needs it too." Shifu merely scowled at her.

Po regrouped with Tigress and Fung. "This is it, guys. Ready?"

"Of course./Roger!" They said respectively, doing a unified fist bump. The group consisted of Po, Tigress, Fung, Mr. Ping, Shifu, and Fenghuang as a starter.

Po folded his arms and cocked his head to the side. "The only question is...who's going to be our first recruit...?"

 **(Unknown Location)**

"WHERE IS THAT BASTARD?! I'M GONNA TEAR HIM APART!" A raging rhino roared as he stormed around the village with his platoon following him with worried faces. His entire face was covered in pink paint, and it looked very long-lasting. He was raging around town with extreme violent intent.

"S-Sir...we can't find him anywhere." One of his troops shivered. "Shouldn't we just take a break-"

"NO! He had the gall to constantly mock us with his childish antics, and I've grown sick of it!" He snapped at them. He then took a deep breath and shouted to the sky:

"MONKEY! SHOW YOURSELF!"

Unknown to them, someone was watching them. A person with blue eyes, a brown vest, golden-yellow fur, black skin, redsish-brown sweatpants, and a golden belt. He was currently covering his mouth with both of his paws to silence his snickering. This was Monkey. Age 22. Title: Town Jokester and Prankster.

"Heheheheheheheee! It just goes to show, these guys are supposed to be the elite guards, but they've never even seen me yet! Either they're dumb or I just that good." He smirked. He jumped off without ever being seen...

* * *

 **The chapter ends here. The first recruit has been made known. Now how will they even get there?**

 **The adventure begins for real...Next Chapter. Reviews are always appreciated. Bye for now~**


	8. Meeting Monkey

**First off, thanks for the reviews㈳2.**

 **Second off, I am well aware that creating an intro for every single chapter doesn't do anything but waste much needed space. So you don't have to worry about that. ㈴2**

 **Now that's out of the way, let's begin!**

* * *

Po yawned a bit, as he placed his paws behind his neck. "Well, here we are. We're off once again, heasing towards adventure, looking for new buds to possibly hang out with. This is gonna be great, don't you guys agree that this will be great?"

"It's TOTALLY gonna be great!" Fung cheered. "Do you think this gonna be great, Tigress?"

She smiled. "It will certainly be very interesting."

"Close enough!"

Fenghuang yawned. "*Yawn* I can't wait to see you all get to fighting already. I have been bored for quite a long time outside of training Po. I actually waited for a time like this. Too bad I'm only observing until it's absolutely necessary. IfI can't kick some ass, at least I can watch others do it."

"Fenghuang...I would surely appreciate it if you would mind your tongue." Shifu said.

The owl bent down to him and began poking his chest with a sharp feather, harmlessly. "*Poke* Midget. I am a grown woman. *Poke* I can say whatever the hell I want, *Poke* whenever I want. *Poke* Unless you think you can actually DO something about it.*Poke*"He slapped her wing aeway.

"Stop poking me!"

"Oh. Is that making you uncomfortable?"

"Yes!"

"I see...*Poke*"

"Cut that out!"

They began bickering in the background as everyone else just kept looking forward out of slight embarrassment. Tigress was right to be surprised at this, she didn't think that anyone could get under Shifu's skin in a matter of seconds. Their history must have really been something for them to be fighting like this. Fung and Zeng were just surprised that they haven't come to blows yet. Po and Mr. Ping...were just looking at the list of recruits, not minding the bickering behind them.

"Okay, so the very first person on this list is Monkey. I wonder what kind of person he is." Po asked, scratching his head in wonder. "The only tough thing about meeting new people is that we don't know much about the people that we are going to meet. We don't know how to act, what to say, or what to do..."

"How about being yourself, Po? That should always be the way to meet someone for the first time. That way you don't have anything to hide. Isn't that preferrable?"

"Hey...you're right! I shouldn't worry about it too much, I should just do my thing!"

"That's my boy!" Mr. Ping patted his arm as he turns to Zeng. "So you're a Palace Servant, huh?"

"I have been for 15 years." He nodded. "Though it seems that Master Oogway wants me to be a part of this journey just as much as he wants Shifu to be. I just...don't know what he was thinking. Then again, no one can ever correctly guess what he's thinking. He's a living enigma. And then some."

"Hm. Well now that you're traveling along with us, you're part of a team. We geese have to stick together through all odds!" He wrapped a wing aroung Zeng. "Count us as geese buddies from now on, my friend!" he said jovially. Zeng seemed quite surprised by his friendly nature, being used to being more servant than friend. Then again, this was a goose that willingly made himself look silly in front of the whole Valley alongside his son. They were both pretty jolly from everyone else's viewpoint. From he and Po's viewpoint, they're merely being themselves.

"There doesnt seem to be any immediate danger around us right now. So let's hope it stays like that." Shifu said.

"Noooooooo!" Fenghuang pouted. "This is super damn boring! I want some kind of action sooner or later! I don't mind the travels, but I want something to actually happen while we're doing this! I wanna see Po kick some ass already!" She stomped a bit.

Shifu shook his head. "You haven't matured much, have you?"

"Just like how you haven't grown an inch taller from when you were a kid.

A tick mark appeared on his head. "I am a red panda. Red panda's are not usually very tall or big."

"You're a special case, though."

"Grr..."

Fung was just snickering from in front of them, their banter was no different than teens arguing with one another. And he had a feeling it wouldn't end for quite some time. These two have a lot of energy to constantly snark at one another non-stop. Fenghuang has more ammo in her snarkiness because she was not afraid to get vulgar. It was quite an amusing time for him, even though Tigress wasn't very into it and Po was cheerfully indifferent about it. Mr. Ping and Zeng were in their own little zone of geesehood, so they didn't notice much of the bickering either.

They were all choosing to pass it off as a normal circumstance. That's probably the safest way, overall.

Po looked upward a bit and his eyes grew wide. "Hey guys, we finally reached a village!Check it out!" Po pointed forward, and everyone else looked forward as well. "It's named 'Jong Sung Village'...huh. What a weird name."

Fenghuang opened one eye at the name. "Jong Sung...? Where have I heard that name before...?" She asked quietly to herself. She was sure she heard those two words before, she just had no idea who's name it was. Maybe going around this village for a little while will refresh her memory. It didn't seem that Shifu knew anything either, due to the confused look in his eyes. It was a strange name, and they knew it was strange for a reason.

"Oh, finally at a village?" Mr. Ping asked, as he had Fung pull along the cart. "I wonder if there will be any potential customers willing to eat some noodles...?"

"That'll be something to look forward to for sure!" Po agrees. "Well there's no point in just sitting here, let's go in and take a look see."

Everyone agrees to this, and they walk right through the entrance. There wasn't anything suspicious about the entrance, so they passed by that easily. What they weren't expecting was the unsavory state the village was in. It didn't seem like it was doing very well. The villagers didn't look very happy. A bit depresseed, but it's not that heavy a depression. It was enough to cause a bit of discomfort for the younger group members. Po and Tigress found this very sad. Fung found this...far too familiar. He wouldn't say why even if somebody asked. The only person who knew about this inner feeling was Master Croc.

Fung unconsciously moved forward. It surprised the others a bit, but they followed him anyway. He was slowly looking side to side every once in a while, examining the state of said buildings and people. Some people were looking pretty sad when sitting in a poorly cared for building, others were not doing too well with separate businesses, and kids were probably the most sad-looking of all. They are unhappy that their parents are unhappy. They may br slowly losing the ability to properly take care of them.

Unhappy children means a _very_ unhappy Po. Mr. Ping had a similiar mindset.

"This village is in very poor shape...how could this be happening?" Shifu asked quietly. "This couldn't have been recent. All of this looks like it lasted for a long time. How can that be?"

"Somebody doesn't care much for the village, I can bet that much." Fenghuang suggested. "Hm. Well Panda, I believe we've reached your first head-on task. Find out what or who is causing all of this, and try to resolve this while finding and recruiting this 'Monkey'. Me and Shifu will stay out of your way and gather info while lending a hand."

"You're willing to help people?" Shifu asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"I helped the Panda, didn't I? Don't press me." She said, which brought another tick mark to his head.

"Okay, how about a different question. You don't call him 'Cub' anymore. Why is that?"

"Try walking into a crowd and call him(Points to Po) a cub. EVERYONE is gonna think you're a lier."

Po and Fung chuckled a bit at this, and then moved onward. Tigress and Mr. Ping followed behind, while Zeng stayed behind with Shifu and Fenghuang. The latter turned and moved in the other direction, causing the others to follow. "Fenghuang, where are we going?"

"The students are at work, Shifu. I'm not doing anything, so I'm gonna find something to do. Maybe I'll go for a quick flight. Yeah, I'll soar around for a bit and enjoy the breeze. You two bozos can sit around on the ground for all I care. See ya later today." She flapped her wings and took for the skies.

"Fenghuang!" Shifu shouted, but she was already gone. He rubbed his forehead in irritation. "Ha...the nerve of that woman..."

Back with the other four, with Po leading the way, they were going down one path to try and gain answers from the people. But by the way they're cautiously backing away from the three larger members(Po, Tigress and Fung) as if they're afraid. Tigress certainly didn't like that treatment, but she had a feeling that they had a reason for their fears. You can't have fear without a certain source. So what was the source of their fear.

"These people should smile more." Po said. "Then the village wouldn't be as gloomy as it feels like now. I don't really like the fact that everyone feels and looks depressed."

"Yeah I know." Fung nods.

"I understand how you two feel, but what can we do?" Tigress folded her arms. "We can't soove a proplem if we don't know what it is."

"GET BACK HEEERRRREEEEEE!" The loud shout echoed through the village, which caused all the villagers to gasp and take cover.

"Wonder what got into them...?" Mr. Ping asked.

All of a sudden, a blur appeared from the side of the building and ran towards them in a frenzy. It didn't look like the person knew where he was going, because he bumped right into Po. Luckily, due to the panda's soft belly, he was unharmed and just fell to the ground while rubbing his head. "Geez...what did I bump into? It feels as if I crashed into a pillow and-" He looked up and was surprised to see Po standing before him. "What the..."

"Oh! Is your name Monkey by any chance?!" Po asked excitedly.

"Um...yeah...? Why?"

"HAHA! AWESOME! WE FOUND HIM!" The panda cheered jovially once again, fists thrusted in the air and jumping up and down. After ten times he stopped while breathing heavily.

"Po! Calm down buddy. Deep breaths." Fung said, patting his friends back with Mr. Ping helping, as he tried to regain his breath.

While they were doing that, Tigress turned to Monkey herself. "Monkey. You need to come with us."

"Why should I? Are you three gonna try and arrest me too?" He said defensively. Though she was more attentive to the latter half ofthe question.

"Arrest...? What did you do?"

"There he is!" All of them turned to see a platoon of rhinos looking very pissed...and covered in feathers. "We finally found you, ape!"

"Oh boy...they caught up to me." Monkey flinched, as he stood up and looked ready to retreat. Buy he stopped when Po placed his arm in front of him, gaining his surprise.

"Hold on...what did he do?"

"That punk has been pranking the authorities for years! Every time we try to keep order, he ruins it with his immature antics! He's become a menace to this community!" One of the rhinos yelled. "He's been causing chaos for a long time, and we're here to bring him to justice!"

"That's not true and you know it!" Monkey shouted and quickly turned to Po. "Listen to me dude, I'm not the bad guy here!. You have to believe me when I say that what I'm doing is not for selfish and childish reasons! Even if they are kinda funny...but still! They're not good guys, and the one they serve DEFINITELY isn't a good guy!"

Po took another couple of moments to gaze at Monkey quietly, he then adjusted his straw hat and turned to the rhinos. "Fellas...since when has pranking become a crime? Especially a crime worthy of arrest?"

The lead rhino huffed. "This has nothing to do with you. Hand over Monkey, now."

Po kept looking dead at the rhinos, not moving an inch from Monkey's side. "We need him. He's coming with us, not you. Why should he get arrested for pranks, anyway?! They're supposed to be funny! I don't think you guys can take a joke..."

"Refusing the request of a patroller...very well. All five of you are under arrest, then."

"WHAT?! You can't do that!" Fung shouted in protest.

"Can, and will."

"More like you can try, and fail." Tigress said emotionlessly. This prompted a shocked look from both Mr. Ping and Monkey. What was she thinking? "I have to agree with Po. As childish and immature as it is, pranks are hardly worth any involvement from guards unless it results in serious consequences. Monkey does not seem like a person who would use pranks to harm people." She crossed her arms. "And you all don't seem to be managing the billage very well, because it looks like it's going downhill. Are you all really guards?"

"That's none of your business. Now if you can't hand over Monkey, we're taking you all in. Defending a criminal was a mistake."

"I told you. He's coming with us, not you." Po repeated.

"Yeah! You won't get the Monkey, because Monkey is someone we need!" Fung chanted. "...wait. Won't get the Monkey, because we need Monkey...does that make sense? I mean, we NEED Monkey because he's the someone we need? I mean...um..." Fung just unnecesssrily confused himself. Cue him throwing his helmet to the ground. "Darn it!"

"Enough of this! Get them!"

The rhinos charged them. Po tilted his straw hat and rushed forward alongside Tigress and Fung.

Po was taking the lead rhino on. He made a large swing with his mace, he ducked the swing and easily knocked the mace out of his hands. Grunting angrily, he made several attempts to strike Po with his fists. He dodged every single one, even brushing aside a couple as if it meant nothing to him at all. He then caught the very last punch with one paw, struck him multiple times in the chest with his other paw, and used a final paw strike to knock him a couple feet away, unconscious.

Tigress was having an easier time than he was. Every time the guard in front of her tried to hit her, she would casually block with one paw. It didn't matter what he tried. Numerous punches were easily negated, kicks were gently pushed away, and tackling only got him sent into the dirt. After many numerous tries in attacking the feline, he finally grew irritated and went for a full on charge, kicking up dirt as he hurtled towards her, horn first. Which was a huge mistake on his part, as she caught him by the horn. She lifted him up a bit and sent him flying with a punch to the chest, resulting in him crashing into a wall. All she did was huff.

Fung had his arms folded as he faced down a guard of his own. "Try to hit me. Come on. Try to hit me, bro." The rhino glared and aimed to strike him with a mallet, though he was struck in the face by the croc's tail. "Come on, bro." I said try to hit me." Shaking his head, the rhino tried again, only for Fung to tail-slap him about ten more times before he groaned and fell to the ground, unconscious. Fung pouted. "Yeah...you couldn't hit me. Sorry about that, bro."

Monkey stood by in shock, while Mr. Ping stood by in awe. The guards took a while to wake up, and when they did they immediately ran away from the three warriors. When the dust settled, most of the villagers came out of hiding, shocked at what they had just done. They stood up to them. No one has done that before...except Monkey. Which is why he was so shocked. "You guys stood up for me...? You're not even completely sure you could trust me..."

"We do trust you." Po smiled.

"We're giving you a chance, Monkey. We've come for you for a reason. What you do will decide whether we were right to do so or not." Tigress said.

Monkey tilted his head while also scratching it. "Is that so...? Well then, why _did_ you guys come for me?"

Mr. Ping waddled in front of him, concealing his wings with his sleeves. "Well Monkey, how about this. We'll tell you exactly why we came for you. In exchange, you can tell us what has happened that has caused this village to go downhill. It seems that not much money has been put into anything in this town. Does this village have a leader? If so, why hasn't he or she done taken better care of it and their citizens?"

Monkey took a look at all four of them, realizing that they were all willing to hear his side of things instead of listening to the so-called 'authority' of this village. Po and Mr. Ping seemed to be a bit excited yet gently concerned. Tigress and Fung looked fairly neutral about it, though they looked hopeful as well. After a moment of consideration, he finally concedes. "Alright then. A trade in information. I can dig that. Are there any more of you guys?"

"We have our teachers and messenger. And if you're hungry, me and my Dad can cook something up for everyone. It'll be easy!"

"Hm. Alright. Where's your dad?"

"Whaddya talking about? He's right here." Po huffed Mr. Ping, who nodded happily. Monkey paused to look at both of them. He switched between looking at the both of them, before pointing at the latter.

"But...but he's a goose."

"Yeah?" They both nodded with a smile.

"And...you're a panda."

"...Ahuh?" They both nodded again, still smiling.

The primate was horribly confused, then he shrugged. "Eh, whatever. I don't judge people when it comes to family." He then turned around and lead the way. "Let's get going. I want to show you guys my house."

"Alright. Do you have any family members at your house?"

"...No..."

"Huh? Why not?" Fung asked, unfolding his arms.

They kept following the primate, who went silent after hearing that question. He sighed. "Actually...that involves the current circumstances of this place. This village...my home...it's in bad shape and I played a pretty big part in it.."

"Your family has something to do with the state of this place...? What happened?"

Monkey went silent for a moment, placing a hand on his forehead. "Me and brother screwed up, that's what happened...I'll tell you when we get to my house..."

* * *

 **There goes this chapter. The next shall be a look into the past of Monkey. What will be the details of his backstory...? It'll be out in a while.**

 **Feel free to review. Thanks for reading~**


	9. Monkey and Wu Kong

**Here we are. An alternate version of Monkey's past. It may not do very well...but maybe it will. Won't know until afterwards.**

 **Let's go~**

* * *

It was quite some time before they made it there, to Monkey's house. He had been sipent for most of the time, and it did not seem that it would end very soon until they actually got into the building. It looked broken down for the most part. There were cracks in the wall due to aging, plants began growing all over the building due to not being trimmed. He didn't mind the second part too much, but the first part he worries about the place falling down around him. He'll be able to escape quickly enough if it did come to that, but being cautious was not unjustified. The most concerning part about the building was Monkey's insistence on staying here no matter how broken down it was. How could he?

Monkey reached the door, and he pushed it open. It was difficult, seeing that the door scraped along the ground loudly, thus created a loud creaking noise that highly irritated Tigress's ears. Po and Fung didn't appreciate the sound either. They each stepped into the house, then immediatlely noted that the inside was not much better than the outside. The walls inside were just as cracked as the ones outside, there wasn't much furniture except for the hammock in the back of the room, and the plants from outside made their way inside as well. But other than that, the place seemed pretty well-carer for, compared to the outside.

...does Monkey live here by himself?

"Yeah, sorry. I know it may look pretty crappy, but it's only because I spend a lot of my time outside instead of being holed up in here." Monkey said a bit quietly. "As you can see, there isn't really anything to do inside said house, which leads to the reason why I spend so much time outside."

"As those guards said, you seem to have quite a natural talent, as well as regular tendency, to prank people nonstop. And yet...you say that none of these pranks are for negative intentions?" Tigress said, folding her arms.

Monkey nods, while perfectly balancing himself on his tail...something Tigress took a special mental note of. Mr. Ping was already getting lunch started, so for the time being, get down to business. "Alright, my tale is pretty time consuming, so let's hear yours, first. Why did you all come for me?"

Their request certainly will be less time-consuming than his story, so they might as well give away their part first. "You're right about our request being less time-consuming than your entire story, so I will just cut this down to the important part. We're recruiting you."

"Recruit?"

"Yeah man!" Po cheered. "We're gathering up a team for us to hang with!"

"What my overly jolly and friendly comrade is trying to say..." Fung started. "Is that we're starting up a team alright. A team of Kung Fu prodigies...such as yourself."

Monkey folded his arms. "How do you know I have a talent for Kung Fu?"

Fung tapped his jaws. "Hm...I never thought about that..."

"Except that we know that those Rhinos were fought were some sort of elites in this area. And they must have been after you for a very long time. Evading them would take much more skill than you give yourself credit for." Tigress said.

Monkey blinked a couple times, before rubbing his head in a bit of a sheepish manner. "Alright, you caught me, kinda. I may have some skills when it comes to Kung Fu. But that's only due to two things. My brother teaching me some things about it, and constantly running away from the so-called 'patrol' that keeps chasing me because I give them so much trouble. Sure I feel bad that some other people kinda get caught in my pranking sprees. And sometimes I even go after them too but that's innocent fun. Me messing with those guards is all intentional, just because I hate them." He sighed before looking outside seriously. "They're the ones causing a lot of crap in this village. They work for some higher up, noble, stuck-up rich guy who thinks he's untouchable. A lot of those nobles are like that...and just my luck, me and my brother ran into one of the seriously arrogant and stubborn types."

Po cocked his head to the side. "Can you simplify that?"

"He's a rich bastard."

"Oh." Po, being poor alongside his father, had no idea what having lots of money felt like. Judging from Monkey beginning to describe his experience with one, he wasn't sure he would lile having lots of money. A decent amount to get by that would help him and his father get by. They didn't mind having more stuff, but were always fine with what they had.

"So then, Monkey. How is it that the village came to be this way? And how exactly are you involved in it?" Mr. Ping asked again, as he was about finished with making noodles, and handed a bowl over to everyone present. Monkey's spirits were already lifted just from the smell of it. He takes a bowl and looks up to everyone.

He nodded while holding one finger up. "Alright. Like I said, I got caught up in a rich guys dark shade. Me and my brother were just being kids. We didn't know what we were starting..." He sighed. "The guys name is Jong Sung Jai Kai Chow."

Pause.

...

"...Eh?" Po, Mr. Ping and Fung cocked their heads to the side, in confusion.

"He said Jong Sung Jai Kai Chow." Tigress repeated for them.

"Jong...sum...ha...wha?" Poor Po was so confused with the tongue twister.

Monkey sighed. "Repeat after me. "Jong Sung..."

"Jong Sung..."

"Jai Kai..."

"Jai Kai..."

"Chow."

Po just blinked. Fung stared at Monkey with a look of confusion. "...why the hell does he need five names at once?"

"I dunno, man." Monkey shrugged. "Anyway, I told you the name. Now I'll just tell the story behind the two of us and my bro..."

 **(Flashback)**

 _The village was in a large uproar at the moment. The entire time, they were either yelling with intense anger, highly annoyed with the childish situation they have been placed in, while the smaller portion of the population were taking only the positives of their predictament in contrast to most others being, and were actually laughing quite a lot. Despite being reprimanded about it and being told that this was serious business, they just couldn't help but laugh aloud._

 _"These pranks are getting extremely annoying!"_

 _"Why doesn't anyone do something about this?! It's been going on for too long!"_

 _"We need someone to apprehend those delinquents!"_

 _"I dunno, guys. These pranks are pretty funny. Maybe we should take it easy on them...?"_

 _"No one cares what you think, goat!"_

 _"Oh..."_

 _The different perspectives of this problem could be seen very clearly by all sides when it came to the town pranksters. Some were glad there was some fun involved, others were highly irritated by the daily annoyance, and then there's the neutral party who just wishes that everyone would just stop arguing._

 _And of course, we have the culprits. Their names being: Monkey and Wu Kong. Brothers three years apart, Monkey being the younger, with Wu Kong being the older one. 7 years old and 10 years old, respectively. And they were snickering quite loudly, a safe distance from anyone that could find them._

 _"Kahahahaha! They don't suspect a thing! What a bunch of losers!" " Wu Kong cackled._

 _Monkey, his smaller, younger brother, laughed along with him. "Yeah! Hehe, losers!" He laughed, as they high fived one another. He felt a bit of stinging as he lifted up his tail. It was bleeding slightly. "Oh. Looks like I hurt my tail while I was running."_

 _"You did?! Aw man." Wu Kong groaned, grabbing his skull with both of his paws. "Mom is gonna kill me."_

 _"Maybe if we just explain it to her...?"_

 _"Monkey she KNOWS what we're doing. What she WON'T like is that you got hurt while doing so. However...it might get worse if I try to lie about your condition." Wu Kong sighed, sliding said paw down his face. "Like I said, she's gonna kill me dead. Kill me so dead!"_

 _Monkey just looked confused as he followed his worried brother home, sneakily so that irritated villagers would not find them. As said before, Monkey and Wu Kong were the village pranksters for quite some time now. What made them so unbearably irritating was the fact that they couldn't be be caught. Be it angry villagers, village guards, or even powerful WARRIORS, they could not be caught by anybody. Mainly because they choose prank-and-run bececause fighting was completely out of the speed and highly skilled trickery at such a young age made them impossible to catch._

 _But they don't always get off easily, though. Because they have to face the person who gives them much more lectures than any aged elder could. Soo_ _ner or later, they always returned home to mother._

 _"You boys and your tricks..." Nuân(Chinese name for 'warm') said to the two boys with a mix of a sigh and a giggle. She had blonde hair with a bun and a flower, a golden robe with brown trimming, and black eyes. Wu Kong and Monkey also chuckled a bit, before the former wailed in pain from their mother slapping him so hard in the back of his head. "Why is Monkey's tail bleeding?!"_

 _"I didn't know he got cut!" Wu Kong held his stinging head. "We only found out after we started coming home!"_

 _Nuân took a deep breath, then sighed after she and her sons calmed down. She soon began bandaging Monkey's bleeding tail. "Well...since you two went on yet another pranking spree...might as well tell me about it. Go on, tell me."_

 _"Weeellll...we went with the classics and just threw tomatoes at anyone that passed by us. And get this...they were EXPLODING tomatoes. EACH." Wu Kong said proudly. "And the teachers say I don't know how to mix things together."_

 _Nuân snickered. "Oh my! That does sound hilarious! But still, you should be more careful." She finished up bandaging Monkey's tail, and lighgly kissed it. "There. All better."_

 _"Thanks, Mom." Monkey smiled cheerfully. She then went to kiss his forehead a couple times, making him laugh. "M-Mom! Come on, that tickles! Hahaha! Cut it out!"_

 _Wu Kong huffed. "Hmph. I think you're enjoying that too much." That was before Nuân pulled him in and began kissing his forehead too. "H-Huh?! W-Wait...!"_

 _"Come now, Wu Kong. I don't play favorites. I show love to the both of you."_

 _"No no! That's okay, really!"_

 _"Nope. Too late for that."._

 _"Moooooom!" Wu Kong whined, while Monkey simply laughed his tail off, both were covered in kiss marks from their mother's love. Wu Kong can deny it all he wants, but he really likes the affection he's being given. Monkey even more so. Granted, she was all they had. Their father for all they knew, walked out on her the day Monkey was born. It left Wu Kong with distaste for his father, and Monkey not knowing his father at all. The two brothers were left with their mother being the only onw to take care of them._

 _It seems that their father leaving them behind had a bigger effect on Wu Kong than one would realize. Their mother was plenty capable of providing the two boys with love. However, the issue lied with her ability to properly discipline them. The boys were in no shape or way, bad children. They just get on everyone's nerves too much and Nuân doesn't do much about it aside from stern talking and light slaps to the head. She loved them too much to do any serious discipline to them._

 _Though at some point this lack of dicipline would come back to haunt the three of them..._

 _The next day, Monkey and Wu Long would wake up to the sound of very large stomping throughout the streets. Wondering what was going on, they got up and looked outside of their window to see what the commotion was about. At first Monkey didn't see what the big fuss was about. It just looked like a takin with golden fur, a black coat and red pants._ _They did look somewhat expensive, he might be rich. Monkey still did not understand what was going on, while Wu Kong was panicking loudly on the inside._

 _'Crap crap crap crap! He knows where our village is!' Wu Kong thought as he pushed Monkey's head into the ground. "Stay down and don't make a sound!" He hissed, as his brother reluctantly obeyed._

 _Nuân was just doing some shopping, picking up an apple from a stand, examining it for a few minutes, then serting it ba k where it was. When she noticed a shadow over her, she turned and looked up to the one standing over her. "Oh hello there. Are you new here?"_

 _The takin nods in confirmation. "I am indeed new here, my friend. My name is Jong Sung Jao Kai Chow. Pleasant to meet you."_

 _Nuân blinked a couple times. "Well...um...Mr. Jong. Your name is quite the tongue twister, in a way."_

 _"Hm, I can see why you might think that, my friend. You see, I'm just looking around for someone. They stole quite a bit of the treasure from my stock, and I'm here to reclaim those treasures. Nothing more, nothing less."_

 _She tapped her cheek. "Hm...come to thinl of it...my son Wu Kong once came home with a lot of stuff in a bag. He said he already sold the gold he took and got lots of currency back for them. I scolded him for taking others things and then selling them, as that's disrespectful. That gold wasn't yours, was it? If so, allow me to apologize on my son's behalf."_

 _The takin just smiled, but behind it was something dark. "That's quite alright. There's more where that stuff came from, anyway. Though I would like to sit down and chat with you, since you are the first person to treat me kindly in this place so far. People seem to get the impression that I am intimidating. Would you like to have some tea with me?"_

 _"Oh, I would like some tea, thank you. Let me just get home and-"_

 _"No no, my friend. That is quite alright." He patted her back and walked along with her. "I have plenty of tea at my place. Your son will be fine."_

 _"Oh. Well alright then! I don't want to stay out too late, though. I still have to get home soon."_

 _Jong nods. "No need to worry. You'll be home soon..."_

 _It has been a few hours since Nuân has been out shopping. The day was almost over and yet she has not come back yet. Monkey and Wu Kong were worried sick about her. They were fearing that something happened. After a while, Monkey stood up and began moving. Wu Kong grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"_

 _"I can't take this anymore. I'm looking for Mom. She's never been gone for this long before!"_

 _"Monkey, calm down-"_

 _"How can I?! Are YOU calm, Wu Kong?!" True to Monkey's words, Wy Kong's calm was a front. He too was in total fear of what their mother could be doing. His fear was mutltiplied by what Nuân telling them that she loved them, in the most softest and most loving voice she could muster, as if it were the last time she would ever say those words. Why would she do that...?_

 _There were a couple knocks on their door. Wu Kong, with heavy hesitation, opened the door. To his relief, it was only a messenger goose. Less to his relief, he looked quite sullen. "What's going on...?" The goose sighed, unable to say anything. He just held out his wing._

 _Nuân's flower. The flower Monkey had gotten for her one time for her birthday. The flower she never takes off. The flower that was now covered with blood._

 _...Her blood._

 _"No..." He said in disbelief as he dropped to his knees. "I always steal stuff...and I usually get away with it. And even if I don't, I don't get that serious a punishment. But...all I stole was some gold in order to help us. I didn't...think he would come after her instead of us..." That's explained her farewell to them when she left for shopping. Her subconscious knew she wouldn't be coming back. Wu Kong was resisting the urge to cry, in order to turn see his brothers reaction. All he saw was a teared up face, as his eyes said it all._

 _They went too far. Stealing from rich people or nobles tend to have disasterous results. Like this one._

 _A day later, everyone has left Nuân after her funeral. Monkey set her flower atop her grave before leaving. He wanted to see how Wu Kong was taking this. the door to his room, only to see that Wu Kong was packing. "Wu Kong...what are you doing...?"_

 _"I'm leaving, Monkey. I can't stay here."_

 _"What...? You're going to leave...? B-But Mom just died! And you didn't even cime to her funeral!"_

 _"She wouldn't hsve a funeral if I hadn't been so selfish!" He shouted at Monkey, making him flinch. He sighed. "I didn't deserve to come to her funeral, it's my fault she got killed. I didn't think that my stealing would catch up to us so harshly."_

 _Monkey shook his head. "That doesn't mean you should leave! You're all I have left here!"_

 _"That's the problem. Without Mom, we won't be getting_ _off scott-free anymore. I'm a bad influence, Monkey. We both know this. I don't want the same thing to happen to you because of my selfishness. It's not something you can change. Not as you are. I shamed us...I shamed us, and there's no fixing it. The damage is done. I just...have to get out of here." He said as he patted Monkey's head. "I'll miss you. Though the next time you see me, I'll be a criminal." He said as he walked past him and hopped on the windowsill._

 _"Wait! You don't have to do this! At least take me with you if you're so determined for this!"_

 _Wu Kong sighed. "I can't do that. Jong isn't finished. He placed a bounty on me to completely finish the job. I told you, I can't stay here, it'll only put you in more danger than you're already in. At the moment, he doesn't know you exist. I can't let you get hunted down along with me. You're staying here."_

 _Monkey had tears in his eyes. "But we're brothers...we're supposed to stick together, no matter what..."_

 _Wu Kong was going to hate what he was going to say next, but it was the only way to be sure that Monkey didn't follow him. He refused to let the same fate that befell their mother strike Monkey down too. He knew he was being selfish. But he was so filled with shame and guilt that he didn't care at that moment. So he took a deep breath, hardened his heart, and turned ro Monkey with a blank stare._

 _"Sorry. But as long as I'm a criminal...we can't be brothers anymore. I'm not dragging you down with me."_

 _He then leapt off, trying to keep himself from crying. He was sure Monkey was. Indeed, the younger brother looked at the window with a look of shock, before he slumped to the ground and hugged his kness, not knowing what else to do at the moment._

 _"Wu Kong...I know you don't mean that..."_

 **(Present Day)**

"I haven't seen him since." Monkey sighed. "I keep getting news that he made true to his prediction for being a criminal. I never would have guessed that he would actually go that far. It's really depressing, ya know. One of your siblings, if you have any, is someone you can always count on...then all of a sudden they take a turn for the worse. That kind of feeling...really sucks."

"I'm aware." Tigress said emotionlessly. Mr. Ping was well aware of what this meant, but he said nothing about it.

"Well then." Fenghuang said, opening the door, allowing Shifu and Zeng inside. "Seems that this one has had quite a rough time."

Monkey raised an eyebrow. "They're with us. The little guy is Shifu, he taught Tigress. The owl is Fenghuang, she taught Po." Fung reassured. Monkey nodded at this.

Po stood up, his bowl of noodles empty, and he readjusted his straw hat. Luckly Fenghuang had given him a strap that attaches to the hat so that it would not fall off. "Monkey...we beat three guards. How many are there in total?"

He looked confused. "Well...they have an entire of them just outside the village. There are at least like fifty guys or something. Why?"

"Cause I'm gonna kick every single one of their asses and make them leave! And if Jong is among them...I'll beat him up, too!"

Fenghuang smiled widely as she actually clapped her wings. "Took long enough! Finally, something to entertain me!" Monkey briefly became worried that Po was taught Kung Fu by a sadist.

"Alright then, guys! Let's move out!" Po nods as he stands up and leaves the building. Tigress and Fung follow right behind him without question. Monkey was left staring at the door, in a fit of surprise.

"Huh...didn't take the big guy as a person who curses or anything like that."

"Primate." Fenghuang said out of nowhere. Monkey turned to her in confusion. "Mind getting your head out of your ass and listen to what I have to say?"

 _And now I know who he got it from..._ he thought. "What is it?"

"Gotta nickname for ya. It shall be...Primate."

"...Did you even put effort into that?"

The owl blinked. "...You're right..." She genuinely began thinking about it for a bit, then pounded one wing into another. "OH! I got it! How about 'Shithead'? That's a good nickname for a monkey, right?" She ignored Shifu's harsh scolding for her casual use of vulgar words.

Monkey sweatdropped and rubbed his neck. "Eh...I think I'll stick with Primate."

"Excellent choice. Though I might still use the other name anyway, just for giggles."

"W-What...?! You can't do that-!"

"Well well, I believe it's time to head out and watch the trio do their thing. You're more than free to help them out."

"You're not going to?"

"Nope. I'm with them for spectator purposes only, until it's absolutely necessary to step in. Now hurry up and move!" She said impatiently, as she took for the skies again to follow Po, Tigress and Fung. Monkey just stared after her in confusion.

"Isn't she a riot?" Mr. Ping laughed. Shifu stared at the goose, in disbelief, and annoyance.

"No. No she isn't."

"Glad you agree!"

Shifu resisted the urge to facepalm. Right now, they had to make sure the younger warriors don't hurt themselves.."

* * *

 **Isn't Fenghuang just charming? :D**

 **Anyway, the next chapter. Po and the others frwe Monkey's village from Jong's control. But will he actually be there...? We'll find out, won't we?**

 **Until then. See ya~**


	10. First Recruitment, Sucessful!

The trio was making their way down across the village. The villagers were looking at them strangely, especially Po. When he first passed by him, he was looking quite cheerful and easy going. Now he looked like he was just about ready to take something apart. And to tell the truth, he was honestly planning to. These villagers have been placed under a lot of crap over the years, especially heavy on Monkey. Now, it was time to change things.

"Monkey...you really do enjoy your pranking methods, right?" Fung asked, as Tigress and Po were not saying anything, Fenghuang and Shifu were silent as well, while Mr. Ping and Zeng stayed behind so that they don't get caught in anything disasterous. Po would be even more upset than he was at the moment. He was bored himself, so he decided to strike up a conversation with Monkey.

The primate nods while scratching his head. "Of course it's a great way to pass the time. It's also my way of getting the village to have a reason to liven up a bit. Eveyone here is always depressed or somehing, and it's sad to watch people have low spirits for so many years. So I had to play the role of village crown to give people a reason to get up with loads of energy to spare. Because it'll be dedicated to chasing me all over the place. It's a heck of a lot better than to just sit around and watch them be depressed all of the time. Getting them out of their funk every day...that was how I was operating here. Trust me, with my mom dead and my brother a wanted criminal by choice I really didn't have a lot to be happy about myself. So in a way, I was doing this for me too, but mostly for all of the others. Making them at least attempt to be happy was my way of trying to be happy. Needless to say, that's proving to be quite difficult. But I never gave up, because I knew somewhere, people are appreciating my attempts to cheer everyone up."

"I see. Make yourself the folly so that the villagers own pain would be drastically reduced. Even if it doesn't truly disappear, you do all that you can to erase as much of the misery floating around here as you possibly can." Tigress said.

Monkey sighed. "Yeah...that's it..."

"And you believe yourself to be responsible for it, simply because you made a mistake? Keep in mind that you and your brother were merely children who did not know any better. What this Jong Sung person did was nothing more than disproportionate retribution." Tigress folded her arms. "We are going to let him know that that kind of oppression will not stand."

"What does that mean?"

"Just as we told you, Monkey. We're going to completely trash the place, beat up all his guards there, and if he's there we'll beat him up too." Po said.

"W-What?! Doesn't that seem a little extreme?"

"It can't be worse than killing a mother who sounds pretty cool, for something her children did. You didn''t knkw better and yet he didn't care about that. He only cares about the fact that you crossed him. Apparently to him, ge is not justified." Po said in a low tone. It was then that Monkey fully acknowledged Po's sudden shift in emotion, and why it happened. The panda was okay with Monkey's story. Of course he was sad that Monkey's mother was no longer with him. But what upset him so heavily was the _reason._ Not only was it unnecessary and incredibly petty in his eyes, but it was also cruel. And it went by everyone, with no retribution being served to the one in the wrong. No one could do anything about it, because most people have accepted that they couldn't touch Jong Sung , and moved on. Po was not most people.

Po narrowed it down to the most important details. Monkey's mother was killed by a selfish rich man. And said man got away with it. That will not stand, not while he's here. It was that simple. Tigress and Fung share the same sentiment, to varying degrees, but the intent was still the same.

Monkey then asked another question. "You guys wouldn't be doing this for me just to get on my good side so I can join your group, would you?"

"No." Tigress's answer was quick, almost cutting them off. "You can come with us after this or not. But you decide that after we take down Jong's complex."

"Yeah man, we're not doing this to win you over. From your experience, this guy seems like a complete jerk who thinks he can buy his way out of trouble. Today we prove that we're the ones that turn away because of that. Trashing his little complex seems to be a pretty good start." Fung said, his eyes still facing forward like Po and Tigress. Monkey was put off by their focus, they really did mean what they said now that he heard it from all three of them.

Fenghuang and Shifu, paired with Mr. Ping and Zeng, followed them at a respectable distance. "This is too much of a forceful gesture, isn't it? Shouldn't we at least try to talk them into a more reasonable solution?" Zeng said as he walked behind the others.

"Zeng, they're young adults now. They have made a major choice in their eyes, and they're going to see it through." Mr. Ping smiles.

"Indeed. Besides, we're not supposed to interefere too much remember? Whatever they do, is their choice, and they steeled themselves to face whatever consequences may result from it." Shifu added.

"Yeah. Besides, it's not like we're new to vandalism. We were young people too." Fenghuang added.

"Ah, youth. Such a wonderful experience, where we were at our prime and we were on top of the world." Mr. Ping said in a smooth, sagely manner.

"Indeed..." Shifu said quietly. Then while he's walking he took on a blank look and hung his head. His feelings were signified by a small aura of depression emitting off of him. "Youth...why is it wasted on the young and reckless...?"

"...Did I say something wrong?" Mr. Ping asked in confusion. Zeng softly patted his shoulder and shook his head, telling him to just leave it be.

Fung finally stopped Po, Tigress and Monkey by slowly whipping his tail in front of them. "Um...that wouldn't happen to be the complex, would it?" He pointed upwards to the big walls in front of them, and a large palace right in the center of those walls. "It looks too big to actually brought down...should we go in and wreck the inside?"

"No problem. We'll be able to bring down this complex...and wreck the inside. We should at least check if he's there, first." Po said. He looked forward again and walked to the front gate. He walked up to two guards that were guarding the front entrance, and folded his arms. "Hey guys. Do you mind letting us in? We want to wreck it."

POW!

"GAGH!"

"You moron!" Fung yelled, having tail whipped Po in the head for being totally honest. While that is not a bad thing in general, it something they wanted those guards to know RIGHT at the entrance.

"You lot have tresspassed on Jong's territory, something he does not tolerate in any sense, shape, or form. You will be punished! Your heads will be boiled with cabbage and their ear lobes stretched around their heads! I mean really! Didn't you idiots read the sign?"

"Sign? What sign?" Monkey said, while he held one of the smaller signs entangled in his tail. All the others were destroyed. "I didn't see any signs."

"It's that stupid juvenile prankster! Get-!" Both guards were too distracted to realize that Tigress sneaked behind both of them and knocked their heads together hard, rendering them unconscious. Po and Fung looked at her in surprise.

She tilted her head. "What? They were annoying me." She turned towards the gates next. "Now let's get to work. You wanted to wreck the place, right? Well, let's get started. I think we should begin with those fancy looking gates he must be so proud of."

"But how do we do that?" Fung asked.

"It's simple. We knock."

"How do we kno-" He was interrupted by a loud smash of doors, and he looked to see that Tigress has completely punched out said doors that were in her way. She was not messing around at the moment. "Never mind, then...just busting them down. Well...might as well go inside. Let's see what this guy has in this place...probably filled with a lotta rich related stuff. Crap like that."

"We won't know unless we just go inside." Po said as he was the first one to go inside. They followed after him, as well as Shifu and Fenghuang, who told Mr. Ping and Zeng to stay close. There may still be guards inside.

When they got far enough into the room, they did not expect to see what was inside. It was enough to make Fenghuang blink so she would make sure she wasn't imagining things. There were numerous types or torture devices, all over the place in this room. There were ropes, blades, pulleys, and many other things that were all for the sake of causing pain. Unbearable torture. The one who was most disturbed by this was Po. The first most important question, was how could anyone have this stuff. The second most important question, was WHY anyone would have this stuff?

Fenghuang had raised an eyebrow at this. "Wow...this guy is sadistic, don't you think?" She sighed. "I know I like to dish out pain on those that annoy me...but that definitely doesn't mean that I like this kind of stuff. I'm more into physical hand to hand stuff like that. Though he uses torture devices...for amusement? Or just for stepping on his property? This guy is sadistic and he's incredibly petty."

"I'm becoming more and more supportive of taking this place apart..." Shifu whispered.

"This Jong guys is sick...and how Monkey described him...how dare he act like a nice guy!" Fung growled.

"I agree." Tigress said, as she was also feeling angry about this.

 _He better hope this wasn't how he killed Mom...I'll be really pissed if he did!_ Monkey thought angrily.

Now, the only one who didn't respond to the sight yet was Po. As a result, everyone looked towards him, patiently awaiting his reaction. The one who was most anxious to see it, was Fenghuang. Mr. Ping...only hoped that he won't go overboard. With a sigh, Po let his straw hat slide off his head as it hanged against his neck, due to it having a string strap. He then took a deep breath, then raised his right paw. Fenghuang again raised an eyebrow. "Aaah...so you choose to react like this? I don't blame you, really."

"Wait...react how?" Fung asked her. She gave him a look that tolf him to wait and see for himself.

Po pushed his paw outward, and he did what he did next, without a shred of hesitation. **"Wind Hammer."** A green ball of chi shot out of his paw, and destroyed a large portion of the wall in front of him. And as the name would suggest, a gust of wind followed soon after the attack was made. Fenghuang was nodding with approval, Shifu was in disbeliefTigress and Fung were in awe, Zeng was blown away by the shockwave, and Mr. Ping held onto Tigress's leg.

"The Thundering Wind Hammer...Fenghuang. Did you really teach him this?" Shifu asked. "He didn't even spin in order to use it. How can that be?"

The owl huffed. "Honestly, Shifu. You've never thought that I would eventually find a way around that? Have you forgotten how fast I adapt?" She said with a smug tone. "Of course I had to make sure Po got thw hang of it first. After all, if he does not develop, there's little use in me doing the same, as his teacher. However...it turns out that I had nothing to worry about the entire time we trained."

"What do you mean by that?"

She smirked. "Turns out he's a fast learner. It took him a lot of time to get it right." She held a wing up to her beak as she stifled a laugh. "The way he always fell on his ass from the resulting shockwave...that was always so funny! Hahahaha!"

"She never helped him up, either." Mr. Ping glared at her, while she shrugged innocently. "Anyway, notice how he just said 'Wind Hammer'? Well it's just what it means. There was more wind and more hammer, at the cost of less of the'Thundering' part."

Shifu nodded in understanding. "Sacrifice a bit of its overall power in exchange for quicker and more successive uses. It makes sense."

"I can still faintly smell blood in this place...he has been using his room more than we think he has." Tigress said. "Po. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Po looked around for a bit, as he began walking onward. "How do we bring it down quickly? It's so big." That answered her question, at least. He just didn't know how to go on with it.

Fung was thinking about the overall structure from the outside, and placed a claw on his jaws. "Come to think of it, this place is mostly held up by those four columns on four different corners of the entire palace. If we destroy those, it should go down a whole lot faster. We'll get nowhere just smashing in sight. Take out the four main things holding this place together, it won't be able to stand the pressure of the weight."

Fenghuang turned towards Fung in interest. _What's this...? It looks like this one is smarter than he likes to act..._

"Okay then, we'll split up in four directions and take out those columns!" Monkey said seriously. "I'll go on and take one way, while you guys take the other routes. We'll do this together."

"Let's go then!" Po responded, as he rushed off in one direction, while Tigress, Fung and Monkey ran in other ways. Fenghuang, Shifu, Mr. Ping, and Zeng were about to follow, though the guards have eventually caught up with them.

"Hold it, intruders! What are you doing in Jong's Palace?!"

Fenghuang sighed. "Ugh...Alright. Mr. Ping and Zeng, you two geese find the money stash before the students bring this place down."

"Righto! Come, fellow goose!" Mr. Ping said, as he grabbed Zeng and ran with him towards the safe.

Fenghuang nods, and turned towards the guards who were foolish enough to try and challenge her. "Wait! I thought you said that we were evaluating the young ones!" Shifu asked hastily.

"We are. But...if they turn their hostility towards us, and they're not here to deal with it, we have no choice but to defend ourselves. I said I preferred not to fight because I want to see Po's development in action. I never said that I wouldn't do so."

"That...is actually good reasoning, in a way." Shifu conceded. "But...they cannot actually be foolish enough to try and blindly attack us, right? They should know who we are." He was proven wrong αs one kf the rhinos tried to strike him with an axe. He merely caught it between two of his fingers, much to their shock. Even more shocking was that he kept it in place even as said rhino was trying to pull it away from him. The red panda just sighed in disappointment. "Ha...I thought not."

"Hmph. Their pain is their own fault." The owl shrugged. She stepped forward. "Now boys...let's play a game. It's called 'Dodge or Die'."

"No killing."

"Fiiiiine! Dodge or get hurt really bad."

"Better."

She rolled her eyes as she raised her wings and swiftly dashed past the guards before her. Seconds after, a burst of wind blew them away from one another. Shifu moved in with his small form and struck each of them in the chest in rapid succession, further forcing them back and embedding them into the walls, as he lands into the center, as everyone of them were unconscious. He dusted himself off. One more tried to reach for him from behind, but Fenghuang stomped on his head, slightly cutting into it with her talons, as well as knocking him unconscious.

He rolled his eyes. "I heard him coming, I would have handled it."

"Yeah right, Midget. You just won't admit that you've gotten rusty along with being old."

"What did you say?!" He glared up towards her. She merely laughed at him feeling insulted for his skill AND his age.

Meanwhile, with the four younger warriors, they were free to attack the four columns without interruption, due to the Masters taking care of the guards. They each reah a separate column, and nodded towards it. They then pulled their fists back, while thinking:

 _HERE!_

The effect was immediate. With the main support now gone, the entire palace began to crumble. This was a sure warning for them to get moving before it completely collapsed. It was easy to bust a hole through the wall in order to get out an easier way.

They each reunited in one spot, as the Masters caught up with them, and Mr. Ping and Zeng caught up with them...with a lot of money. "We...weren't fast enough to get all of it...so we only grabbed whag we could..."

"That's okay, Dad. You did what you could." Po said, as he looked towards the collapsing complex. "I'm guessing this is going to make Jong angry...because he wasn't in there. Tigress checked."

"Yeah, this might piss him off a little...that's awesome." Monkey grinned, as he looked towards the others. "All of that money will surely help out the village. I'm really glad that we'll be able to donate it all to them. Though he'll likely do something about us later...right now, I'm pretty content. Thanks you guys..." He looked at Po, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is...that spot for the team still open?"

Po smiled widely and picked up the primate in a bear hug. "Heck yeah you are! Welcome aboard, buddy!".

Fung folded his arms. "He didn't even talk with us about it. He just did it without us..."

"Are you going to say no to it?" Tigress asked. He shook his head. She smiled as she adjusted her scarf. "Then I don't see the issue here." She picked out the scroll, and nods. "The ones named 'Crane and Mei Ling' should be next...

Fenghuang folded her wings. "They just started the journey and they already trashed a messed up rich guy's house AND save a village from money problems, as well as recruit their first recruit...I'd say that's a pretty good start."

"We caused a LOT of destruction already, and you call this a good start?" Shifu asked in disbelief.

"Yes."

He stared at her...before he turned to Mr. Ping to see his reaction. "Who's hungry? We should head back to the village and plan our next move!" Shifu...did not expect him to accept this so easily. He honestly believes he should take _SOME_ things into more consideration. Because it seems to rub off on his son, just a bit. Po just decided that it was a good idea to destroy one of Jong's homes without as much as a simple plan. He literally just rushed into this without much thought in it. And Tigress and Fung just went along with it...along with Monkey...and Mr. Ping and Fenghuang supported these actions...or at the very least, didn't reject it. Zeng was the only one who seemed to not support it...

 _Oh dear...I hope this doesn't become a thing...I REALLY hope this doesn't become a thing..._

* * *

 **Unknown Location...**

"Hm...this is rather troublesome..." Jong said, whike sitting in his chair, in one of his other homes somewhere in China. He recently gotten word that one of his homes were utterly destroyed. And it seems that it was the village of the monkeys he crossed. Now why would he choose now to act...? He'll need more information. More info on whatever just happened there, and why it had to happen now.

He left the room he was in and walked towards a cage in the corner. For some reason, the space around the cave were covered in ice, and the rest of the room was not. And someone was inside. "Don't bother. As long as you have that collar on you, you're powers are useless in doing nothing but creating a small breeze." He was looking inside the cage, but the person was shrouded in darkness, so one couldn't see who the person looked like. The only feature one could identify were the icy blue eyes, which were slitted with hatred. And the feminine voice that followed afterwards:

"One of these days...I'll be free from your grasp...and I'll **kill** you."

"Very doubtful, my friend. Very doubtful." He said blankly as he left the room and closed the door, leaving the pair of eyes in complete darkness...

 _He won't break you, Xuě...you can't let him break you..._ She said in her thoughts. _Whoever is out there that was brave enough to smash one of his palaces...I applaud you. Now I'll allow myself to hope that you find me, eventually..._

* * *

 **Lee Da Academy**

"Alright class, excellent work!" The instructor said, as all of the students thanked him, and went on their separate ways. "Janitor! Clean up needed here!"

"I'm coming I'm coming..." Said janitor rolled his eyes as he adjusted his own straw hat and stepped into the room as the other students left. One of the younger rhinos knocked his hat over, and a bull pushed him down.

"Ha! What a clumsy bird! Why do even stick around here, loser?" They laughed, as they left the room.

He sighed. "Very mature, guys. No really, you act like true grown-ups." He got up and dusted himself off. He looked up to see that someone had picked up his hat, and was handing it to him. He smiled as he takes his hat, placed it on his head, and began mopping. "They could do me a favor and not bleed so much...this is gross..."

"Crane, how long are you going to let them keep stepping all over you?" The Asian Golden Cat named Mei Ling asked him with a pout on her face. She was the Star Student of the Lee Da Academy. She was smart, very powerful, and she was the most beatiful female in the Academy, without a doubt. She was also Crane's childhood friend...as well as his only friend at all. Tread back to being the most beautiful, that was also why guys tended to pick on Crane. She hung out with him, and him only. There was a good reason for this. She was 22, and he was 23. "You only need to say the word, and I'll plant my foot into their smug faces."

"I keep telling you Mei Ling. I don't want to use you like that. It'll only get you in trouble. Besides, they can't hurt me with small stuff like that. You of all people should know this. Besides my Mom, of course."

"Of course I do. That's why I want it to stop. Don't you think you've been ridiculed for too long?"

"I'm not ready yet, Mei Ling. I...need more time. I just...can't bring myself to leave. Not yet.".

She sighed. "Alright, Crane. I can't force you to make your decision. But eventually...you'll find a reason to leave. And I'll be by your side." She walked up to him with a warm smile and gently hugged his right wing. "Whenever you're ready to fly. Just be sure to take me with you."

"Thanks, Mei Ling." He smiled. Then he feels the softness on his wing, and realized that it wasn't the fur on her arms...blushed heavily, and quickly yanked his wing away. His entire face was red. "W-W-W-W-Why aren't you wearing your wrap?!"

"I don't wanna wear it today! It's itchy." She pouted again. "What, is that why you yanked your wing away?"

"YES!"

She blinked, then laughed at his blushing face. "You're too funny!" She giggled, patted his wing, and left the room. The conversation now ending, he sighed with exhuastion and returned to mopping. She could at least _try_ minding her appearance. There was indeed a reason why many girls were jealous of her. She simply didn't care much for it, as it didn't deter her skills at all. This only seemed to make their jealousy increase, as she treats them as not a big deal. Even when the 'big' part of the sentence was no exaggeration...

Putting it simply, she wasn't extremely sensitive like Tigress was, in that aspect.

Though Crane was happy to have her as a first friend. He tipped his hat as he finished cleaning up. "Mei Ling can really be a handful, sometimes..." He chuckled softly, as he took his straw hat off and looked at it, with a sense of sadness.

 _You'd certainly agree with me...Dad..._

* * *

 **And I'll leave things off, here. Monkey is on board, and the next recruits are Crane and Mei Ling, you saw. The one above them...won't be confronted until much later. The first recruit was easy to make. The rest...will not be that easy. The difficulty will vary.**

 **Well, see you later!**


	11. Crashing Next To Crane

"Monkey, are you sure?" Po asked him. After their heist on Jong's mansion, they eventually returned to the village to give all of the money they received to the villagers. Or more like, Shifu gave the money to the villagers, while Monkey remained hidden when this happened.

"Yeah, I don't need to change the way they think about me. I'd rather keep my position as the town prankster, it's kinda grown on me." Monkey shrugged. "Anyway, I just wanna say thanks again for helping me out, really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it." Fung grinned.

"Hey, Big Guy. I got something for you." Monkey says to Po, as he climbs up his cabinets and pulls out a jar, then hops back down to the floor. "Pranking isn't my only specialty, ya know. I also make some pretty good almond cookies."

"...Please continue." Po said as if it meant serious business, which also made it more ridiculous.

"Here ya go." Monkey opened the jar for them, and the aroma filled the room. They were still very fresh even when they were gone.

"These smell good." Fung takes one, munching it wih his jaws. "No. These ARE good!"

"I agree." Tigress said, as she too has eaten one.

"Not too shabby, Primate." Fenghuang also eats one.

"My word these are fantastic!" Mr. Ping spoke for both Shifu and Zeng on this regard, as they've taken one for themselves.

Monkey grinned at his success. "I knew I could make a good impression with them."

"I think I'll have some more." Fung reached into the jar...it was completely empty. "Huh? Where'd they go?"

"What do you mean?"

"This jar was full of them a moment ago..." Fung said. Then everyone turned to Po with a look of accusation as he tried to look as innocent as possible...while his cheeks were filled with said cookies. There were also crumbs on said cheeks. "Po...we took our eyes off the jar for a _moment._ How the hell did you do that?"

"Mmf dmft mmh mmm mh mmmn." He couldn't be understood due to having his mouth full, so he swallowed and wiped the crumbs off his cheeks. "I don't know what you mean."

Monkey found this hilarious. "Good gosh, man! You don't waste any time, do you?"

"Monkey. You showed me cookies. I love cookies. It should have been pretty clear what was going to happen next."

"Yeah, that's a good point."

" _How is that a good point?!_ " Fung said while groaning.

Po tilted his head. "What does that mean?"

"...You know what? Never mind, man. Just forget it." The croc grumbled. He really wanted cookies as much as Po did, and was ashamed that he wasn't quick enough.

"Okay, but I still don't understand why you're upset."

"I'M NOT UPSET!" He shouted, while throwing his helmet to the ground. "Gaaaaahh..."

"...Why do you throw your helmet to the ground?" Monkey asked with confusion.

"It's a habit." Fung sighed as he placed said helmet back on his head. It was still the same helmet that Po gave him years ago. "Well, nothing we can do about it now. We each got only one, and he just _inhales_ the rest of them. Hungry jerk."

"Don't worry about it, guys. It's easy for me to make more." Monkey said. "But right now we have to get moving, right?Can't stay here any longer than necessary. I already have my satchel packed and ready to go."

"Very well. When we're all ready, we shall head out once again." Shifu declared. "Me and Fenghuang will be waiting outside for you all. Do take your time." They both made their way out, leaving the others in the room.

Tigress stared at the door for a couple moments, then turns her head to Monkey to confirm something. "Are you truly sure about this?"

"Yeah. I am. Besides all of thr pranking I do here, there's nothing here for me, truthfully. Mom is gone...I don't know what the heck happened to Dad...and Wu Kong is not coming back. It's better for me to just leave while the going is good. I'll miss this place, but I gotta go. I know I have to."

"Very well. You won't regret this decision."

"I sure won't. Time to move. Come on, I'm raring to go."

"So am I bro, so am I." Po nods.

"Indeed. We have added a bro to our ranks. He is an official bro." Fung nodded with crossed arms.

"Bros?" Monkey said in confusion. They both nodded to him, and they all raised a fist. "BROS!"

Tigress was silent on the outside. However on the inside: _We need to find another girl on this team, and quickly._

"All right bros, let's get to movin!'" Po called out, as Fung and Monkey followed him out of the house with their fists out, right past Tigress who was still eying them with small amouts of embarrassment.

Mr. Ping followed them while smiling at Tigress. "Not to worry, dear. I'm sure you'll adjust to them soon enough. I have faith in that. You just need the time, and the confidence. And I know you have the confidence. You just need the time."

"I know, Mr. Ping."

"Shifu did not let you out of the Palace much, did he?"

"Um...no. No he did not, Mr. Ping."

Mr. Ping placed a wing on his chin. "I see...so your social skills may be as underdeveloped and in need of improvement as Fenghuang and Po. Most things Po does not know, and Fenghuang shut herself away from people for so long she may have forgotten how to talk to others properly. So I'm seeing this as a way to grow stronger in social terms, as well."

"I...I think I can understand that."

"In all three of your cases, none of you are used to having friends to spend time with. You might feel uncomfortable for a while, but I believe you can adjust with the help of Fung and Monkey. They know how to be social." He nodded, the others finally getting outside. "Alright Shifu, where are we headed next?"

The red panda was handed the scroll by Tigress, and he read off of it. "According to this...we'll have of head to Lee Da Academy. Unfortunately for us, it's quite a distance away from us. And it's also in a mountain range surrounded by a lot of fog. Not enough to obsecure much vision, but it's still qute a bother to actually get there." Po raised his hand. Shifu sighed. "Yes, Po?"

"Will it take a while to get there?"

"If we leave now it won't take much time at all, but not within one day. We should send them an advance notice so that there isn't any confusion. Zeng, come here." He took out another scroll and began writing down something, while Zeng overlooks it with interest. Within a minute, he rolls up the scroll and hands it to Zeng. "Be sure to get this to them, Zeng. We need to let them know who's coming."

"Yes, Master Shifu." He saluted, placed the scroll in his bag and began flying off towards Lee Da Academy, ahead of everyone else.

"Now everyone, let's move. We have quite the distance to cover." Shifu told everyone, and they began to follow him. However, the only one who didn't budge was Fenghuang. "Fenghuang...? What are you doing?"

"...If we rush for it, how long wouldi it take?"

"Nonstop? A maximum of three hours on foot, and two hours by air. Why?"

"...This 'Crane' is a fellow avian, isn't he?" She smirked. She suddenly leapt up, and balanced perfectly on Po's shoulders. "Panda, we're going for a flight."

Shifu knew what she was thinking, and rapidly shook his head. "No. No way. Don't you dare. Don't even think about it." Too late. With a mighty flap, Fenghuang was in the air with an unprepared Po yelling in surprise, flying after Zeng away from the group. "FENGHUANG!" He shouted, but just like Zeng, she was already gone. He sighed while trying to fight off a headache. "She just does whatever she wants..."

"Well let's not just sit here Shifu! We gotta catch up somehow!" Mr. Ping grabbed his paw and began dragging him along, with almost no protest from the red panda, and much encouragement from Fung, and Monkey. Tigress rolled her eyes, but ran after them on all fours, keeping up with everyone. She could have easily leaped up high and caught a ride by hanging on to Po's legs...but she had to stay and make sure Shifu didn't pass out from stress.

The owl could have at least given a warning before flying off with Po like that, though...

 **(One Day Later- Lee Da Academy)**

Crane was sweeping up the teeth left in the training hall, and he looked very annoyed with this part of his job. "I ask them kindly not to bleed on the floor. What do they do? They leave bloodied teeth. I'm surprised some of them still consider eating moments after." He mumbled. "I don't know why I bother asking. They're not gonna listen to me." He sighed as he wiped his head and examined his handiwork. No more blood and no more teeth. "But at least I'm done now."

"Crane! Someone took a hit to the solar plexus! Vomit clean-up over here!"

The bird face-winged. "And now I'm jinxing myself. Again. Crane, when will you learn to stop doing that..."

"Probably not for a while." He jumped in surprise as Mei Ling appeared behind him, with her paws behind her back, as well as a mischievous smile on her face.

"...don't...do...that... _please_..." Crane said as he placed a wing on his chest as he made sure his heart was still beating. When he confirmed that, he readjusted his hat. "Do you get a kick out of surprising me?"

"Maaaayyyybe." She rolled her eyes slowly, even though they both knew the answer. "Are you going to clean your broom? It's all...you know...covered with blood from big sweaty rhinos...and-"

"I know who bleeds in here, Mei Ling." He quickly cut her off. "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"Whaddya mean? It's the same thing every day. Whenever I'm done with class, I come to see you. It's my routine, remember?"

"Yeah...but you've come really early this time. I mean, earlier than usual."

"Well, that's their own fault." She shrugged. "They ran out of things to challenge me with. I aced all of them. Now all I'm here for is being an inspiration, and looking out for you." She knew if it hadn't been for her, the bullies here would have torn Crane apart on day one. But she made sure they knew better than to mess with a friend of hers while she was around. She couldn't always be around, though. That was a major problem.

There are times when he does not resist negative attention, and there are times when Mei Ling repels it for him. He never seems to have the confidence to do it himself. He takes the abuse and doesn't do anything about it, much to the irritation of Mei Ling, and to the utter concern of his mother, Yan Fan. Those two females wear him down and exhaust him in two different ways, and both were out of worry. From a mischievous, tough but loyal friend, and from a smothering, overprotective, but well-meaning mother. Crane didn't know whether to feel very grateful or very embarrassed.

...So he'll do both. Problem solved.

"Well, I can't say I'm not grateful. But those guys are now spouting rumors about me being a weakling _and_ a coward. All because of be being skinny and you defending me against them. Especially the latter. You're the Star Pupil of the entire school, and yet you keep hanging out with me and me alone. They keep wondering why you would spend time with me."

Mei Ling gave him a soft but stern glare. "Crane...what have I told you countless times?" She always does this. Whenever his mind would shift to a tone like that, she pushed it out immediately.

Crane sighed. "Popularity has never been of importance to you."

"I don't know why I have to keep reminding you." She rolled her eyes, her smile returning. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

"Wait, I have to clean up the vomit, first..."

"Crane. You've cleaned up saliva, blood, a bit of teeth, and a whole lot of other stuff. Puke cleanup is crossing the line. Now they're just being lazy. Now come on." She grabbed him by the wing and dragged him along. "I'm not taking no for an answer, not this time."

"W-Wait!" He tried to protest, but they had already made their way out of the doors and out into the open, where most of the area was covered with fog. "Okay I guess we're really doing this now. If that's what you really want."

"Of course it's what I want. Now don't stall anymore. Let's go!" She meant what she said, she suddenly took off on all fours. Crane had to flap his wings and fly at a level closer to the ground just to keep up with her. She has always been very swift when she runs like this. Her gloves really helped brush off any damage that could be done to her paws.

He wondered where they were going, until they reached a cliff, where she sat near the edge waiting for him. "Well. It:s about time you showed up. Do you find it funny to keep a lady waiting?"

"Very funny." Crane chuckled as he stood by her, looking out towards the open view the cliff offered. "Weird...it's weird how nature makes a lot of fog look amazing. You can't even see the bottom of the ground. It makes you wonder if the ground even exists in that kind of area. That kind of mystery can be appreciated, in some ways."

"Yeah...you can say that again." Mei Ling sighed with a relaxed posture, her tail swishing side to side on the ground. "I really hope that something does happen, you know? Something that will give you the courage to leave this place behind, so that I can do the same. Heading out together..."

"Yeah...I wish I could. " Crane sighed to himself. Soon enough, he began to hear the distinct sounds of excessive flapping, and looked up to identify someone flying over their heads. No less than a couple seconds later, the shape fell towards them and crashed into the ground, dizzy and tired. "Oh my gosh! Are you alright?!"

"So...tired...so very tired...I don't have the stamina...like that owl does...dang it..."

"Well that's something you haven't seen everyday. Geese falling from the sky." Mei Ling folded her arms, before picking up the semi-conscious Zeng. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Ugh...I think so." He rubbed his head, fighting off the dizziness in order to stand on his own. "Are your names...Mei Ling and Crane...?"

Crane looked confused. "Do you know us?" His attention was then brought to the scroll the goose was carrying, and he picks it up with one wing. "Hey, he has a messenger scroll."

Mei Ling takes the scroll from him, unrolls it, and read the contents inside. Taking the moment to do show, her eyes sparkled with surprise as she lowered the scroll to Crane so he could see what it said. When he reads it as well, he didn't expect any of it at all. His own eyes widened with shock as he jumped back.

"Master Shifu wants to see us?! What the heck? Why would he come to see us two?" Crane said, he didn't understand why a Kung Fu Master of Shifu's caliber would bother coming to see them. It was strange to the two of them.

Unknown to them, yet another avian was flying overhead, watching them from an airborne view. One pair of eyes were filled with curiosity, another pair of eyes were filled with excitement. After all, two more friends will be joining them soon enough. They just had to figure out how to do so. Well...more like Po had to figure out how to do so.

Fenghuang was not gonna be good at connecting with the younger adults. She was far too blunt and rude. Po had a much better chance at the moment. She'll just be waiting somewhere hidden...maybe in one of the nearby houses.

"Okay Panda. Time to go in and do your thing."

"Right, Master Fenghuang! Wait...what do I do first?" Po asked her.

"Try to break your fall."

"Wait wha-AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She released her hold on him and he fell from the sky.

She blinked a couple moments, before she shook it off. "He'll be fine...probably...Nah, he'll be fine."

Po was falling from the sky, crashing down into the many branches and leaves smacking him in the face multiple times, as they slowed his descent...though it was unfortunately painful. This continued until at last, he plopped onto the hard ground, surprising Crane, Mei Ling, and Zeng. The last one was most surprised because he knew who dropped him...and reminded himself to have a serious chat about introductions.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!" Crane screamed, instantly by Po's side, along with Zeng. Mei Ling looked up towards the sky though Fenghuang was already gone, she didn't see her. First a goose, now a panda. She really hoped that was all that was coming from the sky, today.

Po stood up painfully, wincing while he slowly rubbed his rear. "Tch...agh...the butt...aagggh...the butt hurts so much...landed right on my butt...so much pain...ow...ouch..." He straightened out, while waving weakly to Crane and Mei Ling. "Hey guys...my name is Po..."

"You just fell from who knows how high, and that's all you have to say?!" Crane shouted at him.

"...Yes."

Crane's beak dropped from the total honesty Po gave off. It didn't sound or feel like he was lying. Shaking it off, he turned Po around and began pushing him along. "You don't have that kind of fall and NOT have some sort of serious injury. We gotta get you some first-aid!"

"Woah! Dude, chill!" He turned back around and pushed Crane's wings down. "I'm fine, really! I've taken worse falls than that." He blinked, then pointed at his hat. "Nice straw hat."

"Huh? Oh, thank you. Yours is pretty cool-looking too." Crane lets out a small smile. The main difference between their straw hats was that Crane's was more spread out and offered more shade over his head, while Po's was more conical and mostly shadowed his eyes when he lowers it.

"Haha, thanks! My best friend gave it to me as a promise to meet 15 years ago."

"You held onto that hat for 15 years? That's pretty nice of you. I had my hat for a pretty long time, too."

"Cool." Po smiled, as he cocked her head to the side. "Actually...there may be something wrong with me." Crane was about to ask what it was, then Po's stomach growled loudly, and he placed a paw on it. "Getting hungry here."

Mei Ling chuckled throughout the entire exchange, as she clapped to get their attention. "Am I interrupting yor bonding time with your new friend from the sky, Crane?" Crane's eyes widened at this, as he stepped away from Po in a fit of surprise.

"Hey, that's right? You just fell from the sky without much explanation and then you start talking to me like we're friends!"

Po scratched his head, looking just as confused as he was. "We're not friends?"

"I don't even know you."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." Po chuckled awkwardly. "Well...do you wanna get to know me? So that we _can_ be friends?"

Mei Ling's smile kept increasing, while Crane's look of confusion just keeps growing. "I...don't understand. What kind of person just falls from the sky, talks about straw hats, says he's hungry, and ask to be someone's friend all in one setting?"

The panda shrugged. "Apparently I'm that kind of person. So whaddya say?"

The bird was still very baffled by Po's front foward offer that he didn't respond at first. Mei Ling wouldn't have it though, she pushed them both forward. "Mei Ling?!"

"Outta the sky or not, you're not wasting this chance! Let's get you boys to Crane's house so you can both chat!" She enthusiastically responded, as she kept pushing them both with no difficulty. Po was very impressed by this. Crane was very confused. Fenghuang, from a distance, knew that Po was going to be fine. Like she predicted.

Crane was thinking this the entire way to his house: _What just happened...?_

 **(With the other group)**

"Unbelievable...utterly unbelievable..." Shifu grumbled to himself as he was leading the other half onward, trying very hard to maintain his patience. "She believes that because she has wings, she can do whatever she wants, whenever she wants, anywhere she wants!"

"Calm down, Shifu. There's no use ranting about her when she can't hear you." Mr. Ping placed a wing on his shoulder. The red panda the turned his head towards the goose.

"How, Mr. Ping? How were you able to deal with her for all these years, where I had much difficulty in the matter...? Can you please tell me how...?"

The goose smiled. "I got used to her antics. Sure it was slightly aggravating at first, but over time I dismissed it as business as usual. Now me and my son have adjusted very well to how Fenghuang acts most of the time...something I don't think you learned out to do. We learned to understand her."

Shifu listened to Mr. Ping's words. "But with all the busy work we had to do...we didn't have much time to understand one another as much as we'd like to."

"Then there's the next solution. Make time. That's what I did for my son. And it's also what _you_ did for your daughter. Isn't that right?" Mr. Ping could see Shifu think hard about such a thing, he must have really had a hard time back then if it's degenerated his interactions with others this much. "Think of it like this. Fenghuang spent decades in the Northern Mountains with no one to interact with or talk to. Of course her social skills will be extremely poor."

"...I suppose that can be a reasonable excuse..."

"No one's asking for you two to be friends overnight. Just...one step at a time. It's what you need."

"I...I see..."

"Well then! Remove that frown from your face, my fellow elder! We move onward!" He said with a wing in the air, now waddling ahead of him. The more he interacts with Mr. Ping, the more Shifu can understand Po's own behavior sometimes.

Behind them were the younger ones. Tigress was in the front, obviously. Monkey and Fung followed behind her while keeping close. They had no idea what compelled them to do so. Well actually, Fung had an idea, it's just that it's been a while since he felt it. It was entirely new for Monkey.

"Hey...Tigress, right?" He asked her. She nodded once to let him know she was listening. "So, how long have you and Po known each other?"

"We only knew each other for a week. Then we waited for one another for 15 years. Fung is also a part of our trio."

"What?! You all only knew each other for one week and you're acting like you're best friends a decade and a half later?!"

"We wanted to be fully prepared for what China, and maybe the world, will try to throw at us. Being attacjed and nearly killed made us desire this. " Tigress answered simply, as her scarf flowed along with a small breeze of wind. "My scarf, Po's straw hat, Fung's helmet, and three peaches. We used those to promise our reunion when our time was right. Fung and Po traveled with different Masters. I stayed behind."

"Ah, I see. That's how things went down?"

"Yes."

"And now here we are, venturing all over China for people around our generation who wants to join us. With you as the first member." Fung added, as he tilted his helmet so that it stood up straight.

"And we shall continue to look for the others." Tigress added again. Right after that sentence, an arrow whizzed by a couple trees and shot right at her face. But she caught it with one hand without turning her head. "Trouble is sometimes unwanted, but expected. We can't gauge our skills without testing them first." Monkey was a bit stunned. _She didn't have to turn...she didn't even flinch..._

"What?! How'd you do that?!" Everyone stopped to hear the voice, turning to the right, and could see a boar holding a crossbow which used to be aimed at Tigress. But now he was steadily regretting that decision. So did his friends, as two more boars appeared from the bush, looking surprised.

"Ah. Perfect timing. Monkey, go deal with them." Fung pointed.

"WHAT?! Why me?!"

"You're the new guy for the time being, you gotta start pulling some weight."

"Ugh...fine." Monkey grumbled before moving past them with an annoyed expression. "Getting stuck with the mooks. That's a great way to demonstrate how cool you are. Bah."

The boars were now getting over their confusion as Monkey strolled over to them. They eventually regained their nerves and aimed their crossbows at him. Though they once again were scared stiff when Tigress looked at them welhere she stood. It was unbelievable that she wasn't going to do anything and she still seemed intimidating to them on a high degree. They tried to focus, but they just couldn't get over her calm glare.

Monkey made his way over to them, shrugging. "Look guys. You don't wanna do this. Heck, _I_ don't wanna do this. But that doesn't mean I won't. So how about you guys just back off, okay?"

"You back off!" They shouted, while trying to smash their crossbow on him, they only succeeded in smashing it to the ground. Monkey appeared behind one of them. "What?!"

"Dude, that's wasting a perfectly good crossbow. Now how are you supposed to get another one?" They switched to their axes and swung down again, missing completely. "Nope." They swung behind them, he jumped on top of the flat part. "No way." The third one clumsily tried to jump on top of him, though he missed as Monkey backflipped and landed on his back, and now he was chuckling. "Not even close. Not even a _little_ bit close."

"Ah, I see. He applies trickery to his fighting skills. He's also very evasive." Tigress said quietly.

Monkey had dodged another swing of an axe, only to catch it mid-flight with his tail. He snatched it away and faked a swing towards the head, when he frontflipped and smacked them aside with the side of the axe and not the blade. After the initial boar went down with a thud, the others were looking hesitant. Monkey was giving them one more chance to back away. Unfortunately for them, they refused to take it, and thought they could overpower him by attacking him simultaneously. Though that just gave him a chance to jump up and land on their shoulders, and bashed both their heads together, kicking them both into the dirt. Though he left one conscious, and stood above him.

"You calming down, now?"

"Who...who are you?"

"Me? I'm a guy you thought you could beat up. And you failed. Now it's my turn, who are _you_?"

"No way I'm giving our identity to-"

'Welp, I tried. Tigress, you try it." Monkey shrugged as he stepped back from the boar,while Tigress stepped forward. And suddenly he felt like his health was in serious danger, and she has't even said anything yet. She just adjusted her scar and folded her arms.

"We're in a hurry. Should I get answers out of you _with_ or _without_ shattering your ribcage?" When he hesitated but still didn't speak, she kneeled down and pressed a paw on his midsection. She pushed, and there was already the sound of rib cracking. "You thought I was joking?"

"Gagh! Alright alright! We're the Blackhoof Boar Clan! Its only us three guarding the pathway to Lee Da Academy because our leader is deciding to do a massive heist of the place with everyone else! We start a couple of hours from now!"

"Thank you for the information." She said politely...before knocking him out with a fist to the face. She stood up and turned to Fung and Monkey, who took a couple of steps back in caution. "What? He was the one who shot that arrow at me. Let's go." She said before turning around and moving on.

Monkey shivered and turned to Fung nervously. "That woman...is ruthless."

Fung turned to Monkey while rubbing his neck and smiled sheepishly. "You call that ruthless? You obviously don't know Fenghuang as well as we do. Then again, Tigress was holding back a lot of strength. If she was really angry, that punch could have shattered his skull instead of simply knocking him out. And probably more damage we might not foresee."

And with that, Monkey was now officially afraid of Fenghuang and Tigress. Sad, because the former isn't even with them right now...

 **(Back with Po)**

Crane watched with atonishment. Mei Ling watched with awe. And Yan Fan watched with a giggle. Po was hungry, and the mother crane was more than willing to feed him. However she might need to go to the market soon, because Po ate through a third of their food in the time span of of thirty minutes...non-stop.

"Oh wow! This guy is some kind of glutton!" Mei Ling laughed, both at Po's constant eating and Crane's reaction to it. His beak dropped, leaving it wide open. Po stopped for a moment to heed their reactions, and he placed the rest of the food down in apology.

"Eh...sorry about that? Did you want me to stop? *burp*" He said, then covered his mouth.

"No, it's quite alright. You're a guest, there's no rule against helping yourself, not here." Yan Fan said with a wave of her wing. "Now if only my son would begin to do the same thing..."

"Mom, please don't." Crane groaned, while covering his face.

"I keep telling him, I swear I do. If he's going to keep going out and allow others to walk over him, then he just stay here where he is safe and protected. But he and Mei Ling insist that he couldn't do that. I don't know what else he can do, then."

Po turned to Crane, with a tilted head. "Why is she saying that?"

"I'm a janitor at Lee Da Academy. The students there are not too supportive of me actually being there at all...only Mei Ling believes I have a chance there, but she's trying to get me to leave as well."

"I'd much rather have him stay here. They keep picking on him despite how fragile he tends to be. It just keeps going on and on. But he refuses to give up. He's waiting for the right time." Yan Fan said.

Po stood up. "Crane? Are you really going to keep putting up with so much bullying? If you're not happy being a janitor of the Academy then why are you still there? Shouldn't you just leave? If someone can't appreciate you for you, then they don't deserve to have you there!"

"That would be the main issue...if I cared about what they thought of me." Crane said quietly. Po was suddenly quiet, not expecting a response like that. "I'm not doing this for their recognition. I'm doing this to make myself stronger, in my own comfort zone. I don't need _them_ to make me strong, they made it clear time and again that I wasn't welcome. That doesn't mean that what they say about me doesn't hurt, but I'm not there to please them. They can say what they like. But I'm here to prove to myself if I'm ready to face the challenges China throws at me or not."

Po tried to think about what he was saying. "So...what you're saying is...you've been testing yourself?"

"Something like that. And because of them having a pretty good time diminishing my self-confidence, I have yet to pass my own test."

"I really wish he wouldn't beat himself up like this. And I also really wish that he would just up and beat those guys up already. I had to stop picking fights with others because I needed to maintain a good image for Lee Da." Mei Ling frowned."That's what they say anyway. Frankly I couldn't care less about their stupid image, their image is hurting my friend. If he's not ready to leave, then I'm not ready to leave. It's just the way it is." Mei Ling said quietly. Po could see the loyalty she had to Crane in their friendship, and vice versa. It was very genuine. He just had to discover how and why that happened.

And he may know how. "Crane. What's the main reason that those guys treat you like garbage?"

"They think I'm too skinny for Kung Fu. Even to be their janitor, they don't think I deserve to be here."

"And...you don't think you're allowed to defend yourself...and Mei Ling can't defend you like she used to because she is the Star of the School and she has to keep that image for the school's sake?"

"Yeah..."

Po smiled. "I believe I know someone who can solve your problem. I'm definitely not a fan of bullies, but I keep a leveled head because sometimes it's not worth it. But my friend...oh boy. She has Zero-Tolerance Policy for bullies of any kind. She pulls no punches for them, _period_. And to be fair, neither do I. She just expresses that sentiment better and more straightforward than I can. You have to meet her to see what I mean."

"Um...okay." Crane said, unsure. He didn't know who this person was, but she sounds like she means business.

"While we're waiting...maybe you can tell me how exactly you got that hat?" Po asked about Crane's hat. Both Mei Ling and Yan Fan went quiet after this. Po was right to assume that the subject was not to be touched lightly. Though after opening up quite a hit about himself, Crane subjects to Po's request. What does he have to lose?

"Alright...if I tell you about my hat...I gotta tell you about my Dad, first..." Crane tilted his hat downward. "His name was Línghún(Spirit) because he acted so cheerful all of the time, despite the fact that he was just as weak and fragile as I was. But unlike me, he didn't care much about his fragile frame more than he did me and mom. People consideres him to be a complete weakling." Po waited for him to finish, wondering what this is leading to. Crane sighed.

"Little did they know that one day... that 'complete weakling' became one of the most memorable and honorable figures in all of China...and he was only a simple farmer." He lowered his hat even further. "We lost him the very same day..."

* * *

 **There goes that chapter. The next one will start with Crane's alternate history flashback. Here's to hoping that goes well.**

 **Until next chapter, then. See ya!**


	12. An Honorable Fragile Bird

**There is a twist near the end...you'll be surprised...or maybe not. I dunno.**

 **Chapter begins now.**

* * *

 **(Flashback)**

 _There was a large village just a few miles away from Lee Da Academy, not far enough that the complex could not be seen. It was a village that had plenty of rain and sunlight that was sufficient enough for adequate farming. Against the mist, crops would have little to no chance of growing around Lee Da Academy grounds, so any farmers will have to stay down in the village and do their farming there. It' not like many are allowed near the Lee Da Academy, anyway. They tend to let only those who show some true potential in Kung Fu were allowed entry. If someone was interested in Kung Fu and yet showed no potential, they weren't even given a glance._

 _Though people couldn't really complain much about it, because most people in the village were not too interested in Kung Fu at all. They were fascinated, but it didn't go too far from that. As in, they might have interest in Kung Fu, they aren't too interested as in people wanting to actually learning much about it. Most were just that laid back about the subject._

 _Though the villagers are not the main focus. That belongs to only one person, along with his family._

 _"Crane! What's the matter?!" Yan Fan said in a slight panic, as she was bandaging the young bird's injured head. He tried playing outside with the other children, though try as he might, he just couldn't bring himself to kick a simple ball without hurting himself when he falls down. Being more fragile than most children, he hurt himself incredibly easily. After that, they decided not to play with him anymore...hence why his eyes are flowing with tears._

 _"They didn't want to play with me, anymore...just because I messed up a little. I fell on my head...and they laughed at me. Then they just left me there on the ground and didn't bother trying to help me up. They just...left me there...in the dirt. It hurt my feelings more than my own injured body..."_

 _"How can they hurt more than your wounds?" his mother asked. "You're obviously very much hurt, so how do your feelings hurt more than your body?"_

 _"You wouldn't understand, Mom. You can see your friends when you walk outside. But...when I walk outside...I have no friends to meet. Most of them think I'm not worth the attention. Being weak is their only reason for ignoring me..." Crane said sadly._

 _Yan Fan lowered her eyes and finished bandaging up her son. She then brought him closer in order to kiss his forehead and hug him. "Dear Crane...please don't cry anymore. I can't bear to see you cry."_

 _Crane sniffed, and wiped his beak with his wing. "I really wish I wasn't so weak...so fragile...why did I have to end up this way...why...?"_

 _"Yan Fan! Stop making that boy feel so crappy on accident." A male voice entered their home, and they both turned to the door. There would be an adult crane standing at the door. His wings were long but skinny, and so was his legs. He wore green pants and yet no shirt. And the most significant detail on this adult crane...was the rice straw hat on his head. He was week, he was skinny, and just as fragile a his son Crane was_ _...But he smiled nonetheless. "I know you mean well in trying to prevent him from getting hurt, but you don't have to derail his self-esteem."_

 _Yan Fan huffed. "Línghún, come now. I'm just trying to protect Crane. He's in serious pain, which is something I'm trying to prevent him from experiencing! This is exactly why I have to keep him sheltered!"_

 _Línghún just smiled and kissed her beak, making her blush. "Pain is indeed an uncomfortable experience, but it's a necessary one. You can't keep the boy under wraps forever. Because if you do, he'll never be able to face to world when he goes out there. Because if he doesn't go after the world...the world will force him to."_

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"You can't expect to safeguard him from the world's danger his whole life. Either he confronts it himself, or something or someone makes him. And it had a high chance of being absolutely painful. I'd rather pick the former option." He looked towards her. "If he cannot get the experience he needs to face the world, he will never be able to leave the nest you carefully built around him. That nest cannot last forever. It will crumble one day, and he will be completely helpless. He'll then be taken apart in no time." He looked at her with a smile. "Sorry, but I'd rather not let that happen. I want our son to be ready to face the world."_

 _Yan Fan was quiet for a long time. She was wondering about his words, processing them, trying to understand them. But before she could as him a question, he had already moved on from her, much to her frustration. "Hey! Don't just walk past me and leave me with riddles! Línghún!"_

 _He cheerfully ignored her, as he approached Crane and patted his head with his wing. "Don't listen to your paranoid mother so much, Crane. I know she's just being protective, but there is indeed a line between that and smothering. She needs to let you out of protective gaze all the time. You won't grow that way. I'm trying to get her to understand this, but she is a very stubborn bird...but that's okay. I really love that part of her."_

 _"At least you're honest." Yan Fan folded her wings, blushing shyly._

 _"Anyway, take it easy, son. Don't give up on making friends just yet. You just need a bit more time, is all. You can endure it a little while longer. You do not need to be worried. Soon...soon someone will stand by your side. Someone will pick you up when someone else knocks you down. And they'll never leave you. You can trust me on that, Crane." He smiled._

 _"Dad...?" Crane said quietly, as his father petted him slightly._

 _He yawned while setting his hat on a nearby table. "I'm gonna go take a nap. Go on and think about my words for a bit, son." He went away and onto bed, leaving his confused son behind with his mother._

 _Neither of them could ever understand why he's always so relaxed about everything. He only says what he thinks, it has nothing to do with wisdom._

 _Nothing had changed. Crane continued to be a primary target of much bullying for a couple of weeks, as he always endured. He honestly wondered if what his father said had any truth to it at all. He even began doubting if he was merely saying that, like he tends to do a lot. He had very little hope in making any friends at all. At this point he's almost given up, and decided he'd be better off alone to spare himself any more disappointment._

 _Then **she** decided to come down from the Academy..._

 _Crane has made a very bad call. He tried getting home, but somebody was blocking his path, more like his bullies were preventing him from going home. This was really getting tiresome, and not because he keeps getting beat up. But because this happens so many times, that he begins to believe that these other kids seriously have nothing else to do but torment him. It's not like he can do anything about it though. He's still not strong enough to offer any fair amount of resistance to them._

 _They had already knocked him down once again, as he feebly tried to get back up. The response was to kick him back down,while they laugh at him. "Come on, get up already, Twig! We wanna see what happens when a part of you snaps!"_

 _Crane, in a huge fit of annoyance, forced himself to stand up and glare at his tormentors. "Look, leave me alone! Don't you have better ways to spend your day than picking on someone weaker than you?!"_

 _"We could...but we're enjoying ourselves too much."_

 _"I should have known. You're just a bunch of mindless brutes who find enjoyment in hurting others! It's the only thing you know how to do, and I'm the only one being subjected to it! Can you PLEASE just back off!?"_

 _They now growled at the bird. "You don't order us around! Someone who has a hard time simply standing up can't tell us what to do!" The rhino child reared his fist back and was about to throw another punch, which looked strong enough to knock him out. He closed his eyes and waited for it to painfully connect._

 _It never came._

 _Crane slowly opened his eyes, and they slightly widened in shock. Someone had jumped right in front of him and caught the punch with little effort. The one standing before him was not someone he expected. In fact...he was pretty sure that he didn't know this person at all. But he was sure that whoever this person was, is a girl. She was wearing an eternity mandarin dress colored teal with small buttons, suited for children. The attire seemed to match her color preference. She also carried a small staff of the same color. She looked like an Asian golden cat, to him. She was staring back at Crane's oppressors, looking bored._

 _"I really hope you all aren't trying to bully someone weaker than you. Because that's a very successful way to get on my bad side." She said with a hint of annoyance._

 _"Ah crap...! Mei Ling! Why are you here defending this bird?! He's far too easily broken!" Crane could see the rhino child wince in pain as the one named Mei Ling hardened her grip on his fist._

 _"And you honestly believe that an excuse to be a jerk to him? I don't think so." She snarled. "I'm letting go of your fist. And you're going to leave. Or else I will send every one of you into the medical house...AGAIN." They took full heed of her warning, as her other paw gripped the staff on her back. They ran away with little to no hesitation. Having Mei Ling as an enemy was not worth it. She released the grip on her staff as she turned to Crane, all traces of hostility gone. They were never aimed towards him. All that's left was a cute, honest, and friendly smile on her muzzle, and her eyes were also filled with warmth. Crane didn't not know how to respond to this. "Hey, sorry about that. Those guys are in my class, and they are huge JERKS. I hope you're not too hurt."_

 _"Uh...don't worry about it. It's not the worst that's ever happened to me."_

 _'You mean that you take that kind of stuff on a regular basis? You can't just let them do that!"_

 _"I'm too weak to resist them, and I can't even fly yet. Escaping them is impossible, for me. What other choice do I have? My parents already know about what's been happening, and they can't do much about it, either. I have no hope of getting away from them."_

 _"Then I'll just have to put a stop to that, will I?" Mei Ling said with a stern tone that said she wasn't bluffing. Coming from a girl her age, this was surprising to Crane. "If they won't stop bothering you, then I guess I'll have to get it across to them myself that it's not right to use you as a punching bag."_

 _Crane needed to make sure he was hearing this right. She was willing to defend him, simply because she could. There was truly no other reason that he could see. Then he could see her smile. "Since 'll be your bodyguard until you can get stronger, you might as well become my friend."_

 _"W-What?!" Crane beak-dropped, then slapped himself to calm down. "You're just gonna be my friend? Just like that?"_

 _"Might as well. You look like you really need one." She smiled, holding onto his wing. "I'm not taking no for an answer. Now come on!"_

 _"What?! You mean I don't have a choice?! How is that fair?!" he shouted in protest, but she was just laughing cheerfully, pretending not to hear him complain about his lack of choice. But inside he truly felt warm and a bit at peace. He knew her words were genuine, if not a little bit forceful. She said she would defend him until he could defend himself. So that's what he would do. She wanted to be strong._

 _Unfortunately, this happy trail of thoughts wouldn't last for long. No one could have seen it coming. But just merely four days after these two became official friends, there was a bandit raid all around the village. They had ransacked everybody and everything, not giving any care on whether or not they've hurt people. Crane and Mei Ling were lucky enough not to get caught in any of the crossfire, as Yan Fan put them down below in the basement where they couldn't be found. However,Crane was confused when his father came down looking solemn._

 _With little to no explanation, Linghun placed his hat on Crane's head. He pushed it up in confusion, as his father smiled sadly. "Dad...?"_

 _He would not lie to Crane, but he won't tell him the full truth. "Sorry son...I won't be coming back home after this. You just got a friend, and there's no way I'm going to let you lose her after so long." He pulled Crane in for a hug. "Be strong, Crane. Be strong." He let him go, turns around to kiss Yan Fan for the last time, then leaves the basement, his mind made up._

 _"Dad...where are you going?" Crane's legs moved him forward, but Yan Fan reluctantly held him back. "What did he mean he won't be coming home?! Dad?!" Both he and Mei Ling were scared, they couldn't understand what was going on._

 _Linghun stood right in front of the large crate, which was possibly bigger than a small house, at best.'Ah boy...there's enough gunpowder in there to wipe out half the village, isn't there? i swear, bandits are crazy. And by the sounds that hear inside of it, there isn't enough time for me to move it out of the village, especially when everyone is just taking cover or straight-up left." he sighed in disappointment. "Shoot...and I really wanted to bond with Crane's new friend. What bad timing this is..." He stood still for a moment...then he smiled. "What I'm about to do is probably gonna make my wife and son really angry at me. But there's no one else here who can do it. or rather...there's no one else here who has the bravery. Luckily I was never really worried about my well-being."_

 _He fly atop the large crate, and grabbed a hold on the handle. Securely gripping it, he began to flap his wings. It didn't budge for a couple seconds, and there wasn't much time. "Well I gotta hand it to them, they were smart enough to make it so heavy that it can't be easily lifted. However..." He steeled his gaze towards the sky, as he did an mighty flap of his wings to summon a gust of wind towards the ground, the wind being so powerful that it propelled both him and the crate off the ground. "There isn't anything wind can't move!" He began going straight up, straight towards the sky. He didn't have time to change course, nor could he afford to drop it. He had seconds left, at best. His wings and legs ached horribly, due to them never experiencing this sort of strain before. But he did not stop. For his resolve would not allow it._

 _'Sorry, guys...' he thought to himself as his mind flashes to Yan Fan and Crane. 'This is a rather unfair turn of events. But...you're safe now. And in the end, that's all I really care about. Yan Fan...I beg of you. When the time comes for Crane to leave the nest...let him leave. Come with him or don't, but he can't stay there. Mei Ling...I didn't know you very long at all...which makes me regret this even more, because you seem like a nice young lady. I wanted to know you better. And Crane, my son...you don't have to worry about, being forced on the ground for long. You'll soar through the sky. Flying i one of those freedom's you'll cherish over any treasure. Other than family of course. Family always comes first.' He chuckled slightly. "Look at me. I'm rambling on as I'm about to get blown to bits. My wife was right...I'm a goofball who doesn't take things seriously. Heh, even right this moment, I'm being far too casual. But..."_

 _He could feel the crate in his talons begin to sizzle and crackle violently, but he merely smiled. "It's why my family loves me so much. Yan Fan called me brave because I was never afraid to be myself. I just hope Crane can do the same, despite what he goes through..." He closed his eyes, now ready for what happens next._

 _"Farewell..."_

 _The resulting explosion was close to deafening. All people could see was a fireball in the sky, which they recognized as the bomb they thought would completely wipe out the village. But due to the sacrifice from one bird who they thought was the weakest of all, they were still alive. Their opinions of him changed drastically, and many of then were hurt to see that they could never take back all the hurtful things they said about him._

 _Though the one most devastated by this was Crane. his mother had fully accepted what would happen net, but he refused to. he managed to get past her in order to try and see what his father was up to. But all he saw was Linghun flying high in the sky with a crate, then a large explosion that engulfed the bird entirely. There would be nothing left of him. The emotional strain was too much on him._

 _He fell forward, only being held up by his wings. The straw hat dropped to the side, almost forgotten. With tears leaking, he closed his eyes, his beak was wide open, and what came out was a scream full of anguish. Which was a direct opposite of his mother, who couldn't make a sound at all. Mei Ling kept her mouth covered with her paws, as her own tears leaked out her eyes. She thought that when she became friends with Crane, his pain would finally end. However, that is no longer possible Not after this._

 _The funeral was eerily quiet, as most couldn't even summon up the heart to speak. They had badmouthed his man for so long, only or him to prove all of them wrong. They were too ashamed to say anything. Yan Fan was passed out, due to crying the most._

 _Crane and Mei Ling stood in front of a picture of Linghun, after everyone left. They were very quiet for the longest time, until Crane broke the silence. "Mei Ling..."_

 _"Yes, Crane...?"_

 _"Do you think...you could get me into Lee Da Academy...?" His father always wanted him to learn Kung Fu. He may not like fighting, but Linghun thought he could at least learn to defend himself. "As a student...as an audience...even as a janitor. I don't care. I can learn things from there just by watching and trying. I know it probably sounds stupid now...but it's what I want."_

 _Mei Ling lowered her eyes as he gently held one of his wings. "Of course. I'm sure your Mom will understand this. At least a little."_

 _"Yeah...it's just...I spend so much time being the weak one...now I want to begin breaking out of that. I just HAVE to. I never had a big problem with it before, but I do now. Dad did a very brave thing. He was strong, despite what his body suggested. it's crazy...but he inspired me. Which is why in body, and in heart..." He slowly tipped his hat over is eyes. If he had teeth, he would be clenching them right now, as more tears escaped his eyes. But he managed to look to the clear blue sky anyway."_

 _"I won't be fragile anymore..."_

 **(Flashback End)**

Crane sighed, as he placed his hat on the table and shrugged. "So anyway, that's my story. I've just been a janitor ever since, when I became confident enough to actually get inside. Though I still had a hard time, I had Mei Ling to help me out so it wasn't too bad. Anyway Po, is there anything else that-"

He was swiftly caught off-guard as the panda promptly wrapped his arms around him in a soft bear-hug. He looked a bit confused. "Po...?"

"Sorry for spooking you a bit. You were telling your story in a very sad tone...it felt like you needed a hug. So, I decided to hug you." Po said quietly. "Your wings...they feel so majestic...and so awesome..."

"Oooooookaaaayyyy...?"Crane said in confusion. Mei Ling was giggling just slightly as Po's silly behavior managed to lighten the mood after a retelling of an uncomfortable memory. She could see that Po's reaction was sincere...which made it look that much funnier. Yan Fan couldn't help but smile. Crane couldn't help but feel awkward. "You...don't have to keep hugging me. I'm fine."

"Alrighty then." Po immediately lets go, folding his arms. "Now we get to the majorly important part...and that's me visiting the Lee Da Academy."

Mei Ling tilted her head to the side. "Uh...why do you want to go there? Do you want to watch us?"

Po shook his head, and held up one finger towards Crane. "In a way, yes I do. Because I wanna see your high levels of awesome. Though I'm not the one testing you or something like that. Though Shifu is coming, he's not the one doing that, either."

"What the heck? Tested? Who am I being tested by?" Crane heard a couple knocks on his door. "What? Who's that?" He put his hat back on his head and walked over to open the door. When he sees who it is, he screeched and fell backwards out of shock. "H-AH?!"

"Yo." Fenghuang waved her wing as a lazy greeting. "Panda, I trust you've gotten these two on your side now?"

Po rubbed his neck. "Er...making good progress. Still working on it."

"Still working on it. Pfft. If you were eating, you would have taken a couple seconds, at best."

"I did kind of eat about half of their food."

"Yeah...that figures."

"Hah...? Wah...? Gah...?" Crane gaped and babbled at the scene before him, his beak repeatedly opening and closing, signifying his disbelief of the scene taking place before him. He finally regained his nerves and managed to ask his question. "Am...Am I missing something here? How is it that you are on casual speaking terms with Great Master Feghuang? I thought that she went rogue a long time ago."

"Don't bother with that formal crap, really. Just call me Fenghuang. And as for being formal with the Panda...well...that's I'm his Master. Have been or 15 years." The owl said while preening her feathers. "As for the whole 'rogue' thing...I won't deny that part. In fact I intended to stay that way. But I changed my mind. Now I actually have other things to do, such as right now." She pointed to Crane. "We're here for you." Then she pointed to Mei Ling. "And the girl, too."

"Both of us, huh?" Mei Ling wondered.

"If the Panda told you stuff about wanting to be your friend, then I can verify that he's being truthful. Plus he sucks at lying."

"It's true." Po added with no hesitation.

"Anyway, as for other thing that immediately need your attention, there's going to be a raid the Lee Da Academy is the target." Fenghuang said as if it wasn't an issue. Though for Crane and Mei Ling, it was an issue for them, as the former again beak-dropped.

"WHAT?! Why didn't you tell us sooner?! Better yet, why didn't you stop them yourself?!"

"Because I'm not hanging aroun to fight petty battles. I'm sticking to Po simply for evaluation. I'm sure he can handle the situation by himself, if he really wanted to."Po nodded to this while stuffing a dumpling into his mouth. "But he also wants to fight alongside you. He'll fight them either way, but he wants to do it with you two. And you get bonus points if you can drive the raiders off before the Midget gets there. And if you're wondering who I mean when I say 'Midget', I mean Shifu."

"So what do you say, guys? Can we fight together?" Po asked them. "Because I'm pretty sure you guys don't appreciate your school being attacked." He wrapped an arm around Crane, pulling him close. "Ya also get to prove all of those jerks wrong at long last. You're perfectly capable of doing what you have the potential to do. All you need is the confidence. And I'm pretty sure that Mei Ling has been breaking her back trying to provide you with that. Maybe you should cut her some slack. But then again, I'm not gonna force you to do anything you don't wanna know. Just saying, it might suck for everyone else if you don't do something."

Mei Ling stood up, grabbing her staff. "That's right. We won''t just let our school get ransacked. We're gonna cut off that bandit raid before they even reach the Academy!"

"We?!" Crane jumped. "We. No, you guys don't want me out there. I'm not ready. Maybe you should just take Mei Ling-"

"Crane. Listen." Mei Ling gripped his shoulders. "You don't even have to say anything to the Academy. Just stop the bandits, then we just disappear. It's like you said, you're not doing this for them. This is for you. Now it's finally time to put those words into action."

He pulled away nervously, shaking his head while laughing awkwardly. "No, that's...craziness...talking. No."

Fenghuang groaned, now he was just being difficult. But Mei Ling wasn't discouraged by this. She just smiled. "It's like what I've been telling you for years, Crane. You'll never know unless you try." She turned and walked out the door, while Po followed right behind her.

Crane was left with Fenghuang and Yan Fan, at odds on what to do. To further push Mei Lings point, the owl spoke up. "Both of them are leaving the choice up to you, Crane. You don't try to do anything drastic because you're afraid to fail. That shouldn't stop you from doing what you want to do, as well as doing what you need to do." Fenghuang walked past him, and into the doorway. She looked back at him for the last time. "Your hesitation is understandable. I was in the same situation. I was honestly too afraid to leave the comfort of safety solitude granted me. I knew that once I left that sanctuary, I can never get it back again. But so far it's proven to be a pretty good decision on my part. And I made it on my own. You however, were sheltered by your mother ever since your father was lost, therefore you're honestly too afraid to go out to the world. Mei Ling is gently persuading you to make your mind up now, because it's your last chance." She turned around and flew off after Po and Mei Ling.

Zeng, who had been resting his body after his rather painful crash into the ground, tapped Crane's leg to get his attention. "Shes right, Crane. Every bird has to go through this stage. We leave the safety of our nest in exchange for seeing the world through our own eyes. It's a worthwhile experience...but you need to be willing to take the risk. Are you?"

The avian was further breaking through his restraint, as he took his hat off, staring at it with wonder rather than sadness this time.

 _This really is a rare chance, isn't it? Dad...should...should I take it? I'm afraid of failing...but if I don't take the risk, I won't advance. I kept saying that, but I never actually made a move like that. I was just making excuses...I was...being a coward._

With these thoughts in mind, Crane placed his hat on his head, stepped out of the house and flew out with a large flap of his wings. _But that ends now!_

Yan Fan watched her son fly off without warning, she naturally had motherly concern course through her. But she smiled nonetheless. He needs this. As much as she wants to deny it, he truly needs this experience. She just turned and cleaned the dishes to patiently wait for his return. Because she knew that once he gets back...it would be time to part ways at last.

 **(Meanwhile: Jade Palace)**

Oogway was standing beside the Peach Tree, overlooking the Valley from this side of the Palace. He always appreciated the view it offered, along with a sense of peace. It was always his favorite spot, for a variety of reasons.

He just wished he had more time. But he knew that was time he didn't have. Oogway was understandably sad with how things are turning out.

Tigress...Po...Mr. Ping...Fenghuang...Fung...and Shifu most of all...they were going to be devastated.

His body has finally given out, and now he had to leave this world. He had already set his staff next to the Peach Tree, as well as a letter of his last words to Shifu and Fenghuang. Even he did not expect for this to happen, and so soon. But it was out of his control.

Master Oogway's time has finally come.

The Peach Petals swirled around him, and he could feel his body begin to disappear. He really didn't want to. Because once he does, the Valley would be completely defenseless. No one could protect it. No other Master was around. No one knows what happened to him. No one would be warned of the tragedy that would befall the Valley. And he was feeling guilty, for he could not stop it.

"Everyone...my time to leave this world has come far sooner than I expected. This is a very painful lesson indeed. The universe...is not always kind. I do hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me one day." He closed his eyes and he completely disappeared in a swirl of Peach Petals.

 _Especially you two, Shifu and Fenghuang..._

 **(With Fenghuang)**

Fenghuang suddenly stopped mid-flight, as she turned towards the direction of the Valley, her eyes wide.

"Oogway...?" She said, in a whisper. She shook her head and continued flying. "No. It couldn't be..."

 **(With Shifu)**

Shifu and the others were in a rush, as they were going on to prevent the raid on the Lee Da Academy. Suddenly, he stopped right in his tracks and he turned around in the direction of the Valley, his eyes wide. "Master...?"

Tigress noticed Shifu stopped moving, and she checked to see if he was alright. "Master?"

Shifu shook his head to regain his focus. "I'm sorry. I must have been imagining things." He turned and continued to run alongside the others. He felt that an important piece of his heart had suddenly vanished, but he discarded it for now.

Mr. Ping was confused to as to why Shifu stopped. Then the next moment, he looked up to see a Peach Petal fall right into his wings. He could feel the slight aura emitting from it, and his eyes were filled with shock, and slight sadness.

"Oh dear..."

* * *

 **Were you surprised? Were you? No? Okay...(awkward silence)**

 **I really went to town on Crane's backstory, didn't I? Kinda let my mind wander, I guess. Sorry. Anyway, now Crane and the others will attempt to defend the Lee Da Academy against the BlackHoof Boar Clan. Then he'll make the choice on whether or not he'll leave. Maybe, maybe not. But he probably will.**

 **Reviews if you like. See you soon.**


	13. Crane Leaves The Nest

It's quite a long trek ahead for them. But they were able to make it with time to spare. It was actually quite surprising in a way. Especially for Po. Running...was not always his thing. But when he actually had a goal in mind, he was able to overcome the weaknesses of being chubby, and reach that goal with nothing but determination. He only wished that determination didn't take so much energy.

Po tends to be lazy. He is a panda after all, and most of the time he just wants to chill. But he had to disband that laziness for the moment, for he was needed for something important. He was helping Crane and Mei Ling keep their school completely ransacked. Despite both of them disliking the school for a similar reason, they weren't going to allow it to be susceptible to ransacking, either. It was clear enough though, that they did not want to stay there. Though Crane needed a bit more of a push in order to actually take the chance. He was being pushed by Mei Ling, and he would be caught by Po. It sounded like a strange way to view these turns of events, but it was true.

Crane doubted he would ever understand how Po could act so carefree. He could tell from the short time he's known him that he's a cheerful jolly nice guy...unless you provoke him. But Fenghuang informed him that ticking off Po is not easy to do. He prefers to settle most things in a rather casual manner, as he doesn't like settling things while having hatred on his mind. Po is all about making friends. The only weakness in this mindset is his naivety. When Crane asked what this meant, the answer was unexpected.

"When I was training him as a cub, he once made 'friends' with a couple bandits around in the area." Fenghuang explained. "Turns out they were just using him as a bargaining chip for robbing every joint possible in the area. I was able to stop them of coursec but Po was left wondering. He asked me 'Where did my new friends go?' I told him 'Those aren't your friends, Po. They were bandits trying to use you.' And then HE respond '...I was kidnapped by bandits?!'" Fenghuang rubbed her forehead with her wing. "I figured out then and there that training him would be difficult at best."

Crane tilted his head. "So...he's pretty stupid?"

"He's definitely not one of the smartest. But that may be the influence from his father, who's quite a scatterbrain himself. When all is said and done though, they're pretty cool guys."

Crane accepted this information, and allowed his mind to return to the important objective. He was still intimidated. One could tell through his violently shaking legs. He's trying to force them to stop, but it isn't working at the moment. After a couple moments of constant shaking, he got them to stop at last. _No way, Crane. You can't be scared right now. This isn't the time! You've made your point, stick to it! But what if I-No. But how do I-Stop it! Maybe if I just-Don't you dare! mean-_

SLAP!

"OW!" Crane rubbed his now red cheek that's currently stinging in pain, as he looked down to the irritated glare of Fenghuang.

"I can tell you were having a mental argument with yourself, judging by your facial expressions. That was me saying SNAP OUT OF IT!"

"Y-Y-Y-Yes M-Ma'am... He whimpered, shivering under her razor-sharp gaze. And the next moment, her gaze was back to casual and relaxed, followed by a small smile.

"Glad we understand each other, Long Legs."

"Uh...Long Legs?"

"Master Fenghuang is giving nicknames to people in our group." Po said. "I'm Panda. Monkey is Primate. Tigress is Stripes. Master Shifu is Midget. Dad is Godfeathers. Zeng is Palace Servant. Fung is Scales. And Mei Ling is...um..."

"She'll be dubbed 'Golden Cat'. Because of her fur and eyes. Plus It's kinda in her species name." Fenghuang filled in.

Mei Ling placed a thumb on her chin, thinking about the nickname. "Golden Cat...hm...I think I can work with that."

Crane hung his head in a fit of embarassment. "Why is her nickname so much cooler than mine...?" He said in a depressed tone. Mei Ling patted his back in an attempt to make him feel better. It helped, at least a little bit. He no longer looked depressed at least. But he did feel a bit cheated.

They eventually made it to the open yard of the Lee Da Academy. It did not look like anyone within the complex was awake at the moment, so they felt like they could stand guard without getting caught. They formed a line which would prevent anyone from entering without fighting past them. Well...Mei Ling, Po, and Crane were standing in a line. Fenghuang was perched on top of the building, none of them even heard her move. She was standing in front of the moon, her feathers rustling in the wind, as well as her robe.

Crane looked more nervous by this. "She was serious about not interfering."

"That's good. She can fairly evaluate you that way. It wouldn't be too fair if she fought alongside us. It would be over in mere moments." Po said, as his straw hat hung behind his head as he waited patiently for what would happen next.

And as they predicted, the BlackHoof Boars did indeed arrive on time. There wasn't too many, but there was definitely enough to fill up a portion of the yard. There were smaller ones, ones that were twice their size, and the biggest one of all was easily identified as the leader of the whole gang. It didn't take much to recognize him. They all had hostile looks on their faces, giving the image of savage bandits.

Crane was a bit intimidated, again. Po and Mei Ling looked like they could care less. Po just looked incredibly bored. Mei Ling merely looked annoyed.

"Hey...what are you all doing here? No one is supposed to be here! Everyone is supposed to be asleep!" One of the boars complained.

" Dude. One of your buddies ratted you out. Now you'll never get past us. Because we won't allow it." Po said, yawning slightly.

"What?! Who would do that?! Was that the newbie? Good gosh I hate that guy! He's completely useless!" The leader stomped his feet. "Bah. It doesn't matter either way. You three can either move out of the way, or we'll move you ourselves!"

"W-We can't do that! This is our school, you can't just ransack it just because you think you can!" Crane shouted. "Now either you guys turn around and leave, or-"

"Or what?" They asked. Crane found his words caught in his beak, and he found himself hesitating again.

"Hey! Don't pick on him! It's his first day!" Mei Ling shouted.

"That's it. I'm gonna have to kick your butts, because you guys are a bunch of jerks." Po said with narrowed eyes.

Po didn't bother waiting for a response, as he rushed forward and struck one of the boars in the chest. The first strike was made, the other boars took this as an invitation to attack. Crane was not fully prepared, so he understandably jumped back. Mei Ling on the other hand, was more prepared than he was, so she placed her staff in her gloved paws and she headed forward for an attack.

Crane was still feeling very nervous inside, but he finally pushed it to the side, due to adrenaline. He could see many axes and maces trying to smash his head in, he used his wings to defend from all sides, and knock many of them over. Most of them found the energy to stand up, and found their enemy was nowhere to be seen. Until they were smashed into the ground by Crane jumping up in the air and he bringing both his legs down on them. He then hopped off and landed on the ground safely. He sees them struggle to stand back up, and he looked down at his wing in a fit of surprise. He was actually pretty strong...he had been underestimating himself more than he thought. With newfound confidence, he sets his hat into place and flies forward.

Mei Ling was standing in a ring of her enemies, her staff in one paw and the other paw lies on her hip. "Really...? Ganging up on a girl? Have you no shame?" She said with a scolding tone. Then she laughed. "Ha! I'm just kidding. Come get me!" A scolding tone combined with it being a front was enough for them to get mad enough to charge at her. She just casually twirled her staff around, waiting for them to foolishly get close to her. In a manner of moments she stopped the charge by spinning her staff rapidly above her head, both ends harshly impacting their skulls multiple times in a manner of seconds, and when she stopped spinning the staff, they were all holding their heads in pain before they all fell to the ground unconscious. She looked around, paw again on her hip. "Yeah...you should probably stay down. Because you most likely suck as bandits. No hard feelings."

Fenghuang raised an eyebrow. _I have no idea why...but those two will be quite...interesting._

Po stood across the leader, looking fully prepared to punch his face in. While looking like a nice guy. "Sure you wanna do this, bro? I'm fully prepared to let you off scott-free if you just walk away. No one else has to get hurt. Just walk away." He shrugged. "Although I have nothing against beating the crap out of you, either. I'm just letting you decide how this ends."

The BlackHoof Boar clan lies scattered and unconscious around the Leader. He was incredibly angry. "How does this happen?! You all are practically kids! And YOU! You're just a fat panda!"

"Awww...thanks!" Po says, placing a paw on his heart. "That's so nice of you to say!" He then deadpanned. "I grew up around insults towards my weight, bro. You'll have to do better than that." The boar leader shouted loud and charged the panda. Po smirked. "Hard way it is, then!" He sees the mace coming overhead, and easily blocks it with both of his paws, rebounded it and did another palm strike to knock him off balance. He then ran forward, jumped up and kicked in the face to knock him into the ground. He sees him try to get back up, but sees that he's merely on one knee,trying to hold himself up. "Oh come on, I didn't hit you THAT hard. You really didn't think this entire thing through, didn't you? That's okay, I don't think much either." Po then checked to see if he was perfectly standing across from him, and he nodded. "Alright dude. Since you seemingly cannot make another move, I'll make one myself." He then steadied himself, and he charged the large boar with a confident smile. When he stopped right in front of rhe boar, he waved. "Hey dude."

"Wha-?" Po punched him in the ribs, very hard, enough for the boar's eyes to white out then completely lose consciousness as he slouched on his shoulder.

"There ya go dude. Take a little nap." Po patted his back, and dropped him on the ground, dusting off his paws and scanning the area around him. All of the boars were beaten and unconscious. He placed his hat on his head, and whistled. "Welp. Looks like that's all of them."

"PO! We're here to he-" Po turned to see the others finally catch up to them. The one who shouted was Fung, who just now figured out that the battle was done. "What? It's already over? I missed the beatdown?!"

"Yup. Sorry bro."

Fung's eye twitched, as he grabbed his helmet and threw it into the ground. "Agh, darn it!"

 **(Later)**

"So, Fenghuang. What did you think of Crane and Mei Ling?" Shifu asked, as everyone was currently resting at Yan Fan's house after fending off the bandit horde.

The owl nods while raising her wing towards her fellow avian and his feline friend. "Oh yes. They'll fit in just fine. And I'm not just saying that. They'll really fit in." She took a quick look at Mr. Ping, who was still gazing at the Peach Petal that he found. They both agreed to keep it secret until they could confirm their suspicions.

"Glad to hear that."

Monkey looked to the side, and could see Po put on a serious look on his face. While he was chewing a dumpling in his mouth. "Woah dude, what's with the serious look? Something wrong?"

Po swallows his dumpling, wipes his mouth, and gazes at Crane and Mei Ling with a serious gaze. "It's food that you guys are being recruited into our team. But you have to pass the final test. The initiation."

"Initiation?" Crane and Mei Ling said at the same time. If this was a serious test, they would be ready for it.

Po still had that serious look, as he sees them look nervously at him. "You two have to..." He them smiled widely, and spread his arms out wide. "Give me a hug."

Crane beak-dropped. Mei Ling tilted his head. "Are...you being serious?"

"You better believe he is." Fung said to them in a jokingly serious tone. "He hugged Tigress first, then he hugged me, then he hugged Monkey. To make your joining of the team official... _you must hu_ _g the panda._ " Fung's pointing at them and Po's smiling face made them realize that they were not joking. Po really expected them to hug him.

"Come on and hug me, buddies. Please?" Po asked nicely. "Come ooooonn. Ya know ya wanna." He began waving his arms up and down, waiting patiently.

Crane and Mei Ling were left in a fit of surprise. Then the latter shrugged. "What the heck." The feline smiled and opened her arms to Po and they embraced one another in a friendly manner. She nuzzled into his fur. "So amazingly soft...and warm..."

"Yeah. I get that all the time." He releases Mei Ling and turns to Crane. "Your turn. This is a bro hug. Join the bros." He didn't give him much fime to react, as he grabbed his wing and pulled him into a hug anyway. Crane was surprised, but he hugged him back with little reluctance. He was dropped and Po fist-pumped. "BROS!"

"BROS!" Monkey and Fung chanted. Crane was a little nervous at first, but he overcomes it and wing-pumped. "Bros!"

"Eh. It's a start. We'll work on it." Monkey rubbed his chin. He then turned to Mei Ling. "Anyway, now we turn our attention to our first gorgeous girl in the room." He could hear Tigress growl, and he sweated nervously. "N-No, that's not what I-"

"I know what you meant." Tigress snarled. She looked at the recruits list really quickly before she could start hitting the primate. "Viper. Viper is next. We'll head out in the morning."

Everyone in the room nodded. Then Monkey turned to Mei Ling and Crane. "So...what's the relationship between you guys?"

Crane was finally able ro relax, and answer Monkey's question. "Well obviously we're very close. Mei Ling is my best friend. And up until now, she's been my only friend. Her parents were already lost, so we were always hanging out together when we were not in the Lee Da Academy. Other times we would just hang out at home." He smiled. "We did a ton of things together. Ya know, we did kid stuff. Played hide-and-seek, Chinese Checkers, which is the only thing she could never beat me at.(Mei Ling pouts) We also did a lot of calligraphy together. And-"

"We even bathed together." Mei Ling adds with sly intent. She could see Crane' intense blush, and she smirked. "In fact...we still kinda do."

"MEI LING!" Crane shouted in protest. "Don't give them the wrong idea! I TOLD you we can't do that anymore! We're young adults, now! And you're...you're...you know!"

"But it's so fun to see your reaction to it every time I just appear in the water out of nowhere." She snickered. "Plus we're childhood friends, what's the big deal?"

"That maybe, just _maybe,_ at our current ageit might be a bit inappropriate?!" It was pretty clear that Crane was the noticably more innocent one. Understandable, being raised by his mother. She genuinely didn't see anything wromg with bathing with him. As in just him and her.

Monkey placed a hand on his head. "Crane...you bathed...with a female Kung Fu Prodigy...who is like, super hot. How'd ya do it, man?" Crane then realized that Monkey was going along with this on purpose...and he didn't find that amusing at all. "Wait...that also means..."

"Yep. He's the only one who knows what it is." Mei Ling confirmed. "And even right now, he wishes he didn't."

Crane's face couldn't stop glowing red, and he tried to cover his face with his hat. "Why must you torment me...?"

Mei Ling playfully punches his shoulder. "Lighten up, will you? If you want me to stop it so much...then I will."

He sighed with relief. "Yes. Thank you."

Yan Fan meanwhile patted Crane's shoulder, allowing him to turns towards her after his newfound friends were done embarassing him. "This is it, Crane. You'll be heading out of here, soon. I...can no longer keep you in the safety of my wings. I had wished constantly for this day to never come...even though I knew it was inevitable. I'll be alone for quite a time, now." Yan Fan sighed. "I think I should form a knitting club or something. I need friends to hang out with, now that you'll be heading out. Out into the dangerous world...and I cannot stop you."

Crane smiled, holding her wings in his own. "Don't worry about me, Mom. You can see I'm in good hands, right? Plus I'll be writing to you as much as I possibly can."

"Hopefully you won't make ME send them all..." Zeng said with a shiver. That would be a lot of long flights. Hi wings we're still tired from the last one.

"As I was saying, my new friends have my back now. I'll be fine."

Yan Fan smiled. "You're right, honey." She turned to the others. "I hope he's right about this. I have to let him step out ofthe nest on his own. I'm leaving him in your care now, please treat him well."

"You have our word. We'll take good care of him." Mei Ling smiled. "You know me by now, I'll never stop looking after Crane."

"Don't rush yourself, child. What about you being a student of the Lee Da Academy?" Shifu asked.

Mr. Ping grinned. "I have a pretty good idea."

 **(The Next Morning)**

"WHAT?! What do you mean you're dropping out?! The students could see their instructor looking in disbelief as Mei Ling wad packing up her things. Crane was doing the same. "I can understand Crane leaving, but why you, Mei Ling?!"

"Because things are getting pretty boring around here. The challenges here are gone." Mei Ling say honestly. "I can't test myself anymore by staying here. If I wanna do that, I gotta head out with Crane." She brought her satchel over her shoulder, and she turned to the class. "Besides...I've grown tired of your arrogant attitudes. There's confidence, then there's being a jerk. You all are usually the latter. Not gonna stick around that. So I'm out."

One of the younger rhinos have had enough. He stomped right in front of her, growling in her face. She didn't even flinch. "Again with the bird! Most of the things you did here was because of him! What makes him so special!? Why him?!"

She took on a very deadpan look, but her eyes were filled with genuine passion. "Because unlike all of you...Crane is never afraid to be himself. You all kept putting him down and really hurt his feelings, but he never stopped being himself. That's why I always believed in him. His days as a janitor are done. Just like me being a student here, I'm done. Thanks for all you've done for us, but we're moving on. Goodbye, have a nice life, Lee Da Academy. Come on, Crane." They both nodded, and headed out the doors.

They could stil hear the protests for Mei Ling to come back. "You can't leave! You're our Star Student! Who will represent us now?!"

"Not my problem. Bye bye!~" She cheerfully waved them farewell without turning around. All of them nearly fell to the ground out of sheer depression.

The others were waiting for the duo, Po most noticably. "Ready to go, guys?"

"Yes. Let's go." Crane says, his mind now completely made up. He was about to step forward-

"CRANE!" Yan Fan shouted, and it made him jump in surprise and turn to see his mother fold her wings and tap her talons. "Where's my goodbye kiss?"

"MOOOOOOOOM! Not in front of my new friends!" Crane shouted in embarrassment.

"Oh...I see how it is. You're leaving your mother all alone and you think you're too grown up to even kiss her goodbye...*sniff*..." Yan Fan whispered, covering her face with one wing as she fake cried, keeping one eye open to see his reaction.

"Uuuuuggghhh..." Crane groaned. He then walked over to her and affectionately kissed her cheek, combined withba hug, which brought a bright smile to her face. He smiled as well. "Bye Mom."

"I wish you well, sweetheart." She said, caressing his cheeks, before reluctantly letting him go. "You all better take good care of my baby!" Crane groaned again.

"You can count on us, Ma'am!" Po sent her a thumbs up.

Monkey snickered as Crane passed by him. "Wow, dude. I didn't think you could be such a Momma's Boy. Don't deny it, I see it all over your face."

"Utter one more word. Just one. I'll peck your eyes out." Crane glared.

Monkey threw his hands up. "Alright alright, I'm sorry." He then whispered: "Baby." PECK! "AGH! MY HEAD!"

"I WARNED YOU! NOW HOLD STILL!" Crane screeched in anger as he chased a retreating Monkey around, repeatedly pecking his head.

"OW! OW! OUCH! I'M SORRY! SORRY! GAH! I'M SAID I'M SORRY!" Monkey cried out in pain as he covered the top ofhis head to feebly defend from Crane's peck assault. Everyone else laughed at the display(minus Shifu) and Tigress only mildly chuckled.

Yan Fan giggled at the scene most of all. She then looked to the sky. _Línghún...can you hear me? Can you hear my voice...? I just wanted to tell you...that you don't have to worry about our son anymore. He's no longer the fragile bird he was in the beginning, always falling over because of his weak body. Ever since you left us, me and Mei Ling always had to set him upright._ She looked back down again at the scene of Crane angrily chasing Monkey and the others laughing at it. She smiled while wiping a small tear away.

 _Now he's finally strong enough...to stand on his own legs..._

 **(Unknown Village)**

The green snake wakes up with a tired yawn, strwtching her tail and opening her ocean blue eyes to the bright sunlight shining in her room. She rubbed her eyes with her tail. "Okay, Mr. Sun, I'm awake. No need to blind me." She mumbled.

"Viper, my dear! Are you awake yet?" A deep voice called out to her. The one named Viper turned to her door and smiled.

"I am! I'll be out in a minute!" Viper shouted back. Young Lady Viper, 20 years old. Nice young snake who tries to be friendly to everyone. She placed her signature lotus flower clips on her head and slithered outside of her room. She met face to face with her Master..

Lord Fu-Xi.

"Did you sleep well, little sister?" He smiled, petting her head, listening to her hiss in happiness. She looks up happily at the large cobra before her.

"I sure did, Master Fu-Xi! Oops! I mean big brother!" She giggled.

"I'm glad you did. Very glad. Are you going outside? If you are, do I need to remind you of your only rule?"

She shook her head. "I know it. Don't interact with the two-leggers."

"Good girl. Slither along, now." He gently pushed her away, hearing her laugh again. "Ah...Ssssuch a ssssweet girl she issss.." he turns to the shadows, seeing the very hateful glare of the Great Master Viper. "Isn't ssshe?"

"Don't act innocent around me, Fu-Xi." The older Master spat. "You can't expect to keep her under your hood forever."

"Oh...but I can." He slithered past the Master, smirking. "I provided her with support, not you. I'm helping her true potential, you didn't even try. And finally...two-leggers killed her unborn sisters, while you were defanged. It's clear who the superior role model is, and always will be." He hissed mockingly as he slithered away. "Hope you and your wife have a good morning." he said politely, with a wave of his tail.

Master Viper hissed, curled up his tail, and smashed it into the ground, creating a medium sized hole.

 _Curse him..._

 **(Unknown Outskirts)**

"Okay, the village should be around here, somewhere " A green mantis said with confidence, riding atop the head of a crocodile...a REALLY big crocodile.

"Mantis. We won't find a village here, I assure you. That map is zero helpful." His companion, the giant croc he was riding on, was Lidong. Much much higger than other crocs. Mantis is 21, while Lidong was 20.

"Zero helpful makes no sense! It's 'no help at all'. And of course it's a helpful map. We're almost there." Mantis said glaring back at Lidong's eyes, before turning back around. He had Lidong push a tree aside so he could look. "Right over there we can see-"

It wasn't anything special. It was just a cliff leading to a very long drop. Mantis was sure the kap would lead to the village they were looking for, but it seems like they were conned.

"...the village we're looking for..." Mantis said, disappointed. He crumpled up the useless map up and threw it off the cliff in anger. "That rhino asshole lied to us!"

"I told you that map was no good." Lidong muttered. "Now what do we do?"

"We have no choice. We gotta wonder until we can find someone with actual directions. Come on, big guy."

Lidong sighed as he turned and walked the other way, his walk makes a small quake with every step. "You should have let me pound his face in and give us an actual map. Then we wouldn't have to deal with this crap."

"That's your answer to _everything._ Unlike you, I actually _want_ to leave a town without being chased out by an angry mob because you couldn't help but punch some guy in the face."

"For your information, YOU started the last mob." Lidong deadpanned.

"They told me I was too small to get a drink! I wasn't going to just take that and leave!"

"And look where that's got us. The overall lesson here...is that you suck."

"No, YOU suck! You Overgrown Lizard!" Mantis hopped on his snout, pointing a pincer at his eye, and they glared at each other.

"Little Bug!"

"Bumbling Behemoth!"

" Tiny Insect!"

"Giant Bastard!"

"Pint-Sized Jackass!"

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

"MAKE ME!"

Their shouting match continued as they disappeared back into the forest. One would think because of this exchange that they hated one another. They'd be wrong. Because these two are one of the strangest but truly genuine pair of best friends one would ever see.

* * *

 **Now this is the time where things get a bit more serious. Because the first three recruits just involved petty bandits and/or lackeys from a higher-up. But now we have someone who can actually threaten to the heroes lives. Which will also make this recruiting MUCH more difficult.**

 **One will need some VERY heavy convincing. The other just gets caught in the crossfire. This...won't be very fun...not for them, anyway.**

 **Reviews are helpful. Very much so. See you later!**


	14. Mantis, Lidong, And Inner Turmoil

Po yawned as he sat around the resting spot everyone set up, they were taking a small temporary break around noon. They had to travel a long way from leaving Lee Da Academy. The panda was quite happy with their most recent recruit, and he was currently bouncing with glee over their highly impressive progress.

"Tigress! Fung! This is just so cool!" Po said as he lied on the ground on his back. "We've already acquired like...three friends in our team! And we're on our way to find yet another one! It's just so...it's just so..." He laughed as his feet wiggled in the air. "It's just so awesome! I really can't wait!"

Fung looked at Po with disbelief, sitting on the ground with a bowl of Mr. Pings noodles in his paws. "Dude. Why don't you get that much energy when we're on the road? Many other times, you're just acting how you look. When you're not fighting, you get tired VERY easily. Make up your mind, man." He kept digging into his bowl of noodles, sighing. "So good...so so good...Mr. Ping sure made a good call when he made that Noodle Cart. We have a restaurant on ago, all to ourselves. It is a shame that he didn't earn any money, though."

"What are you talking about, Fung?!" Mr. Ping said, holding two bags of money, and they looked pretty heavy. "Those Lee Da students are hard hungry students. I wasn't about to miss out on profit! And they pay quite hansomely." He held them up to his cheeks with stars in his eyes. "I can use the money to upgrade the cart! Then we can make more money! Tahahahahaha!"

Monkey turned to Po with a questioning look. "Okay, two things. First off...these bean buns are delicious. Second off...your Dad is kinda loopy. What are your thoughts on that?"

"I wouldn't want him any other way."

"...Fair enough."

Crane was currently putting down his now empty bowl of noodles, clicking his beak in order to save the taste. "That's amazing. Mr. Ping has only been making noodles, tofu, bean buns, and dumplings for many years. And he makes any other food compared to his seem nearly inferior. I almost couldn't stop eating."

"I know what you mean." Mei Ling sighed, rubbing her stomach. "He certainly does make them extremely well."

Mr. Ping turned to them with a smile. "Of course I do! I didn't know much outside of noodles, tofu, bean buns, and dumplings. But I was really good at making them, so I focused solely on them. And with my curious imagination and culinary skills, I was able to make many interesting combinations out of those foods. Now what many see as merely basic foods...I'm quite outmatched in making them." He folded his arms and held his head up high.

"He's not joking." Fenghuang said while yawning. "He got tofu to taste pretty amazing. Usually I hate eating that crap, but after he's done enough work on it, I couldn't help but ask for more." She admitted while rubbing her stomach with a wing. "Every time he cooks...I just can't help but eat so much...though the panda still beats me out in that prospect." She chuckled. "Funny thing is that he's not as good as his father in cooking. Though he is a _very_ close second. Not surprising, really."

"A warrior and a great chef. What a combo." Crane smiled. "We sure could have used one in the academy..."He muttered. "Their lunches were so incredibly dumb...and nasty."

Tigress for one was clearly enjoying her tofu. Mr. Ping had managed to make a special one for her, which allowed flaver to envelop the food so she can enjoy it more. He always thought tofu was too dull for his taste, so he came up with ways to try and make it better. He learned from many books and other chefs, that tofu can be flavored and seasoned properly. He started off basic, with simple soy sauce. Something so simple that Tigress grew to enjoy very quickly. And that was only the first of many.

"As always. It's delicious." Tigress smiled, wiping her muzzle and setting her bowl down. "Mr. Ping's skills truly have grown over the years he was gone. And Po obviously learned much from him."

"Tell me about it." Fung sighed, sitting back in the grass. "The three of us became friends by sharing Mr. Ping's awesome cooking. Honestly, he played a big part in our friendship as much as we did. How weird."

"We bonded over food. That was a pretty great day." Po says, sitting back and placing his arms behind his neck, staring at the sky. "Say...what do you think Viper will be like?"

"Well based on her name, we can be pretty sure she'll be a...you know, viper." Fung said, stretching his arms and tail. "Having another reptile on the team may be pretty cool. For me, at least. I mean come on, I can't be the only one here who is a cold-blooded animal. Not that I don't enjoy hanging with you guys. It's just...a feeling I have."

Tigress folded her arms. "It would be quite a benefit to have yet another female among us."

Fung turned over to her. "You...really want some female friends, don't you?"

"SO much." She groaned, placing her face in her paws. "It's not that I mind you guys...but seriously. I can't be the only female. Mei Ling is a good start, but too of us are not enough. Fenghuang doesn't count hecause she's here for mentoring purposes."

"You're not completely wrong there." Po said while rubbing his chin with a pout. "It may have something to do with her and Master Shifu really hating one another. As much as I don't like it, it may not be going away any time soon. It really sucks..."

"How are we going to get those two to get along? They really do hate each others guts because of Oogway, don't they?" Fung groaned. "I wish they would just get along already, before it spreads to US."

Tigress had a painful hypothesis on their relationshiop with Oogway. She would feel so guilty for having to say it, but its been on her mind for a very long. She just had to voice her opinion on the matter. "Guys..."

"Hm?" Po and Fung turned to her, her sad tone bringing their attention to her.

Tigress hugged her arms and looked at them with genuine hesitation. "Do you...do you think Oogway being such a big influence on them...is the very thing that causes them pain?"

She suddenly had Po's full attention, as he sat up completely. "What makes you think that?"

She looked up at him. "I've been thinking about it for a while. Almost everything Father did in his life was based on Oogway's beliefs and decisions. He had a personal life. But because his loyalty to Master Oogway was so strong...that he threw most of them away to stay on his good side, to make him happy. Zeng told me about it. A best friend, a girlfriend, a classmate, his teammate...and my brother..." She hugged herself tighter. "He even picked Oogway's judgement over his own son...it must have torn him apart to do that..." She didn't bring up the Dragon Warrior part of the subject. They didn't need to know the exact details.

"And you're paying the price along with him on the last part. It was bad timing." Fung said solemnly. The feline nodded slowly. "Good thing you managed to mellow him out, even if it 's only a bit."

Po looked down. "I think I can understand. Master Fenghuang spent a large portion of her adult life in fear of Oogway finding her. She only came out when I came along..." He sighed. "And even then, she was still afraid of Oogway. When she stared him down...it was only because she knew she couldn't run. No matter how much she wanted to. She worked for Oogway's approval...and when she finally got so much of it, it got to her head. But me and Dad managed to bring her back down a bit."

Fung recounted the facts. "So Oogway had his two greatest students of all time. He made one student TOO loyal to him on accident, and made the other flee from him for years and spend decades surrounded by ice mountains." He sighed. "I can't help but wonder, too. Did Oogway do them more harm than good, even if it was unintentional...?"

Po rubbed his head and sighed. He never thought of Oogway as a bad person, he always wanted to help people in any way he can. Then he remembered. The turtle sage was a lot of things, and Po meant a LOT of things...but Oogway never once said that he was perfect. So the turtle was bound to make a couple of bad calls once in a while. Po sighed again. Oogway had asked Shifu to have fun. So far the red panda has done nothing of the sort. He just wanted to gather the recruuots and get back to the Valley as quickly as possible. That's what his look said most of the time. It was sad how dependent Shifu was on Oogway. It was to the poont where his own decisions reflect off Oogway's judgement by itself and never his own. That exact judgement also got his friends repelled from him, his son was off doing who knows what, and Fenghuang exiled for decades.

At this point, even Po had to consider the possibility. Does Oogway...cause Shifu and Fenghuang pain? Mostly Shifu, but he was still concerned for Fenghuang, too. It was an uncomfortable subject, but it had to be touched upon. There was no way it could be an impossibility, because they had evidence. Evidence in personal experience, and witnesses.

After a while of thinking about it, Po lied back again, and placed his hat on his face. "We can't worry about it right now. The only ones qho can confirm it are those three. We're no where near Oogway, and Masters Shifu and Fenghuang are obviously not gonna talk about it. This is personal."

Tigress pondered his words, and lied back on the grass. "You're right...when we're ready to hear them out on the matter...they'll tell us." The trio nodded to this conclusion, very reluctantly, as they continued to stare at the blue sky.

Unknown to them, Shifu could hear their entire conversation with his right ear, and his face became rather disapppinted. More in himself than others. He stared at his paw. _My own daughter saw right through me. I don't know why, but a part of me is really worried about Master Oogway, and I really want to check on him. The other parr is trying to tell me how useless that would be...and..._ He placed a paw over his heart, clenched his robe. _Why do I feel like an important part of me just disappeared...? What could have happened to cause me to feel this way...?_

Mr. Ping placed his sacks of money down in order to stare at Shifu with concern. But before he could get a word out, he was pulled aside by Fenghuang. Knowing what she was asking for, he moved a bit farther away from the group, not wanting Shifu to hear their silent conversation. He took the Peach Petal out of his sleeve, and presented it to her. She looked troubled.

"Oh no...that's not from the Peach Tree..." She said quietly. Unlike the Peach Tree that had its normal color pink, this specific petal was continously glowing pink with a small trace of Oogway's chi. It was undeniable. "Dammit, you Old Tortoise...you croaked when we were away, didn't you...?" She shook her head. "The Midget is not going to take this well. Far from it."

"Fenghuang, what do we do?" Mr. Ping asked, his eyes filled with worry. She turned and gently swiped the petal away from him, tucking it in her robe.

"We don't say anything about this to anyone. He needs to find out for himself. Besides even if we did tell him, he won't believe us. He sure as hell won't believe me."

"I don't like this, Fenghuang. Isn't the Valley defenseless, now?"

"There's nothing we can do about it. We can only hope the Valley is still intact when we get back there." Fenghuang said grimly, in a tone that tells Mr. Ping that she didn't believing those words. She knows something bad was going so happen to the Valley, and they can't stop it. Not when they were so far away. Her instinct tells her that going back to the Valley would be pointless. For all of them. Yet she didn't know why.

All they could do was wait and see what happens.

 **(A short distance away)**

"Nothing..." Mantis groaned, now facedown on top of Lidong's head. "We've been walking...for hours...and we haven't found anybody or anything useful...I'm...so tired..."

Lidong growled in disbelief. "You're tired? _YOU'RE_ tired?! You're just lying on my head overseeing everything, you didn't walk an inch! If _you're_ tired, I'M exhausted!"

"I'm sorry...and I'm hungry..."

"So am I..." They both sighed and looked down at the ground for a bit, defeated...until a scent got their immediate attention. "Hey...Mantis...you smell that?"

Mantis was suddenly on his feet. "How can I not? It's the most pleasant and most important scent of all the scents!" This was one of the things they have in common. And it really shows.

Lidong grinned. "As it always will be."

"It's the smell of..." Mantis began. Then he hopped on the croc's snout and looked him right in the eyes, both grinninf widely.

"FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!"

Mantis flipped around and pointed his pincer forward. "Onward towards food!" His call was well-met, as Lidong was charging forth with a force a stampede would have no chance against.

 **(With The Main Group)**

Crane suddenly looked up, as he could see the pebbles on the ground beginning to bounce a bit. Likewise, he swore he could hear small quakes constantly rumbling through the area. This immediately got the others attention. "Guys...what's that noise?"

"No idea. But whatever it is, it's really big." Tigress concluded, narrowing her eyes. "And heading right for us. Brace yourselves."

"What is it? An enemy?" Fung rose up and stood cautiously. Then he listened to the footsteps carefully, and recognized the pattern between each step. "Wait a minute..."

CRASH!

The one they were thinking about crashed right through the row of trees, and fell forward in a heap, groaning as it rubbed it's head. "Ugggh...maybe full speed ahead wasn't the best idea..."

"Yeah...no kidding..." The smaller one groaned, trying to regain his balance. Then he caught his bearings, to see that he was surrounded. "Ah crap! Please don't be the guards! I told them it wasn't my fault!"

Fenghuang blinked. "What the hell are you talking about?" She then pointed to the large croc before them. "And what the hell is that? Is...is that a croc? What are they feeding them these days?"

"I had a growth spurt, dammit..." Lidong groaned, as he stood up fully. "I definitely smelled food here, so it has to be he-" his mouth fell agape when he spotted the smaller croc before him. "No way. Fung?"

"Lidong?!" Fung gasped, as the larger croc had scooped him up and caught him in a bear hug...a rather painful one. "Gagh...too much hugging...lemme go...please...ugh...ribs...cracking..."

"Sorry." The larger croc set him down while setting his helmet up correctly. "I keep forgetting that you're so puny compared to me."

"Are you STILL gonna talk down to me like that?!" Fung growled. Everyone else was looking at them with confused expressions. He sighed. "Everyone...this is my cousin, Lidong."

Mantis looked up at Lidong. "THAT'S the guy you kept talking about?" Lidong nods. "Huh...how weird."

Tigress raised an eyebrow and walked up to Fung. "Well this is a surprise. You never told us you had an older couson, Fung."

This was it. This was one of Fung's pet peeves. Is when they mistake Lidongz size and consider hom the older one because of it. He growled as his left eye twitched with annoyance. "He's...not...the older one..."

"He's not? No way. I don't believe it." Fenghuang shook her head. "Big Croc, how old are you?"

"20."

"And Scales...How old are you again?"

"I'M 23, DAMMIT!" Fung shouted, throwing his helmet to the ground. This got Mantis to laugh.

"HAH! Now I remember! This was the cousin you talked about who got upset easily and throws his helmet!"

"I'M NOT UPSET!"

"You kinda sound upset." Monkey pointed out. Fung turned slowly to the primate with a look of fury, that instantly got him to be quiet.

With Fung fuming over his embarrassment, Tigress was left to ask Mantis her question. "And you must be...?"

He huffed. "If it isn't obvious already, my name is Mantis. Pleased to eat your food-I mean, pleased to meet you."

"Wait...Mantis?" Po repeated, as he checked over the recruit list. He plastered a big grin on his face. "YES! It is him, he's on the list! What a stroke of luck for one to come to us, this time!"

Mantis stared quickly at Po. "What list? You mean a hit-list?!" He glared. "I may be surrounded, but I'm not going down qithout a fight!" He said, rasing his pincers up. Monkey scoffed.

"Dude you're so small. What are you gonna do?"Mantis shot his head at him and aimed a kick at his arm. Monkey winced. "AGH! That hurt you little...what?" He stared in shock as his arm suddenly went limp. "I can't move my arm..!"

Fenghuang's eyes widened with interest. "Oh my. This one knows how to use the Nerve Attack."

"What?"

"He just pressed a pressure point in your arm, Primate. That arm is currently useless unless he sets it back the way it was."

"Hey, no fair!" Monkey snarled, glaring at Mantis. "Undo this!"

"Apologize for calling me small!"

"Like hell I will!"

"Then have fun having a paralyzed arm!"

"JERK!"

"IDIOT!"

POW! POW!

Seconds later, Monkey and Mantis were lying face-down on the ground, with bumps in their heads. Tigress's right fist was emotting smoke, showing how fast she punched them both. She sighed, but kept her stern glare. "Okay...I think it's safe to say we got off on the wrong foot here."

"No kidding..." Lidong muttered.

"But this can easily be rectified, if we allow it to." She turned to Mantis and Monkey. "Mantis. Undo the paralysis on Monkey's arm and apologize. Monkey, you apologize for calling him small."

"What?! No way!" Monkey shouted in protest.

"Forget it!" Mantis folded his pincers.

A vein pulsed in Tigress's head. "Do it... **NOW!** "

Both of them turned ghost white at her roar. Mantis quickly undid the paralysis and he and Monkey shook paw/pincer. "Sorry." They both said just a quickly.

Tigress nodded, and took a deep breath. Now calm again, she rubbed her neck. "I apologize as well. I'm usually far more composed."

Po and Fung knew very well that Tigress's temper was not to be messed with, so they were always very careful not to do so. Mr. Ping, Shifu, and Fenghuang were unfazed. Mei Ling was simply surprised. Crane and Zeng were shivering behind a tree. And Lidong was smirking.

"I like her."

Mantis and Lidong were both served noodles by Mr. Ping. They were both surprised that he was able to cook among the temporary chaos. They eagerly dug into their food, their hunger now disappearing rapidly. Most of them were extremely surprised at Mantis, who was able to eat food that surpasses his height. When they finished their spearate bowls, they had faces of content.

"Best. Noodles. Ever. I have GOT to have more of this!" Mantis turned to Po. "What do we owe you?"

Po chuckled. "Ahah, nothing much...just you and Lidong here. Join our team!"

"What? Join your team?"

Po began to continue, but Tigress pulled him back, a concerned look in her eyes. "But Lidong isn't on the list, Po."

"That's right. But Oogway said we can also take _other_ recruits that catches our eye. Lidong will be the first." Fung added. Tigress blinked, then shrugged. That was fair enough.

Mantis folded his pincers. "Sorry dude, I'll pass." This causes Po to pout.

"Aw man! Why not?"

"Me and Lidong are all we need to power through anything. Always have been. Appreciate the offer, but we'll have to refuse."

"You'll never taste food like ours, again."

Lidong blinked, and stared at Mantis for advice. "Mantis. He's bribing us with food."

"I know."

"But we love food. Especially this awesome food."

"I know..."

"We already tasted their food, it's in our memory. If we never taste it again, it'll haunt us forever."

 _"I know..."_

"And-"

"I get it!" Mantis snapped. "Okay, we'are not agreeing to join this team. But we _will_ tag along with you guys to the next village. We've been wondering for days and we really need a place to stay."

Po grinned. "Fair enough. You'll change your mind."

"How do you know?"

The panda placed his paws behind his neck, and smiled. "Just a feeling. Juuuusssst a feeling."

"Ooookaayy..." Mantis had no idea what he was getting into.

Tigress turned back to her list, and looked forward. "Now we head forward...to find Viper."

 **(Unknown)**

In one of the darker parts of China, in a run-down building that would be able to hold many sorts of unsavory characters. Like for criminals.

This was also one of the many hideouts to the Lin Kuei.

Heilang, the leader of the organization, was sitting in the center of the building, checkinf all of his weapons. HE's been quiet for a while. Until a familiar takin entered his space and introduced himself. He looked carelessly at him. "Jong Sung...what do you want?" The takin said nothing, but he placed a large chest in front of the wolf, causing him to stare at with curiousity. He opened it, and was surprised to see it was filled to the brim with gold. He closed it, and pushex it to the side. "You want something, is that right?"

"Indeed I do, my friend. We don't have to talk anymore than we're doing now. So I''ll just leave this to you." He placed a scroll in his paws, and walked out as calmly as he walked in.

Heilang looked through the scroll and read the details of his assignment. He grinned. "This involves a lot of blood...my kind of job." He closed it up amd turned to his comrades. "Off your asses! We got a job to do!" He startled the other wolves awake, and he headed towards a room in the far back, a room of privacy.

He kicked it open. "Hey brat! We have a job to do!" He threw the scroll in the room.

A much younger wolf slowly picked up the scroll and opened it. The young wolf was wearing a chinese hoodie which was colored pure black, black training pants, a tantō sheathed on his back, and he was barefoot. He has a mohawk starting from his head and running down his back. His eyes were a clear, dark purple. His age was around 20. He was looking through the scroll, and his eyes were wide with horror. He slammed it to the ground.

"This is crazy! I took part in a lot of your stunts, but this is now dead-on insanity! This is mass massacre! I won't take a part in this!" He was swiftly punched in the face, knocked into the ground. Heilang picked him up by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

"You defying orders from your Alpha... _pup?_ " The tone he said that was cruel and condescending. "Ànyǐng, you have a job to do, and you'll do it with no complaints."

"I can complain as much as I want. You can't order me to take such a request. I won't take part in it!" The younger wolf glared back with furious defiance, despite the black eye he now had. His eyes were filled with hatred towards his 'leader'.

"You'll do your job. And you'll like it. Because you don't have a choice. Anyone who backs out of the Lin Kuei, dies horribly. I'm not bending the rules for my stubborn nephew's sake." Heilang let Ànyǐng slide to the ground, and walked away. "You shouldn't be hating me so much. Compared to my brother, I'm a small time criminal. He's a lapdog for Shen, after all." He called over his shoulder, and slammed the door shut.

Ànyǐng sat alone in his dark room, his black eye pulsing from the pain, but it paled in comparison to his heart. He had done any things in his forced recruitment into the Lin Kuei, but this will undoubtedly be the worst.

"This clan...is losing hope in ever being redeemed...this act will make it permanent..." He said to himself. The deed hasn't been done yet and he already feels guilty about it.

Heilang rolled his eyes as he met up with his other pack members. "Looks like the Lin Kuei is hitting the Valley Of Peace, fellas."

"Is that so?" One wolf asked.

"Anything specific?" Asked another.

"It's actually quite simple." He said darkly. "The Valley Of Peace will live up to it's name...once every single one of the villagers has been silenced. And according to rumors going around in the Valley, Oogway won't be able to stop us. The old bastard's dead." Multiple wolves reacted diffrently to this.

"The reptile finally checked out? About time."

"Jong Sung paid us for a massacre operation? Wow, someone from there must have really pissed him off."

"You're right about that. That's our mission. We plunder, we steal, we kill. Simple. But we have one major goal in this simple task: Destroy The Dragon Scroll. That'll sure put a lot of people around China on edge. And it'll piss off that Tai Lung cat enough to come out of hiding."

"What's the purpose in destroying the Dragon Scroll?"

"Logic Jong Sung goes by, but is good enough for me." Heilang smirked. "No Dragon Scroll= No Dragon Warrior."

"Seems a bit farfetched...but who cares, we're getting paid." Another wolf yawned, getting up and grabbing a sword.

Heilang sees Ànyǐng reluctantly exit his room. He then turns towards the darkness. "I dunno who pissed off that petty takin, but that doesn't matter to me." He said emotionlessly. "Whoever you are...your actions just cost you your home." He had a thought about something...something from 15 years ago. His grin turned sinister.

"And if this person is who I think it is...then this operation also involves payback. Time to pay for humiliating us, Fenghuang." The owl had stopped one of their spies from completeing a job years back, and their reputation plundered because of it.

It was time for retribution.

* * *

 **...Well...that can't be good.**

 **The heroes won't be able to get back because they don't know what's going on...Uh oh...**

 **Anyway, that's it for this one. The next four chapters will be like "Serpent's Tooth" in a way. Because the focus is on Viper. A focus between her, Po, Fung, and** **Tigress for separate reasons. Will they be able to recruit her? First they have to get past Fu-Xi, the first antagonist of the story to pose a true threat to the heroes lives.**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter, feel free to review, and see you when I post Part One of my version of "Serpent's Tooth".**

 **See you then!**


	15. Serpent's Tooth: Part One

Po thought it would be quite an interesting trip to the next village. Especially since they managed to get Mantis under their ranks. Not officially, but he was confident he could sway him to his side in due time, and enough persuasion. He already caught his interest with the promise of food.

Who knew someone so small could be so gluttonous? It was ridiculous, but he could clearly prove it. And Po was very impressed with him because of it. That and he found yet another person who enjoyed his and Mr. Ping's cooking. Though he was aware that food alone wouldn't be enough to change his mind, it was a good start. A start is all he needs in order for progress to be made.

Lidong was not too different. He had come along because he was deeply connected with Mantis, he could tell by their interaction. The two of them seem to be very close to one another, that their bickering has become normal. They explained this to the best of their ability. It was a rather complicated relationship due to their sizes seriously contrasting one another. Everyone figured that Mantis was under Lidong, but that was not the case. They were thought of each other as equals. A crocodile and a Mantis managed to get along for a very long time. It sounded unbelievable, but it was true. The only question they had for the duo...

How?

"See, it's quite simple. We taught each other a very valuable lesson, among other things." Mantis said. "Which was quite surprising for us since I'm not too good at learning."

"And I'm pretty slow-witted." Lidong added, staring at the ground. "I think that's what I get for using more of my muscle instead of my head most of the time."

"Luckily we were able to snap each other out of our arrogance. And the two of us meeting was somehow enough to make us realize that we had _too much_ confidence in ourselves. My speed, Lidong's size...we thought we were untouchable. Then something had to happen to us to bring us down to earth."

"Humility?" Shifu asked.

"Well that...and a life-or-death situation. Nothing much."

"I hardly think that a life-or-death situation is considered nothing." Fung said with his eyes half-closed with disbelief at the statement. "What could have happened?"

Mantis hopped on Lidong's head and turned to everyone. "Okay, to be completely honest, our friendship is pretty recent. As in...3 years ago recent. Stuff happened. What kind of stuff, I'll tell ya right now."

 **(3 years Ago)**

 _18 year old Mantis was hopping along the road, with a sack in tow. Due to his size, this sack consisted of a small stick and a bit of a wrapper. It was what he chose, he stuck to it. Anyone who laughed at him for it was promptly kicked in the face at high speed._

 _Which is where the problem immediately kicks in._

 _Mantis was by no means evil, yet he wasn't the nicest person around, either. His overconfidence in his fast movement made this very clear. He kept thinking that everyone was far too slow for him, and that he thought that if they ever wanted to do any good in the world, they would need to get a little bit faster. He is always boasting about being the fastest around, and that the world was too slow for him. As expected, not a lot of people liked his attitude. But overall, he was a good person._

 _What everyone thought he needed was a bit more discipline. Everyone thought that his parents would have put this into h, but then they remembered...he's a Mantis. His parents were also mantises, obviously. Which means his mother ate his fathers head out of nature before he was born...yeah...that might have something to do with his poor behavior. He did accept that rather unfortunate event as natural for their species, and yet his mother couldn't stop smothering him with motherly love, out of guilt. She honestly thought she could restrain her natural aggression, but it could not be helped. He did not blame his wife one bit. In fact, he was quite content with his fate when it was far too late to escape it. He merely hoped she'd find him delicious. In a disturbing way, while wearing a genuinely crying guilty face, she agreed. A long while after that, she was raising Mantis all by herself._

 _The story was all Mantis needed to hear in order to decide one of his life goals: **DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH A FEMALE MANTIS. EVER.**_

 _Anyway...due to his mother's constant smothering and lack of punishing him for bad behavior, he acted like a spoiled child, yet not in a 'stepping on others' way. He was arrogant, sure, but not a complete jerk. He always helped people along the way, be them his size, smaller, or bigger. No one was out of reach from his helpful forelegs. His overconfidence is what derailed a bit of their gratefulness to him, however._

 _Yet one day he met someone who could do what many tried to. Make him realize that being fast is not always the answer. There's a time when one must slow down and show immense caution when it comes to completing a task._

 _It happened one stormy day while he was hopping on a stroll. There was no one around, and he had to carry a leaf over his head. Because his endurance has not yet been developed, rain might as well be infinite miniature punches to his form. It was highly irritating, though not life threatening._

 _"Stupid rain...making my life so much more difficult." He grumbled to himself while he was on he move. Mantis hated the rain. "Now it's gonna be even harder for me to get home, especially since rain on my body is heavy as hell. Not to mention it's hard for me to see through all of it..." These are one of those times when being small was a very annoying disadvantage of his. At one point, he's gonna have to learn how to dodge all droplets of rain with his speed. It may be close to impossible, but he was fully willing to take on the challenge when he was ready._

 _There was a (to him) large quake that rumbled around him for a couple seconds, and he could make out the sound of footsteps going along with the loud rumble. He immediately deduced the phenomenon as something huge, because these weren't normal footsteps. He wondered what could make such a quake, though._

 _His question was answered moments later._

 _"OUTTA MY WAY!" he heard a shout, following multiple cries of pain from multiple other other voices. Mantis immediately made his way there, the rain no longer deterring him. He reached an area where multiple crocs were scattered around, looking severely beaten. He looked up and saw a large croc that was the biggest of all, which was shocking to him. He doesn't think that he's ever seen a croc that huge._

 _What he doesn't like to see however, was that these crocs were clearly bandits. Which mean that this guy was beating up his own comrades. There were lots of things Mantis was not okay with. Turning on your team was always going to be one of them, whether they were good people or not. These crocs barely looked alive, and it didn't look like the big one was stopping his assault. He had to do something. But first, he had to get his attention._

 _"HEY! BIG CROC GUY! OVER HERE!"_

 _The giant croc stopped choking his subordinate in his hands promptly dropping him and turning to the sound of the voice. He looked around for the source. "Who's the dead meat that said that...?"_

 _"Down here.'_

 _The croc looked down and laughed loudly. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA! You?! Who do you think you're talking to?"_

 _"I'm the only one speaking and everyone else is unconscious. So I must be talking to you." Mantis deadpanned._

 _"Whatever, what do you want?"_

 _"Look, I don't know how croc bandits work, but I'm pretty sure the way you're treating them is supremely unfair. They can barely stand up to you because you're so huge."_

 _The large croc huffed. "Damn right I'm huge." He pounded his fist to his chest. "Lidong is bigger than everyone! No one is bigger than me, no one is stronger than me! And anyone who stands up to me will be crushed!" He glared down towards Mantis. "Like YOU, if you don't hop off, little bug."_

 _Mantis's eye twitched. 'Pal...you made quite a handful of mistakes these past few moments. You're disturbing the peace in the nearby village. You beat up your own friends because YOU'Re disappointed. And you called me little." He raised his forelegs. 'You're gonna pay for all three."_

 _Lidong rolled his eyes, folding his arms. "Pfft, as if you could actually-" POW! He was caught off guard as Mantis swiftly kicked him in the snout, which made him growl in pain and step back. "You...little...PUNK!"_

 _"Whaddya gonna do about it, big guy?" Mantis taunted._

 _Lidong completely lost it, letting out a savage roar and chasing Mantis down. His attempts of stepping on him or pounding him with his large fists were repeatedly met with failure, with some extra taunting from Mantis. This only aggravated the croc even more while they both forgot that a storm was raging above their heads, and the rain was getting even heavier._

 _Eventually they came across a bridge, a bridge that was not strong enough to support Lidong's weight and the pressure from the storm. Mantis could see the effects already taking place, and held his foreleg up._

 _"Wait."_

 _"Nice try, you're not getting out of this!"_

 _"I'm being serious you giant moron! We're treading on some VERY sensitive terrain here!" He warned gesturing to the bridge they were standing on. It was visibly and continuously cracking once Lidong set foot on it. "If you move too quickly...it'll completely fall apart...then we're in for a very painful fall. There's no water to even TRY to cushion the fall..."_

 _Lidong looked down to see that Mantis was right. There was nothing below them but a deep abyss. He looked back up in anger. "Way to go, bug! Look at what you dragged us into!"_

 _"ME?! You're blaming ME for this?!"_

 _"YES! YOU SHOULD HAVE MINDED YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"_

 _"I WASN"T GOING TO LET YOU CONTINUE YOUR UNFAIR CRUELTY!"_

 _Their shouting was not helping the bridge's stability, as even more cracks began to form. Mantis realizes he gravity of the situation, and began saying what he'd never thought he'd say. "STOP! Don't move a muscle. At ALL." He was being dead serious. One more heavy move this bridge was coming down.  
_

 _'Don't order me around as if you were bigger than me! Because you're NOT!" Lidong didn't get the hint, as he roared and jumped at Mantis, narrowly missing him. but the damage was already done, as the bridge completely gave out beneath then. Lidong's eye's widened as he began falling into the abyss along with Mantis, who was loudly scolding him for failing to listen._

 _All they could do was fall into the abyss, as their shouts were drowned out by the storm._

 **(The Next Day)**

 _Lidong moaned as he bright a paw to his aching head, sitting up to scan his surroundings. He looked to see that he was sitting outside a house which was still soaked from the hard rain from last night. He tried to remember what he was doing. He noticed that his head was covered in bandages, as well as his left arm and his snout. What would have caused these injuries?_

 _He began to ponder this more, until he sees Mantis hopping out of the house, and snarled at him. Mantis rolled his eyes. "Oh don't you start. You're still hurt from that nasty fall. Your skull is slightly fractured, and your arm is broken. I wouldn't move around too much if I were you."_

 _Lidong growled. "Telling me what to do again...who do you think you are, bug!?"_

 _Mantis hopped on Lidong's snout, pointing his foreleg towards his eyes. "This 'bug' you speak of, just saved your ass. I could have left you out there to die, but then I'd be a bigger jerk than you."_

 _"I didn't ask for you to save me!'_

 _"Yeah? Guess what? I DID ANYWAY. So just shut your trap and lie back down. You're not done recovering." Mantis snapped back, hopping off his snout and walking back into the house. "You're a pretty annoying dude, you know that?"_

 _Lidong huffed, looking in the other way. "The same could be said for you. You go and try and pick a fight with me, then you try to talk down to me, and now you saved me. What's your deal?"_

 _Mantis looked at him again. 'I picked a fight with you because you picked on your own guys. I tried to talk down to you because you about to fall and I tried to stop it. And I saved you because you needed help. It's plain and simple. Though you made it hard to be nice because of your loud boasting over your size. Dude, no one cares. Like...at all. Although I shouldn't be talking so smart, I do the same thing when it comes to me being fast. Though our little incident made me rethink the entire thing. Had to stop and slow down in order to see our situation."_

 _To go into better detail on what Mantis was saying, it was the main reason why he was able to tell that the bridge was falling apart before Lidong was able to. He managed to see the world moving faster than him for a couple moments. It was enough for him to see the small cracks in the bridge's pillars, and that they grew the first couple moments after Lidong stepped onto it. It was a shock to him, but he was able to tell what was happening, very quickly. He couldn't act on it, however, due to Lidong's arrogance that almost killed them both. He was somewhat proud that his own arrogance was not the cause for Lidong's injuries, then he'd feel guilty._

 _Lidong was staring at the insect with confusion replacing all of his anger. "What are you trying to say?"_

 _"I'm saying that you may be physically bigger than everyone, but that doesn't mean that you're bigger than them as a whole. And at the rate you're going, you'll be smaller than anyone else." Lidong' eyes flashed with horror as images of his childhood kicked in. Pushed around by his relatives...mocked for being small...feeling weak all the time...he didn't want to go back to that. "There's a major difference between you and me. You boast that you're bigger, yet your heart is small. I boast about my speed...yet my heart is bigger."_

 _"How is that possible?"_

 _'Size matters...and at the same time, it doesn't. You may be a big guy, but that doesn't justify you picking on people smaller than you. Just like I'm...mostly unnoticeable due to our major height differences, but that doesn't mean that I can't help people of all sizes. My attitude needs work, but overall I'm a pretty decent guy. YOU, however...yeah...you're acting like an asshole."_

 _The large croc looked on in surprise as he listened to Mantis speak. "You REALLY want people to be impressed with the power that comes with your size? Do something good with it. People will notice that much better than you trying to force your size upon them."_

 _"...Do you really think that will work...?" Lidong asked. He was harsh on others because it was all he knew how to get people to pay attention to him. He thought being nice was far too slow when it came to progress...but Mantis had confidence that the long-term payoff was worth it. So...he was going to take the chance. "Maybe I can..."_

 _"That's the spirit, bro. You got this!" Mantis chanted._

 _"Do I really...?"_

 _"Hey hey hey!" Mantis hopped on his snout, pointing his foreleg between Lidong's eyes. "Lidong. Look at me. Look. At. Me."_

 _"I'm looking, I'm looking!" Lidong growled in annoyance._

 _"Listen to me. You got this. You need to say it yourself so you can believe it better. YOU GOT THIS."_

 _The croc was unsure about what this would accomplish. "I got this."_

 _"There we go. Now...just lie there for a couple more hours."_

 _"What?! Why?!"_

 _"You still haven't recovered from your injuries. You're gonna have to keep still for a while if you want a full recovery." Mantis said as he hopped off into the house. "Are you hungry, man? I got plenty of dumplings are still good. I'd invite you in...but I'm pretty sure you'd accidently crush my house. Want me to just being it out here?"_

 _Lidong was contemplating whether or not he should take the offer. Then he could hear his stomach growling loudly,and he sighed. "Yeah...why not. It's not like I'm expecting anything. Those crocs of mine probably never want to see me again, in fact I'm pretty sure they must be like, miles away from here by now. So...is it okay if I just...move in with you. Obviously not inside since...you know. But...if I live with you...would you be alright with that?"_

 _Mantis looked Lidong in the eye, and smiled. "Yeah. I can be cool with that. I just moved out of my mom's house, and it's getting pretty boring living alone."_

 _"I see. Just moved out of your Mom's house." The croc blinked. "Wait...you only lived with your mother...so that means-"_

 _"Yep. She ate my Dad." They both shivered violently at the thought. Mantis DID come to terms that it was a natural phase...that doesn't mean it didn't disturb him. Lidong clearly shared the same sentiment._

 _"Nature...is scary."_

 _"No arguements here..."_

 **(End Flashback)**

Po folded his arms. "You guys bonded over liking food, conversing about your size, and agreeing on the fact that nature can be terrifying?'

"Yep." Mantis and Lidong said with smiles on their faces.

The panda nods. "Yeah that is something to bond over. Nature IS scary."

"What?" Crane asked in confusion, adjusting his hat. "That one strikes you heavier than the others?"

Po looked at him with a scared look. "Hell yeah it does! Just imagine it. You get your head, and your entire body if you're supremely unlucky, eaten by your wife!" He pulled the sides of his hat down in fear. "How scary is that?"

All the guys(including Shifu) took a while to process this, and they all shiver violently from the thought of it. The three females rolled their eyes. Although...Monkey decided to poke a tiny bit of fun.

"Hear that, Tigress? Better try to be nice to your future boyfriend."

Tigress eyed Monkey in confusion. "What are you talking about...?"

"You know~" The primate said slyly with a smirk, as his eyes darted to Po and back to Tigress. When the hidden messsge sank in, the feline blushed brightly.

"W-What are you trying to say?"

"I dunno. What do ya think I'm talking about?" Monkey said innocently. Tigress immediately deduced one of Monkey's...less than innocent parts of his personality. Probably has something to do with his days on the streets. She then looked at him with a deadpan face.

"I'm warning you now. Stop where you are if you value your health."

"Why?"

"Because I've never used my teeth or claws in combat... _yet._ " she placed emphasis on they 'yet' as she cracked her knuckles. "And it would be rather...unfortunate...if someone found you lying on the ground bleeding and uncnscious with claw and teeth marks...don't you agree?"

The primate gulped, and broke his gaze with her. _She's so freaking scary...how is Po not intimidated by her?_

"Hey Tigress, look! No hands!" Po said as he was balancing his straw hat on his head by the tip, swaying back and forth so it wouldn't fall off. Tigress sees this and it instilled a chuckle from her. Monkey sweatdropped.

 _Of course. He actually makes her laugh. Though I can understand that, she's not as connected with the rest of us like she is with Po. Her scarf makes that quite apparent. Still, she leaves me a bit unhinged at times..._

Fung contemplated the story Mantis and Lidong told about their meeting and friendship. Fung turned to Mantis completely...and bowed to him. "I thought my cousin would never straighten up his attitude over his size. I need to thank you for helping him do so."

Mantis shook his head. "Don't mention it. Was the last I could do."

Lidong smirked, patting Fung's head. "Aww...is my wittle older cousin a bit annoyed with me?"

"Gaaaaah..." Fung groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Oh don't be so embarressed, Fung." Mr. Ping attempted to comfort, patting his leg. "Being smaller than your younger relative."

"Easy for you to say. You're a goose, Mr. Ping." Fung mumbled, glaring at the ground as if he wanted to burn a hole into it. Mei Ling snickered at the display, Monkey straight up laughed, and Mr. Ping himself just tilted his head, not knowing what just happened.

As they got closer to the targeted village...Fenghuang and Shifu narrowed their eyes. Something...didn't feel right. They could feel killer intent begin to fill the area. While they were not too affected, the others began feeling a bit of weight on them. It caused them to stop and turn to the younger ones, who also stopped to eye their elders. Zeng was feeling most vulnerable to the change in the air. He could have sworn that he felt like something was suffocating him.

Like...like a snake...

He placed his wings on his long neck just to make sure. He sighed in relief when he realized that he was only imagining it. Though he desparately looked around to see if anything was causing said killing intent. But he could not see anything.

"Something is watching us." Fenghuang said bluntly, as her eyes kept darting back and forth, and her head did a 180° in both directions to get a better understanding. The display briefly made Zeng jump. "I don't know who...but someone has their eyes on us...and they hide their presence well."

"Is it an enemy?" Shifu narrowed his eyes, his ears listening for the slightest movement. He could clearly hear something moving around them, he just couldn't find an exact location. Only clue was that they were nearby for sure. "Who's there...?"

 _Now._

"AAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

The scream caught Shifu's attention, and he ran in the direction it came from. "Wait up, Midget!" Fenghuang called out as she flew after him when he began running. Out of a need for an assurance of safety, as well as worry for Shifu's wellbeing, Zeng and Mr. Ping ran after them.

"Wait! Where are you two going?!" Mei Ling shouted after them, trying to bring them back to no avail. Crane was getting increasingly nervous as he heard the voices drown out with distance.

"Something's wrong." Tigress said in full warrior mode, her eyes piercing the darkness. "Separating us from our Masters won't do you any good! Come out!"

 _You heard the feline. Introduce_ _yoursssself._ _Remember what me and your father taught you._

 _I will._

Po rubbed his head as he kept looking around in confusion. "What the heck...? I swear I heard something hissing...I wonder if-" His sentence was immediately cut off as he felt something smack his face at high speed, sending him tumbling backwards for a couple yards. Everyone chased after him as he was moving. When he finally stopped, he sat up and rubbed his stingin redg cheek. "AAAAAAAAOOOOOWW! What the...what the hell?! What was that?!"

"That...would be me."

He heard the chilling cold _hiss_ that came after that sentence, and he was surprised to see a Viper slithering into the clearing, her blue eyes were slitted and her tongue snuck out along with her hiss. _She_ was the one emitting that killer intent, Tigress could sense it clearly. Though...she found it strange that the snake had lilies on her head...and lipstick? If she wasn't looking at them with a look to kill, she'd call her cute.

"Two leggarsssss are ssssssupposed to enter through the ssssside of the village. You were about to enter through the front, which is not allowed for you." The snake hissed dangerously.

Po thought a long while, and he gazed at her with surprise. "Hey...your name wouldn't be Viper by any chance, would it?"

"What'ssss it to you?"

"Hah! I knew it! We found her!" Po cheered. Then he blinked and tended to his cheek again. "Oww...but why'd you hit me...?"

"Yeah, what's your deal? Amd why'd you call us two leggars?" Fung said, helping Po stand up.

"I ask the questionssss, two leggar!" Viper spat. "I don't have to explain my reasons to you. Not to any of you!"

"Hey. You better calm down!" Lidong stomped. "We don't want to hurt you."

Viper laughed loudly, in a tone that unnerved Crane, Monkey and Mantis. The laughter died down as she glared at Lidong. "That's too bad. _Becausssse I'm very interesssssted in hurting YOU."_ After she said that, she shot forward as she slithered to Lidong's leg and wrapped around his neck as her tail stretched to his giant paws, making it form a fist. Before he could even react, she used the limb to make himself punch himself in the face HARD, so much that it could be heard all around the forest, and this continued for a full minute. When she relented, she slithered from his body and to the ground in a disturbingly calm manner. After a couple minutes, Lidong fell forward, creating a cloud of dust around him. He was unconscious.

Mantis and the others stared at the snake in shock. Lidong was big, powerful, and his punches packed a lot of force behind them...and she turned this against him to defeat him in under a minute. Her tail strength was unbelievable.

Tigress narrowed her eyes. _She took the biggest of us out first...she's dangerous...VERY dangerous..._

"Letsssss see...the big one is down for the count. Which do I strike next...?" Viper hissed, as she eyed her prey with a dark look.

Po watched the snake slither back and forth in front of them, with his widened eyes. "Ooooookay...this might be harder than I thought." Even with the situation quickly turning for the worse, he was still thinking mainly about the difficulty for recruiting her. He was thinking about something else. It was so quick that if he blinked, he would have missed it. He saw a flash of great reluctance cross her eyes, which was sign enough for him to make a guess.

 _This is a front...a very convincing one...but why...?_

"I'll sssstart with..." Viper placed her tail on her mouth, tapping it like a person would with their fingers. She gazed each of them with a curious look. Po, Tigress, Fung, Crane, Mantis...

Monkey.

"YOU!" She shouted as she lashed out at him with her tail, as the primate's eyes widened exponentially.

"AH CRAP!"

 **(With Shifu and Fenghuang)**

The two led Mei Ling, Zeng, and Mr. Ping, to an open clearing. They could see a goat shivering on the ground, as he could hear him mumbling something. Shifu approached him with a calming paw.

"It's alright. You're not hurt, are you?" Shifu asked with concern. The goat eyed the red pands with bloodshot eyes.

"Y-Y-You're Master Shifu..." He muttered. He then shot forward and grasped his robe. "You gotta help us! My village can't take anymore of this abuse! Always living in fear because of the poison in our veins...please, help!"

Shfiu looked at the goats neck...he sees the bite mark. "Fenghuang. He's been bitten by something."

Fenghuang laughed a bit. _Hahahaha...no...it couldn't be...could it?_ "Say...do you know who bit you, goat?"

He shivered more, as Zeng and Mr. Ping tired to comfort him. "L-L-Lord Fu-Xi..."

 _Dammit!_

"H-He's bitten everyone in the village...f-filling us w-with fear-inducing toxin..." He shivered. "S-SO that we w-were too afraid to resist him..."

 _DAMMIT!_

"Why did this happen? I know that Great Master Viper is the guardian of this village. Why doesn't he do somethint?" Shifu asked in disbelief.

The fear-induced goat gulped. "H-He's forced G-Great Master Viper to be his subordinate...s-since he failed ro protect the village years back when a gorilla bandit attacked..."

 _ **DAMMIT!**  
_

Fenghuang took a deep breath to calm down."Any _other_ information thay would be very surprising to hear?" She said with an irritated twitch in her eye.

"H-He also brought Great Master Viper's daughter to his side. She just goes by Viper."

"AGH!" She said, throwing her wings up. "He turned the old snake's daughter into his secret dark apprentice that wear's a sweet innocent face! What's next!? I suppose he set up a trap so that she would take on the young-" Fenghuang's eyes widened, then lowered as she tucked in her wings.

Mei Ling cocked her head to the side. "Master Fenghuang?"

"It's a trap, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is..." They heard an elderly voice call out to them. They see Great Master Viper approach them with a regretful look on his face. "You have been deceived..."

"Great Master Viper...? What is the meaning of this?" Shifu asked in confusion. His confusion turned to shock as he sees his old friend get into fighting position. "What...?"

"I cannot explain it to you at the moment." He said solemnly, as he stares at them. "You must defeat me if you want to know what's going on, in better detail."

Shifu and Mei Ling got into defensive stances,Zeng and Mr. Ping stayed close to Fenghuang, who was just standing there processing all of the information. "Lemme get this straight...Fu-Xi has both you and your daughter being manipulated...the village is in a fear-induced state due to his toxin...and now he separated us from most of the younger warriors so that they would be easier to take down...and the only way we'll get more information...is to defeat Mr. Snake Sage?"

"It seems to be that way." Shifu said, not taking his eyes off of his reluctant opponent.

"...Wwwwwweeeeeeellllll then..." She says as she reviews the situation again. "This situation escalated quickly." She sighed. "It won't be the last time, will it?"

"Probably the first of many." Zeng raised a wing nervously.

"Of course." She sighed. "I could really use a drink right now..."

With the reluctant look still on his fave, Great Master Viper hissed and lunged at the Masters.

Both Vipers have began their strike. And Fu-Xi hid in the shadows, watching the battles unfold...

* * *

 **Part One of "Serpent's Tooth" has been completed. Part Two will becoming soon.**

 **This was mostly to get Mantis and Lidong out of the way so the next chapters can focus more on Viper...one must consider how strong she must be, living and taught by two mighty serpents...**

 **Yeah...**

 **Anyway, next chapter will be up as soon as I can write it. It's the first part of four, after all.**

 **Bye for now~**


	16. Serpent's Tooth: Part Two

Monkey was highly unsure what to do in this kind of situation. He has been in a plethora of situations before. Corrupt mafia, mob of villagers, revenge pranking...angry women. Okay, two of those he usually brought on himself, due to his playful pranking nature and his tendency to tease women...most of those teases aren't always innocent. He guessed that this may go into a new category, due to the fact that there was a high chance Viper was attacking him just because he was in her line of sight. And she was going for the kill, a thought he seriously did not enjoy.

Instinct gave his body the most obvious action to take in a situation like this. _Dodge._

"AW CRAP!" He shouted out loud as he barely dodges the high speed lunge. Although Viper predicted this, and grabbed a hold of his tail with her own, and swung him in a spiral, sending hom barreling into Crane, knocking them both down in a heap and making Crane drop his hat. Relentless in her pursuit, she slithers after him again.

With her temporarily distracted with the others, Fung ran over to Lidong to try to get him to wake up. But he was immediately aware of just how hard she made him punch himself, as a trickle of blood slid down his head. The assasult was ruthless and lasted a minute, so of course he wouldn't regain consciousness for a while. Viper was aware that beating everyone here would be troubesome if Lidong took spotlight as well. It's was a pretty bad and unexpected turn of events. Especially since they were supposed to recruit this person.

He was contemplating the thought on how Po was taking this, then he remembered: Po was persistent. This setback wasn't going to stop a panda reaching his paw out in friendship, and it wasn't going to stop Fung either. He didn't want to get left behind, after all. Their first objective was to get his fellow reptile to calm down.

He ducked as Monkey flew over his shoulder and crashed face-first into a tre, landing on his back with a groan. "Why is she so hostile towards me, first?!"

"Not sure! There is just something about you especially I don't like!" She hissed as she lashed her tail ag him, he dodges with a backflip and caught onto a tree branch above him.

"Well THAT'S real specific!" He said with a tick mark on his forehead. "You're being a complete jerk!"

"How dare you call me that!?"

"There's _another_ word I can call you, but Tigress will hurt me if I do, because we just met you!"

"It's true, she will hurt him!" Fung shouted.

"You two leggers are all extremely annoying!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS A TWO-LEGGER?!" Monkey shouted.

Tigress snarled slightly, after making sure Crane was alright. "She's too much of a threat with the speed she's going and the length of her body. If we all just surround her and box her in-"

"No!" Po shouted over everyone, bringing all of the attention towards him. He was still holding his stinging cheek, but his eyes seemed more relaxed now. "We are not going to gang up on her. That isn't fair. She's not doing this on her own will."

Viper turned to him with a questioning look. "What are you going on about? I'm fully intent on taking all of you down."

Po took his paw off his cheek and folded his arms. "Let me be honest here...I don't believe you."

"What?!"

The panda nodded. "Everyone...stay where you are. I'll handle this."

"Are you crazy?!" Fung said, grasping his head with both of his paws. "You saw what she did to Lidong in a minute! And she sent you flying with a tail slap!"

"We don't know what her true intentions are, Po. Are you sure...?" Tigress asked, lowering her paws.

Po turned to Tigress with a small smile. "Not to worry, I got this." She kept eye contact for a couple seconds, and she nods, stepping away to give them space. Po then took off his hat, strap included, and tossed it towards Monkey and it landed on his head. "Mind holding that for me, Monkey?"

"Uh...sure." He tilted the hat slightly, and smiled. "Hey...this look isn't bad. Maybe I should get one for myself...wait. Are you gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine." Po waved, as he turned around to face Viper, who's face was full of confusion, which then turned to a cruel smirk.

"I don't know what your game is...but you're obviously messed up in the head if you think you're going yo fight me alone."

Po smiled. "Oh. Oh you're mistaken. I'm not gonna fight you."

Viper blinked. Then everyone else blinked. "...Heh?"

"Nope. You're gonna attack me. I'm gonna keep defending. While we do that, you tell me ALL about who's making you do this. So I'll know who's butt to kick later." He was saying all of this as if he was planning out his morning. This kind of laid-back attitude, combined with the subject at hand...really made Viper angry.

"You truly must be brain-dead if you think you can defeat Fu-Xi!"

"Aha! That's his name! I gotta kick his butt, then we can recruit you, right?" He said, pounding one fist into his palm. Then he faltered and scratched his head. "But first we gotta take care of Lidong's injuries and stuff...but only after we get you to stop trying to hurt us...ugh, so much to do in so little time..." He groaned as he placed his paws on his head. "Man! This is gonna cut into my cooking time! Everyone is gonna be hungry after this!"

Viper jaw-dropped. Then she turned to Fung. "What...is wrong with him?"

Fung turned to her while rubbing his head. "When you put together a slightly bloodthirsty kung fu owl who has very poor-developed social skills due to living in isolation for decades...and a panda who only had friends for a single week and was raised by a jolly unpredictable goose cook who also has poor social skills...you get this guy." Fung gestured to Po, who was just wore a carefree smile on his face.

"To be honest...I really don't wanna do the whole fighting with you thing. So can we...not do that? And you can just tell me about Fu-Xi?" He briefly dodged a tail swipe from Viper, stepping back slightly. "...is that a yes or a no?"

"Take me seriously!" She hissed, repeatedly lashing for his face, though he kept dodging as fast as she was striking.

Po looked at her with confusion, as he briefly cocked his head back and caught her tail for a moment. "What do you mean? I AM being serious." He let go of her tail and jumped back from more of her swipes. He begins to see that she uses her tail like a whip, a whip with an even more painful tip. He inwardly giggled at the rhyme, then he regained his focus.

Her attacks were fast and ruthless, while Po was entirely focused on avoiding and defending. He did admit that trying to block those tail lashes was incredibly painful, and it was evident on his face, but he did not take the offensive. "So, tell me about this Fu-Xi guy." He asked while once again catching her tail, and harmlessly threw her a couple feet behind him as if she were rope. "You seem really loyal to him."

"Of course." She said while slithering back at him quickly and did an upward tail whip, which caused a pained groan to come from his mouth. "He saved my life, and he's a great role model for snakes everywhere."

"Role model, huh? Sounds pretty serious." Po remarked as he was again smacked back in the face by her tail, and he rubbed it again. "The same cheek again?! Come on!"

"Fu-Xi was a noble warrior, and a descendent of the Dragon Gods.." Po's eyes sparkled at the name. He wondered how cool these 'Dragon Gods' were back then. He was snapped out of his daze as Viper wrapped her tail around him. "He was always defending China from evil...until the two-leggers turned on him and killed his entire clan because they feared his power, or what he could become." She then tossed Po to the side, causing him to crash straight through mutiple trees, ending with one falling over him. He pushed it off of him easily, though now he was sporting mutliple scratches and was bleeding slightly, but he kept his calm face.

Tigress...was a different story. She was extremely ticked off at the sight of Po receiving a beatdown and not resisting the assault. She was tempted to jump the reptile herself, which was shown through her claws slowly easing out.

"Easy, Tigress..." Fung said to her while grabbing her left arm, as she didn't realize she was trying ro move forward. "Po says he has this under control."

"This doesn't look very controlled, Fung!" She snarled.

The croc very cautiously continued. "Look, Po obviously has something in mind. If you jump in now, you'll mess it up. Just keep those claws sheathed, okay?" Tigress looked very reluctant...but she let her claws slide back in, and Fung sighed. That was too close.

Po recovered enough to make eye contact with Viper, who was continuing to slither up to him with her eyes slitted. "That was a great injustice for him, and for many others. Because people lost trust in him, and therefore lost trust in many other snakes in China, including my father, Great Master Viper. It doesn't matter how much either of them did for others, their faith in snakes can never be fully restored again. People were actually _happy_ that Daddy lost his preciois poisonous fangs, because that's what makes us so dangerous. People were also glad that I was born without fangs. But that wasn't enough. Despite being only a little girl at the time...I wasn't very trusted. My father made sure they never made any hostile moves towards me, but they still found a way to hurt me. I couldn't make any friends at all...I hated them...they hurt me just for being who I am...two leggers are two afraid of us snakes to even try to make peace..." She glared. "Not to mention...a two legger gorilla bandit smashed the eggs of my sisters...so I never got to even see them..."

 _Ah...there it is._ Po said in his thoughts. He knew if he listened long enough he would discover the _real_ reason for why she was doing this. When one has such a deep hatred for something, there is always something personal in the mix. History has proven this time and again. His own Master was a very good example, so of course he had some understanding of it. He has found Viper's reason for hating the so-called 'two leggers' which is all creatures that walk on two legs. Because her unborn sisters were seemingly killed in a bandit attack. He has found a way to connect with Viper.

Their species aren't very accepted by others. He knows what his next move was...and it had a pretty high chance of being painful. But the outcome would be worth it.

"Viper...I kinda know how you feel." Po said slowly.

"Shut up! How would you know how I feel!?" She hissed.

Po looked her in the eye. "From what my childhood has taught me, pandas aren't very well liked, either. And I haven't seen one for years. It feels kind of lonely when you're the only one of your species seen for miles. No one liked me, either. Making friends was close to impossible, because people just decided that I wasn't worth their time." He rubbed his neck. "Being on the receiving of racism is never fun. But...returning it doesn't help much either. I'm gonna be honest...I think this Fu-Xi guy is setting a bad example for you."

Viper was temporarily stunned by Po revealing something personal about himself. He had the same harsh treatment as others had for snakes...except there are no other pandas around, none that can be seen. Only Po. Then she hears the last part of the sentence and shook her head. "Don't badmouth Fu-Xi! I won't let you badmouth Big Brother!" The panda was now even more aware of her relationship with this Fu-Xi person, and knew why she was trying so hard to defend him. He watches as she slithers back into the bushes for a couple moments, then she comes back out...with steel teeth designed to fit her jaws. Tigress resisted the urge to pounce on her. She was well aware of what would happen next, and Po was going to let it happen.

Viper continued to glare at Po. "You're deceiving me. I won't fall for it. He always said that two-leggers will try to show sympathy to me in order to make me lower my guard! It won't work!"

"Viper. I don't lie about stuff like this. One, I would suck at at it. Two, I don't want to." Po said, his arms now unfolded. "And I'm speaking my mind here. Someone who teaches you to respond to hate with even more hate is not a good role model."

"Be silent! I can't trust anything you say!"

"You wanna know if you can trust me? Fine." Po resolved, holding his arms out. "Bite me." He asked of her, causing her to flinch. "I'm not here to deceive you, I only want to be your friend. I can see that you won't trust me, until I prove it to you. So go on...bite me anywhere... I won't move a muscle."

Crane's beak dropped, Monkey was lowering his hat over his face, Mantis was in top of said hat, Tigress was still resisting the urge to pounce, and now even Fung was starting to doubt Po's risk-taking. "Um...Po...those are _steel jaws..._ I'm pretty sure that's gonna hurt like hell when she bites into you! Isn't there another way to prove you're trustworthy?"

"There might be...but I think this fits better."

"THAT'S NOT REASSURING! OR SAFE!"

Viper inserted the teeth into her jaws, and glared at Po. If this was what he wants, he would receive it. She opened her jaws and lunged forward quickly, appearing as a blur. The steel teeth made contact with his shoulder...

Everyone around them wore shocked faces as they saw blood spatter onto the ground. Tigress's face was soon twisted into rage, as Fung and Monkey tried desparately to hold her back. Crane flinched at the scene, while Mantis was in disbelief that Po took a gamble like that and went through with it. Lidong couldn't witness it because he was still very much unconscious.

But no one shocked than Viper. She backed away in horror the damage she inflicted, now that her blind loyalty was wiped away for the moment. Po's shoulder was currently bleeding profusely. And combined with the many cuts he received from crashing into trees, she wondered if he would pass out from blood loss. But he seemed determined to remain standing.

"I told you I wouldn't move a muscle." Po said. Even with a bleeding shoulder he was keeping his full attention on Viper. "Do you trust me now, Viper?"

"...I'm sorry..."

"What?"

He could see her face in better detail when she looked up to meet his eyes. The killing intent was gone, her eyes were no longer slitted...and she was babbling apologies. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! So so sorry!"

The rage Tigress felt was now shifted to confusion, as well as everyone else. One moment, Viper had killing intent and she gave Po a serious thrashing, even if he didn't fight back. And seconds after she bites him hard in the shoulder with steel teeth and drawing a lot of blood, and then rapidly apologizes for it?

Everyone was officially confused.

Viper kept bowing as she hastily forced the steel teeth out of her jaws. "I didn't think you'd actually stand there and take the bite! I thought you were bluffing!"

"I'm just gonna break it to you. I'm not good at bluffing." Po said, rubbing his shoulder...big mistake. "Agh, dammit! Forgot you just bit that shoulder!"

"Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine...hey...what's with the whole mood change thing?"

Viper looked to the ground. "I...only chase off people...my fighting skills would have chased them out by now...yet you chose to stay here and take my abuse...and you're still here."

"Sure I am. I want to recruit you. And by that, I want to be your buddy. What do you say?"

Viper's eyes widened, while Mantis looked on with disbelief. "Seriously? She almost killed you, dude. And you very well almost let her if she wasn't careful. And you're not gonna hold that against her?"

Po looked up to the sky to think about it. He then shook his head. "Nah. Not really. Might have something to do with the fact that Fu-Xi convinced her that everything that walks on two legs is the enemy...she doesn't seem like the type of person who believes in that." He turned around to face her. "Are you, Viper?"

"I...I..."

"I took a steel chomp to my bad shoulder without a second thought, just so I could provw that I could be trusted. It's pretty stupid, but I believe it worked." He gave a softer look to Viper. "Be honest, Viper. Do you _truly_ believe EVERY word Fu-Xi has been telling you about us?"

The snake eyed the panda with much shock. Po had just said that he was terrible at lying. So what he thinks of her is what he truly sees her as. Someome who needs a friend. Not as a simple snake. All the people she met on two legs were people who wanted to harm her or her father. Fu-Xi always told her that two-leggers can't be friends with snakes because there were so many evil ones out there...he never told her there were actually nice ones. Viper looks up at Po, unsure of what to say.

"I-" She began to speak, but she felt something strike her head, and her world went black.

"I am sorry, sister." Po's eyes widened as he sees the large cobra gently set the younger snake on the ground, before glaring at Po. "I will not allow you to fill her head with your blatant lies."

"The only one lying here is you!" Po pointed with a glare of his own. "You're closing her off from any potential friends!"

"She'll find friends in her own kind. Not with filth like you." The cobra lashed his tail at Po's bleeding shoulder, making a sharp cut to go with the bite.

"AGGGGH!" Po screamed out as he gripped his injured shoulder and got on one knee, looking at the cobra. "You...can't...do this...to her..."

"This is for her own good. I know what's best for her. You'll ruin all the progress I made with her. And I cannot allow that. So do us both a favor..." He raised his tail high. "And leave us be." He swung his tail in an arc, and slapped Po away.

And unlike Viper's tail slaps to the face which only stung, Fu-Xi's tail slap actually rattled his skull and sent him flying a greater distance than before. And unlike the other times, he did not immediately recover from this one. It was significantly harder than Viper's. He was lying on the ground, his eyes wide from the shock of the blow. It gave enough time for Fu-Xi to grab Viper and slither away with her.

Tigress rushed for Po the moment Fu-Xi knocked him away and checked on him as the cobra disappeared. "Crane, see if you can keep track of him! And if possible, get Viper away from him!"

"I-I got it!" Crane nods as Mantis hopped on his hat. Appreciating the unspoken offered help, Crane flew off to the sky, keeping an aerial view on Fu-Xi's movements.

Monkey and Fung ran up to Po to help him up. "Are you alright?! Dude, we could hear the blow from where we were! That had to have been painful!"

"I m fine." Po said through gritted teeth. Hw recieved a harsh blow to the head, and his shoulder was still bleeding. This was attributed to him feeling extremely lightheaded and could lose consciousness if he keeps pushing himself. But he refused to acknowledge this. "We need...to go save...Viper..."

"We need to get you patched up." Monkey shook his head. "You took multiple small blows to the head, one HARD blow to the head, and that bite mark drew a lot of blood. Still think that was a crappy idea. If you try going after Fu-Xi in your condition, he'll kill you for sure."

"Besides, Lidong is still down, too. And who knows where the others went." Fung added. "Look, Crane and Mantis will keep track of them and let us know where he's keeping her."

"But right now we need to get that shoulder fixed." Tigress said. "I'll carry you."

"No Tigress, that's okay. I can walk...I'm fine, really." Po weakly tried to stand. He didn't want to burden them more than he already might have. But his feline friend wasn't having it.

"You look like you're gonna fall over from all of those head blows and blood loss! I'm. Carrying. You." Tigress insisted, poking his chest three times with the three words. Then she hurried and scooped him up in her arms with no effort and began running in the direction the Masters, geese, and Mei Ling went. Monkey and Fung were left behind, as they were struggling to lift the unconscious Lidong and carry him with them.

Monkey didn't enjoy this arrangement one bit. "The hell?! She's lifting him like he's a feather! Meanwhile she left us with the heavier load! If she's so physically strong why can't SHE lift this guy and let US carry Po?!"

Fung sighed. "Tigress hasn't really gotten too close to the others like she has with Po. I wouldn't be surprised that he's her main priority until further notice. I'm a mildly close second."

"That's SO not fair!"

"Is it really unfair? She's only known you guys for less than a week and a half." He frowned. "Then again, we only knew each other for a week before we split up for 15 years...I dunno. All I know is that I don't have full understanding on how she thinks. Just like I don't have a full understanding on how Po thinks." He sighed. "Sometimes reading either of them is completely impossible..."

Monkey sighed. "And you're supposed to be the sane one of the trio?"

"Probably. Depends on your definition of sane."

 **(With the Masters)**

Shifu's unwanted battle with Great Master Viper has not made any real progress for a long while. For the most part they were evenly match. An important factor may be that they didn't really want to fight one another, another would be that they were both supreme in terms of speed, and most annoyingly...Shifu didn't want any help.

Not that Fenghuang was complaining. In fact, she was fully content with allowing Shfiu to handle this alone. She was perched on a nearby tree branch, watching on with neutral interest. Mei Ling, Mr. Ping, and Zeng were all extremely concerned for how this may turn out.

"Should...shouldn't you help Master Shifu?" Zeng asked Fenghuang, his wings on his chattering beak.

"Hey. The Midget says he's got this, he's got this. Calm your feathers, Palace Servant." Fenghuang said casually. "Plus...I don't feel like it."

"Well that's a perfectly good reason." Mei Ling mumbled, crossing her arms. The owl shrugged at her remark.

Shifu admittedly had a hard time at first, but it was becoming clear that he had the upper hand after all. "I don't know why you're doing this, Great Master Viper, but you are at a disadvantage after all."

"What makes you so certain?" The serpent asked as he swiftly moved around Shifu and trapped him in his coils.

"Because you've lost your Poisonous Fangs, and you were far too reliant on them." The red panda easily broke free with the use of his walking stick and sent him flying with a spin kick. "Otherwise this 'battle' would have been incredibly troubling."

"I'm not the only one who is handicapped." Great Master Viper said, gazing at Shifu's leg. "Your right leg seems to be a limp."

"Yes...I'm sure you've heard of the incident..." He said quietly as he jumped up from the whip attack towards his feetand balanced on his staff.

"Yes...I am sorry for bringing that up." The serpent apologized before slithering up and again and attempting to lash his tail again at the elder panda, however this was easily avoided, and Shifu pinned him to the ground by landing on his back and directed the pointed end of his staff towards his face. His eyes lowered slightly. "You are right. Being roo dependent on my Fangs has deeply weakened me..."

Shifu acknowledged his victory and stepped off the elder snake, allowing him to recover. "Now...would you mind telling me what exactly is going on here? What has Fu-Xi done to your village?"

The serpent was about to answer, but Shifu heard his name being called loudly, and he turned around to see Monkey and Fung struggling greatly to carry Lidong along, while Tigress was carrying Po in her arms. Fenghuang would have smirked and teased the young feline about it, but her smirk swiftlt turned into a concerned frown when she saw Po's shoulder sporting a deep bite mark on his shoulder, as well as many other injuries on his body. She flew down from her branch and landed un front of Tigress and Po.

"Panda, what happened?" She asked quickly.

He smiled nervously while wincing. "The recruitment...didn't go as well as I hoped. Viper bit my shpulder with steel teeth..." He hissed from the pain while he turned his attention towards his shoulder. "And then Fu-Xi whipped it really hard, which is making the pain so much worse..."

"Fu-Xi ambushed you and took the girl...?" The owl repeated, while rubbing her skull. "Of course he did..."

"You ran into Fu-Xi?! He said he wouldn't come out unless he felt that he needed to..." Master Viper said as he realized something else. "Where's my daughter...?"

"He knocked her out, knocked me aside, and slithered off with her. Couldn't stop him..." Po said, staring at the ground. "I need to get my shoulder fixed up, go after him, and get Viper back!" He said with a determined face, but then he sees his father looking incredibly angry. "Uh...Dad-"

"Where is this Fu-Xi snake?! How dare he make my son's injury worse?!" He yelled aloud. "I'll smash his skull in with my frying pan!"

Fung pulled him hack and stared into the goose's eyes. "Not a good idea, Mr. Ping. He's big enough to swallow you whole."

"Then I'll take a knife with me and cut my way out! Then I'll carve out his cold unfeeling heart and make him eat it! THEN I'LL CHOP HIM UP INTO TINY PIECES AND SET EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM ON FIRE!" He was panting heavily after the outburst, his feathers ruffled from all the fury he feels right now.

Everyone was staring at him with a surprised look on each of their faces at the goose's outburst. Everyone except Fenghuang that is. She was observing the goose as if she's seen this multiple times. Which she has. Fung and Monkey would have taken a step back, but remembered that they were carrying Lidong.

Shifu glared accusingly at the owl. She sensed this, and waved him off. "Don't look at me! He's always like this." She shrugged. "What can I say? The goose is awfully protective of the panda. Those near-death experiences he had a cub really put the geezer on edge."

"Come now, Po." Mr. Ping says while patting his son's side. "Let's get your shoulder fixed up so you can show that cobra what for! Then you'll be able to get your friend back!"

Great Master Viper was looking in surprise as the goose and panda both spoke to one another with determined faces even while Po was in pain. He would not lie, he admired the duo's relationship, because they were the same, yet at the same time they were not. He wanted a relationship like that with his daughter, but he himself ruined that chance. And everyone in his village had gotten caught up in that mistake, and many were suffering for it. But that ends now. Because he was going to reach out for help, like he should have.

"Everyone follow me. We're going back to my palace. I'm sure Fu-Xi won't try to go back there. Did you say that one of your friends is following him from overhead?"

"Yes. Crane and Mantis should be able to keep track of him from an aerial view. They'll get Viper back, and it'll force Fu-Xi to confront all of us." Tigress said. "Then we take him down."

"Very well. Come, we should go to treat your friends." He slithers ahead of the group, heading towards his palace with the unconscious Lidong and injured Po. The latter looked behind him and towards the sky.

 _Crane and Mantis...you guys have your part. Get Viper back to us. And when you take care of that, I can do my part. And that's to kick Fu-Xi's tail! Then we'll have another friend with us!_ Po nods. _We're counting on you two..._

 **(In The Skies)**

Crane's eyes widened as he looked behind him slightly. He blinked. For some reason, he feels ever more determined to make sure he and Mantis succeed in their objective. Mantis sees the look in his eye while he hangs from his hat carefully. "Hey dude, what's going on?"

Crane spaced out for a couple moments, before he nods and turns his head forward. "Mantis. Even if you haven't officially joined our team, just know that I'm depending on you anyway! We won't fail!"

The insect had no idea where this confidence came from, but he wouldn't question it. "You got it, man." He lifted himself back on top of the hat. Crane's face was looking more determined than before.

 _They're depending on us, aren't they? We can't let them down!_ He flapped his wings, picking up speed. He didn't know what Viper's relationship with Fu-Xi was, but it didn't matter. It's now obvious Viper was just a pawn, and the cobra insists on keeping her that way. They were going to put a stop to that.

"We got off to a bad start, but that doesn't matter to us." Crane stated strongly."Just hang tight, Viper. We're coming!"

* * *

 **Part Two of Serpent's Tooth has been completed. Part Three shall be out soon. It may not be as good as I hoped it would be, so I hope you can forgive that.**

 **Farewell, for now...**


	17. Serpent's Tooth: Part Three

Viper slowly woke up from being hit on the head, trying to gain a sense of her surroundings. The first thing she's able to figure out, was that she's in Fu-Xi's private house. Another detail she noticed, is that she was currently in his bed.

"Sister...please calm yourself. There's no need to panic. You're safe now." She heard the familiar voice in the darkness, amd she looked up to see Fu-Xi staring down at her with a look of concern. At this point, however, she was unsure if that look was genuine or not. She was tempted to avoid his gaze, but he kept eye contact by pushing her head gently so that their eyes met. "That two-legger almost got to you. I'm just glad that I got there when I could. I was afraid that he hurt you in some way, but it appears it was not the case." He hissed. "Do not worry, sister. Once I eliminate him and his friends, we can continue as we had planned."

Viper could hear the relief in his voice...but after her run-in with Po, she was beginning to question if he was actually being genuine with that kind of tone. He was being soft and gentle with her, then he smacked Po aside with extreme prejudice. Was...she acting like that? She never questioned it until now. It was always a nagging feeling in the back of her head that wondered if he truly cared about her or not. His eyes flashed with extreme hatred when he mentioned Po. Then she flashed back to what he said earlier:

 _Someone who teaches you to respond to hate with even more hate is not a good role model._

She didn't show it at the time, but she was very rattled by that statement. She was even more rattled by the fact that Po had taken a chomp made of steel, just so that he could get her to trust him. Usually when she chases off those who walk on two legs, they respond who equal hostility and are quickly taken down. Or they would run away before she could do so. But never had she witnessed someone risk serious harm to their being in order to prove they were not hostile. Then she remembered that it was _he_ had his comrades stand back in order for him to try and reason with her eye-to-eye. While he was taking a beating from her. And not once did he strike back, all he did was dodge, avoid, and block at best. And then after she placed a beatdown on him and stopped, he still dusted himself off for the most part and asked her to be a part of his group of friends. He never held a hostile gaze towards her.

...Was she wrong?

...Was...Fu-Xi wrong? He had taught her that all two-leggers could not be trusted, and all of them were evil. One had just risked his life just to prove himself safe enough to have a conversation with. It was now clear that something was wrong with this picture. She only had one way to be sure. Gather up some much needed courage and stare down her so-called 'Big Brother'

"Master Fu-Xi..." She said cautiously, causing the cobra to look at her with an attentive look. "I...is everything you said...everything you say about 'two-leggers'...is it really true?"

"What is this about, Viper? You've never doubted me before."

"I know! It:s just that..." Viper looked down while feeling trapped by his gaze. "...You always say that they could never be trusted...that they have been, and always will be the evil ones...but...did you ever give them a chance to redeem themselves?" She asked him quietly. "You never told me...that there were nice ones. The panda was trying very hard to be nice and all I did was beat him up...I feel awful about it. He's not like the others that came before him. He's different..."

Fu-Xi paused as the young serpent before him spoke her mind. He didn't know what the panda said to her, but it only began to sink in just now. Her mind was shifting to questions she had a right to ask. Those were also questions that he could not truthfully answer, or else he would lose her as an ally. Though she'll be able to tell if he lies to her any more, because now she's paying extra attention to what he says and how he says it. He was stuck. Viper was a genuinely nice person, and she was being tricked into being so mean to others. If she found out the truth, most of his plans would be ruined. Viper is supposed to be his successor. Thanks to the panda, that plan was in jeopardy.

How he seriously hated that panda right now.

"Master Fu-Xi...?" Viper's voice snapped him out of his thoughts as his eyes met with hers. Her azure orbs were bordering on the verge of desparation and shame. She was desparate to know where Fu-Xi's alignment really lies, and she would be ashamed of herself for many reasons, if she got the answer she feared. He was silently going through all the options he had in restoring her now fragile loyalty to him...he could not find anything to say. Not anything that could dissuade taking steel jaws to the shoulder as a test of trust. A two-legger like the panda...nothing he has encountered before. He found no loophole to use this action against him. He left too much of an impact in such a short time.

He needs to be removed.

"Viper...just...just rest for a little while longer, okay? I have to go take care of something." Fu-Xi finally said, nodding to her and left his house, slithering out and closing the door. Viper gazed at the door for a couple moments, before she recalled something else Po said:

 _Be honest, Viper. Do you **truly** believe EVERY word Fu-Xi has been telling you about us? _

Viper recalled the behavior she has been told to practice. She was under the impression that she was doing the right thing. Now she's having thoughts about those actions being the opposite of what they're supposed to be. She's always trusted Fu-Xi...now she wasn't so sure about that.

The serpent had no choice, she had to figure out the truth about her 'Big Brother'. There's something he wasn't telling her, and she wanted to know what it was. So as quietly as she could, she slithered out of bed, gently placed her tail on the door, opened it slightly as she slithered out, then closed it. She quickly looked forward to see that Fu-Xi was still slithering onward, so she did her best to follow him while remaining in the shadows. She was taught to be stealthy when it came to stalking...she still thought that was not a good word for it.

Viper shakes her head to clear it from those thoughts, as she had to remain focused. Fu-Xi is still within her line of sight, and she realized they've been slithering for a very long distance. Her thoughts began getting in the way again as she wondered where he could be going so far out from his house. She hoped he wasn't actually going to go after the panda, there's a high chance that he hasn't recovered from the beatdown he willingly recieved from her. Fu-Xi will kill him for sure if that's the case. If he tries that...she might try to stop him. Attacking someone who can't defend themselves never sat well with her. She chases people off, but she was no bully.

At least she hoped she wasn't. Then she'd feel worse.

Her attention was once again directed to Fu-Xi's path, once again regaining her focus. They were finally reaching the end of the path, while she kept silent under the shadows of the trees she kept hidden under. At one point she stopped to see a warehouse which seemed awfully close to her village's water supply, which was the river. Why would he need a warehouse so close to it? Then she realized something else, she has never seen this warehouse before, and she's been everywhere around her village. What wasn't he telling her? She looked up as she saw Fu-Xi enter the warehouse door, her mind pushed her to follow silently. She slithered quietly but quickly to the door, keeping it open so she could look inside.

What she found wasn't what she expected.

She saw that there's a large container filled with fear-inducing venom, and it was almost completely filled. It looked big enough to contaminate the entire river if it was full to the brim. Her eyes were wide as she could see he was managing it with careful precision. It's highly unlikely that there are positives to this new image before her, her Master has been hiding things from her this entire time. Why would he be keeping something like this from her?

Her fear skyrocketed when the cobra turned around to face her, and she froze in place with her eyes wide open. He sighed while shaking his head in disappointment. "Whether the panda interfered or not...you would have found out about this, sooner or later." His eyes locked with hers, not needing her to say anything. The azure eyes that followed him with genunine loyalty was now demanding an explanation for whatever he was doing right here. "Viper...I haven't been completely honest with you, but I guess you've figured that out already."

"Fu-Xi...?"

"My fear-induxing venom is not enough if all I do is bite the two-leggers. Me contaminatinf the drinking water with this venom will assure that all of them will remain in a fear induced state so that no one will attempt ro resist us seroents. I was going to use fear to control this village...and eventually the rest of China. Fear will rule them, as we serpents were meant to. Please believe me, Viper. This is for the greater good. The two-leggers lost their chance to better themselves a long time ago. Now it is our time to replace them, and take our rightful place as rulers of all the land. Stay by my side, Viper. You'll become quite an inspirational figure to all serpents, just like myself."

Viper's eyes were still wide open as she shook her head very slowly. "He was right...the panda...Po...he was rifht. You're...not as good a person as you've been telling me." Fu-Xi's eyes narrowed at her as she spoke up with more bravery. "You're not really in it for the food of serpents, are you? You're using your tragic past to gain the sympathy and support of many other serpents...so they can help overcome China as a whole...and you're going to put yourself on top." She stopped shaking her head, now maintaining her glare towards him. "I want to stand up for other serpents, but I don't want to do that by ruthlessly antagonizing everyone else. I...I don't want to do this anymore."

 _*CLUTCH*_

"NGH!" Viper suddenly found herself lifted up into the air a couple feet as Fu-Xi approached her swiftly and wrapped his tail around her next quicker than she could perceive. She had her guard down, and now he had her in a potential death grip.

"Little Sister, please. Don't make me do this. I desperately and genuinely tried to avoid this scenario." Fu-Xi stated with soft eyes, but she refused to look into them.

"No! Don't call me that anymore! You're not my brother...you're just a stranger!" She shouted. "You can't drag me with you on your downward spiral of hatred. I will no longer be a part of it!"

The cobra sighed."Such a shame...I really wanted to avoid this conclusion...but I'm afraid you'll have to die. If you're not by my side, you know too much about me to keep you alive. I still care for you, Viper. So I'll make this swift and painless." Fu-Xi said as he continued to suffocate her by tightening his tail hold on her neck, as her eyes were half-closed and began to black out-

 **SMASH!**

Both serpents turned their heads to the source of the commotion. The ceiling just collapsed, now having a large hole in it. Seconds after that, sosomething flew right through it and landed a couple feet before them. Their eyes we're filled with shock as they registered who crashed through the ceiling.

It was Crane. Along with Mantis, who was sitting atop his straw hat and looking quite shocked that Crane took such a drastic maneuver, as he assumed drastic was not his style. It truly wasn't, but that doesn't mean he didn't know how to pull it off. His wings we're spread out for a couple seconds, then he tucked them in. His eyes remained shadowed by his hat as he stood quietly around the rubble he caused. Fu-Xi was glaring at the avian with intense rage for finding his secret warehouse so quickly. Viper was just staring at him and Mantis in shock. They just busted through the warehouse ceiling. Why?

"Listen up." Crane said, his voice was gentle, but was clearly filled with anger. "It's bad enough that you lied to Viper for years, and manipulated her to your benefit most of her life. Now when she discovers the truth, you're going to kill her without a second thought? And you have the gall to keep calling her 'Little Sister'? How can you do such a callous thing? You're utterly despicable."

The cobra's face twisted onto rage. But Crane wouldn't have it. "Oh it's FAR too late to get angry, Fu-Xi. See, I may have a gentle, controlled rage around me, I can't say the same about Po or Tigress. Especially the latter. Once Po is done recovering, he'll pound you into the dirt. Then we'll have Viper come with us to join our team."

"How do we know that you won't try to manipulate her as well? Your kind can't be trusted." The cobra hissed.

"Because we're giving Viper a _choice,_ unlike you. If she come with us, great. If she doesn't, that's her own decision. We move on, that's all there is to it." Crane looked up to the cobra, locking eyes with him. "I'll give you three. Three seconds before I wreck this warehouse AND your plans, as well as take Viper from you. You might as well. Any positive bond between you both is now nonexistent. Now...release her."

"I won't take orders from you!"

"So you choose to refuse. Very well." Crane said, raising his wings. "You've also lost your three seconds. Mantis. Do it."

Before the cobra could react Mantis shot forward and pressed a pressure point on his back, grabbed Viper, and jumped back at such a speed that he wasn't seen by anyone until he stopped. Fu-Xi tried to slithee free, but he was rendered immobile. "Don't bother. You won't be moving for a while." Mantis said with a cocky smirk. Viper was just as surprised as her former master. "Now Crane, what do you plan on doing?"

"Like I said I'm bringing this warehouse down. This venom must have taken a long time to gather, didn't it?" Crane said, gesturing to the large wooden container of fear-inducing venom. "You might as well kiss it goodbye." He turned towards the container with his wings still raised...then they began to flow a shining white.

Fu-Xi had an idea of what he was doing, but he would not be able to stop it. "No! Stay away from that, you wouldn't dare!"

 **"Wings Of Justice..."** Crane muttered as he flapped his wings. What came next was a powerful gale that ripped the roof off the warehouse and blew the container away a far distance, away from any large group of people. The gale died down, and Crane tucked his wings in, walking out of the wreckage while tilting his straw hat upwards. "That takes care of that. Come on Mantis, Viper. We're leaving. How long until the paralysis wears off?" Fu-Xi was now struggling in vain to lash at Crane.

"We got thirty minutes, dude. Plenty of time." Mantis said, hopping on Crane's hat. "Serves him right." He turns to look down at Viper. "Now you see his true colors. Still wanna stick with a guy like him?"

She didn't have to be told twice. All her faith in Fu-Xi has been shattered in a day. She wasted no time slithering after the duo, leaving Fu-Xi writhing from his temporary paralysis. They would need to be with the others before he breaks free from it.

 **(Great Master Viper's Palace)**

Lidong's eyes slid open as he groaned from his headache. He was sitting outside...he wouldn't be able to fit in any of the rooms inside the palace so everyone was outside with him. He sat up, rubbing his aching head. Fung was the person he saw, who wore a smile of relief. "Glad to see you're awake, cousin."

"Oh...what happened to me...?" The larger croc asked, still slightly dizzy.

Monkey snickered. "You really wanna know?" Lidong nodded. "You got your butt kicked by a girl. That must have sucked, right?"

BONK! BONK! BONK!

Monkey was lying on his back with three bumps on his head, courtesy of Tigress, Mei Ling, and Fenghuang's fist/wing impacting his skull. "Can't...you three...take...a joke...? Ugh..."

"So Lidong, how are you feeling?" Mei Ling asked when the female's annoyance with Monkey has ended for the time being.

"I've had better days." The large croc muttered while staring at everyone. "How's Po?"

Po was doing just fine. His wounds, his shoulder most noticeably, has been properly treated and bandaged, and was in the process of healing. One who has been working with poison for so long would have many medicines as well, many would be good for some quicker healing. Po's injuries were no longer hindering his movement by much, so he was taking his short break to stuff his face with bean buns. Mr. Ping happily provided him with plenty.

Tigress smiled. "He's fine. I was concerned about him for a while, but he's healing pretty quickly. He's more durable than he looks, and I was honestly quite surprised about it."

"Yeah. He has plenty of endurance." Fenghuang yawned, spreading her wings out a little. "Don't know where it comes from, though."

"You say that as if you were fully aware of it." Shifu said.

"Nah. I just accepted it and kept going. It made training easier, anyhow."

Soon enough, Great Master Viper and his wife, Bǎihé(Lily), or just Mistress Viper, were coming out of their palace, though Master Viper now sported a bruise on his cheek, and a sweatdrop running down as he approached his guests. "Forgive me for the delay. I needed to relay the events to my wife. As you can see...she didn't take it too well." He said, awkwardly rubbing his bruised cheek. It was evident that he was slapped pretty hard. Well, at least Po knew where Viper's slaps come from.

Mistress Viper kissed the bruise, softly petting him. "I do admit...I overreacted quite a bit. Sorry, honey."

"Don't be. I should have called out on Fu-Xi's bluffing when I has the chance. And now it's gotten so much worse that others are beginning to suffer for it." He says while he glared at the ground. "To think this mess began with my arrogance...curse it all..."

"You didn't know what was going to happen. You're not completely at fault. The situation wasn't worsened by you."

"That may be, but I'm the one who instigated it. So much happened due to my poor judgement...and now my daughter suffers for it as well. I couldn't feel more shame and concerned than I do now."

"Allow us to relieve the concern part, then!"

Crane flew overhead, swirling around in the sky a couple times while descending to the ground. Mantis hopped off of his hat before going over to Lidong. "Lidong, you're awake! Feeling alright?"

"I've had better days...at least now I know how powerful my fists are on myself...they really hurt. That snake girl put quite a lot of work into 'why are you hitting yourself' didn't she?"

"Yeah dude. She owned your ass."

Lidong frowned, looking away from him. "Bet you didn't do anything to stop her. Puny Bug."

Mantis hopped on his snout and they glared at one another. "Don't call me puny,scaly jerk!"

"I'm not weak enough that I can't squash you!"

"Girls girls, please save this for another time. We have important business to discuss." Fenghuang said to them mockingly, causing the duo to glare at her angrily.

Meanwhile, Viper immediately slithered into the comforting coils of her loving parents, as she cried a bit from her ordeal. "Mom...Daddy...! I was...Fu-Xi has been..." Viper sniffed as she nuzzled her father's head. "He tried to choke me to death when I figured out what he's been doing and that's he's been lying to me this whole time!"

"He tried what?!" Her father hissed dangerously. "He's crossed the line this time! I'll kill him!"

Crane cautiously approached the raging serpent. "Fu-Xi wanted to poison the village's water supply with his venom, but we managed to stop him. He's probably on his way here right now...and he might want to kill me."

"WHERE IS THAT AVIAN?! I'LL SNAP HIS NECK IN TWO!"

"Yup...wants to kill me specifically. Aren't I a lucky one?" Crane laughed sarcastically, dusting off his wings. He was responsible for sending the venom container away through the sky, somewhere it can't do harm to anyone.

Po got up, stretched his arms, and adjusted his hat. "You don't have to worry about that. I'll take care of him before he gets the chance. "

"Count me in. Reptiles needs to stick together." Fung said, patting Viper's head. "That includes beating the crap put if those who manipulate us. Fellow reptile or not, he needs to go down."

"I will join as well." Tigress said, standing up and placing her scarf around her neck. "Someone like Fu-Xi doesn't deserve the title of Big Brother..." She says this with a straight face, but there were deeper reasons behind this. Viper and Fu-Xi's relationship reminds her a lot of her own relationship with herself and Tai Lung. Except...their relationship was genuine. Fu-Xi was simply wearing a mask, pretending to be a caring sibling and using Viper's complications with her father to get what he wanted. And THAT made her want to tear Fu-Xi apart..

Viper for one, couldn't think properly for a moment. In the time span of a day, someone she trusted since she was a little girl had turned on her when her use has been exhausted. She didn't know what she was supposed to think about him now...except that he was the enemy.

The cobra busted through the walls of the courtyard, his hiss menacing and loud. "VIPER! I'm giving you one last chance to rethink this!"

Viper was standing by her decision, not wavering in the slightest, not anymore. "Give up trying to sway me back to your side. That's done, for good. Especially since now I know I was never supposed to be on your side in the first place! You _used_ me...for your own ambitions...and tried to play it off as kindness...there is no way I will ever see tou as a brother, not even a friend. Not after this."

"You hear that, cobra? She's done with you." Fenghuang said.

Fu-Xi shook his head. "If only she hadn't met that panda...if only she believed me for a little longer...she would be much happier with me..."

Tigress folded her arms. "The irony hurts, doesn't it? People feared you because of the strength you possessed. When you began abusing it for your own needs, all you did was prove them right, and take many other serpents down with you. Viper is an unfortunate victim of your blind rage. And many more as well, had we not come when we did."

Po nodded. "Yeah! And I gotta be honest, dude. Your whole 'Two-Legger' deal is...uh..." He began, only to start scratching his head. "It's...um...what's that word...Master Fenghuang?"

"Bullshit." Fenghuang said bluntly.

"THAT'S the one! Thanks, Master!"

Great Master Viper was not at all surprised by this. He knew that Fenghuang was not well-behaved like everyone wants to think. And some of it rubbed off on the panda, it seems. Shifu for one, merely turned his head and stared up at Fenghuang with an exasperate expression. "I really wish you didn't teach him those kinds of words."

"I said I was going to teach him Kung-Fu, not mind my tongue. I told you before, I say what I want." She shrugged.

The red panda then turned to Mr. Ping. "Aren't you going to say something about this?" The goose shook his head.

"Now Shifu, Po is a big boy now. What he says is by his own accord. I don't have control over that." The red panda groaned at the lack of care people gave about the subject.

"Are you all mocking me or something?" Fu-Xi hissed.

"Probably." Po shrugged. "Now we shall commence with kicking the crap outta you."

"You truly believe that it will be that simple?"

"Not really. But it doesn't matter. You tried to mess Viper up. So now...I'm gonna mess _you_ up." Po says with confidence, as he cracked his knuckles and his facial expression turned serious. "That's what true big brothers do. They stand up for their younger sisters. And needless to say, you're a crappy brother in my eyes. As far as I'm concerned, there is a far better candidate for being her big brother than you."

The cobra hissed, as he posed for a strike. "And who might this 'canidate' be?"

The panda smirked, as he raised one paw and pointing to himself with his thumb. "This guy."

The Viper Family's eyes widened at this, but the one most shocked was Viper herself. _Po...even after all the physical pain I placed on your body...you want to be my big brother regardless...? He wants to be...my Big Brother...?_

"Preposterous!" The cobra glared in full denial. "A pathetic sack of flesh like you, posing as her older brother!?"

Po smirked again. "It may look funny, sure. But at this point I'm confident she prefers a pretty awesome bro like me..."

Fung finished for him, pointing at Fu-Xi. "Over a pompous asshole like you!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" His patience now completely torn to shreds, he lunges at the trio of Po, Tigress, and Fung with lethal intent...

* * *

 **Part Three of Serpents Tooth, now complete. The final part will be out soon as I can write it. The first enemy to pose a legitamate threat to their lives...Fu-Xi.**

 **See you soon!**


	18. Serpent's Tooth: Part Four

It went by so quickly. Fu-Xi lunged right at them with his fang's bared. The trio rolled in three different directions before he could bite any of them. Tigress narrowed her eyes as she recovered before the boys.

"Okay, there is a very significant part to this battle. Don't get bitten by him, at any cost."

Fung nodded. "Yeah. If those fangs penetrate our skin it'll send us on a nightmare trip. Don't want that on our minds, not at all." He turned around to duck a swipe of Fu-Xi's tail. "That's not gonna happen anytime soon."

Po tilted his hat to the side as he repeatedly avoided Fu-Xi's tail swipes. They seemed to be especially vicoius towards him and not his comrades. He did not know whether to be annoyed or grateful. He'd rather choose the second thought simply because he liked it better that way. Keeping up with the three of them would not be very easy. Tigress was quick, Fung had stamina, and Po was durable. The central idea was to slow the cobra down enough so that he wouldn't have the speed to try and bite them. Though this wouldn't be very easy, because he was both big and fast at the same time.

He also didn't want to be tail lashed in the shoulder again. It was still looking as sharp. At worst, it could jab through his skin just like his fangs. Po isn't very keen on finding out.

Fu-Xi's eyes were slitted with rage. His venom storage was destroyed, he no longer had Viper as an ally, and he was constantly made a fool of by that cursed panda who seems to have a skill for making the bad guy extremely ticked at him just for being himself. He was sick of seeing the panda, he wanted to kill him. Too bad said panda won't allow opened his jaws and attempted to bite him again, though he was kicked back by Tigress, crashing into the ground. Though his recovery was quick, his tail reached out to grab Tigress by the leg and spun her around in an arf, smashing her into Po and Fung, and he let her go at the same time. All three of them were dazed for a couple moments before they eventually recovered with a bit of effort.

"You weren't kidding when you said his tail had a lot of strength." Fung narrowed his eyes."Sure that's his only way of attacking besides his venemous fangs, but with the speed he lashes out at us with, it's hardly a problem for him."

"He's legendary for a reason." Tigress stated. "But that won't slow us down, not even close."

"Will it truly not matter?" Fu-Xi grinned cynically. "I don't know what you three think you're doing. Are you three trying to play hero?" He said as he raised his head up. "Compared to other great warriors seen around China, you're just a couple of younglings who are in way over their heads. Look at you trying to challenge me, someone who has decades of experience over all three of you." He laughed quietly. "The youth certainly do get more and more foolish."

Po ran up to him and aimed a kick towards him, the cobra's tail swiftly blocking his blow. He flipped over and landed on his feet and looking up to Fu-Xi. "Cool insight, bro. Except...I'm not that interested in being a hero." Fu-Xi would not fake the confusion on his face. It was genuine.

"You're not?" Tigress and Fung asked.

"He's not?" Shifu also asked. Fenghuang smiled.

Po tilted his hat a bit as he stood up to further meet Fu-Xi's gaze. "I don't really feel like explaining this while fighting. I'll just tell you after I beat you into the ground. Not that you're ego will allow yourself to listen." He stepped back as another tail lash barely missed his face. "Your temper is even worse."

"Think you can just keep mocking me like this?!"

"I'm feeling pretty good, so...yeah, pretty much."

Fu-Xi was growing more and more irritated by Po's attitude, evident through his eyes showing slitted pupils ahain, and Po chose to be on his guard again. Though he was surprised when he suddenly disappeared and swiftly coiled around Fung, much to his surprise, and felt the squeezing...it felt much more like crushing. That was probably more likely.

"Do you feel good now?" Fu-Xi said while mockingly smiling. This time Po was the one unamused.

"That's a really quick way to get on my bad side, man. Let him go."

"And what if I don't? I could probably ignore you and keep squeezing, until his ribcage punctures his lungs. Now won't that be interesting to try? Trying to stop me now would only make me increase the pressure." The cobra actually thought he had an advantage, as he sees both Po and Tigress stop moving, and Fung continued to struggled in his coils.

 _Like...hell...you'll use me...as a...hostage!_ Fung grunted. He forced his paws to slide through the coils, he lifts one up, reveals his jaws...and chomped on a coil viciously. The reaction was immediate, as the cobra hissed and screamed loudly from the pain, releasing the croc from his death grip. Po immediately helped him up, while Tigress folded her arms.

"That was fighting dirty, Fung."

He shrugged casually, before glaring at Fu-Xi. "I said I learned Kung Fu from Master Croc, never said I was a clean fighter. He used to be a bandit, after all. Though we're also not assholes like this guy." Tigress seemed to accept this, as she regained her attention on the target. The cobra was hissing loudly, trying to nurse the new bite marks on his body. Fung smirked. "Hehe, remember how you're always biting people to inject them with venom? Doesn't feel so good on the receiving end, does it?"

Fu-Xi angrily glared at them and raised his head high, and lunged forward, intending to strike Po. Hebwas ready to defend...but the cobra swiftly changed course and dug his fangs into Tigress's shoulder. The reaction from Po and Fung was simultaneous.

"TIGRESS!"

"Ngh..." She grunted, getting on one knee and trying to look up atbthe cobra, ignoring the blood running down her arm. Though her vision was becoming blurry and distorted, unable to make clear of anything happening around her. Even the sound seemed to have been drowned out, as her comrades we're still battling Fu-Xi and she was rendered almost immobile. "The venom...is taking effect...I can't let it mess with my focus...I won't-"

 _"You won't what, Tigress?"_

Her ears picked up on the voice and she turned around, her eyes exhibiting shock and disbelief.

Tai-Lung stood a few feet in front of her. She shook her head. "What...? Why...why are you here?"

 _"Fu-Xi's venom induces fear, Tigress. It doesn't matter how. It makes you see who or what scares you the most...and I'm on top of your list."_

"That's...that's ridiculous! I don't fear you!" She growled, mentally shouting for this illusion to end. She knew it wasn't real, but it felt pretty realistic when he flicked her forehead gently with his finger.

 _"Of course not. You're not afraid of me as myself. You fear what actions I might take. Because I'm still connected to you. Right in the back of your mind...you're anxious about what I could do to you. Understandable, you've been trained under Shifu, who is still very wary of me."_

Tigress shook her head violently. "What the hell are you talking about? Why would I be afraid of what you could do?"

 _The Tai-Lung illusion folded his arms. "Well for one, I could beat you into a pulp, but the real me wouldn't do that without guilt. I could steal from you, but you're not genuinely connected to any material possessions...except for that scarf."_ Tigress instinctively clutched onto her scarf. She was beginning to understand what he was talking about. _"And I think the last one is self-explanatory."_ He said while turning his head to the right. The area became clear, and she could see Po and Fung avoiding Fu-Xi's attacks narrowly. Understanding what he was implying, she turned to the Tai-Lung mirage with a savage growl.

"You'll kill me first before I let you lay a harmful hand on them!"

The mirage nodded to her. _"I've always liked this about you, little sister. Passionate and straight-forward."_

She folded her arms with an accusing glare towards him. "You're saying this about me...but you're just an illusion."

 _"Yeah. I'm a representation of the brother you always saw me as. I know your inner thoughts, I'm just projecting them for you because your shyness won't let those thoughts leave through your mouth."_ "

"Shy? I'm not shy..."

 _"Sure you are."_ Tai-Lung smirked. _"You don't think so? You're a fully grown woman now, Tigress. Enough said."_

It took her mere seconds to register that comment, and she blushed. "Don't say it. Please."

 _"Thought so."_

"But this doesn't make any sense. If the venom is fear-inducing...why am I so calm?' Tigress saw the effects of the venom. People were cold, they were shaking, and they were murmuring incoherent words. She was simply staying in the same spot.

 _"It's your mental discipline training unconsciously doing it's job. Mind games have little to no chance of making you falter in battle. That...and there's only one thing you're truly terrified of, and it ain't me."_ Tigress again processed the hidden message, and her ears pressed against her head. _"No time to worry about stuff now. Time to get back in the game, sister. Knock this reptile's fangs out."_

She blinked a couple times, then smiled. "Thanks."

 _"No, seriously. Knock his fangs out. No fangs, no bite. No bite, no way for him to inject the venom."_ He shrugged. _"Don't blame me for being blunt. Just voicing your thoughts."_

Tigress regained her bearings, and saw that Po and Fung we're breathing heavily, and Fu-Xi was circling around them with an intent to kill, as his fangs we're bared and ready to strike. This was her chance. She raised one fist and placed her other paw on her arm, eyes narrowed with focus. She'll take the opportune moment. Knocking out his fangs, he'll be rendered helpless. She sees him raise his head high, and her eyes focused there. With a burst of speed, she jumped up, cocked her fist back ready to strike him. He turned to see her in the air, but it was too late.

Tigress has been punching ironwood trees ever since she was five, and increased her practice when she was finished. Her fists had enough force behind them that it felt like iron impacted his face at the moment, that was how hard she smashed her fist into his cheek. And she got the desired effect: His fangs shattered upon impact, multiple white shards of them glistening off from the sunlight above. They then fell into the dirt, as he himself managed to balance himself. Though his face was filled with disbelief...and slight fear.

"H-How...?"

"You thought that venom would make me afraid...? Don't flatter yourself." The feline stated, her fist covered with the serpent's blood. "It takes more than that to make me fear something. Especially not you."

Fu-Xi was now helpless. Without his fangs, most of the danger he presented was now minimal at best. The majority of his power has been beaten out of him. Victory at this point was now...impossible. He was going to slither off and escape, but Po stomped on his tail, Fung helping him pin the cobra down. He was now truly afraid.

"Awww...where ya goin', buddy? I still gotta mess you up for messing with Viper's life. And I keep my word." Po said with a smile that put the cobra into a more erratic panic.

"S-S-Stay away! Don't do it! Have mercy on me!" At this, Po's smile disappeared. He royally screwed up at that moment.

"Were you going to show mercy to Viper?" Fu-Xi flinched. He expected the panda's comrades to reprimand him on his hostile tone, but Tigress and Fung just stood by and watched. "You were going to kill her because she figured out the truth, and now you expect mercy from me? Dude...that's so stupid it's not even funny. But you can relax. I'm not gonna kill you. That kind of stuff isn't me." Fu-Xi was slightly relieved, until he he realized the panda hasn't gotten off him yet. "I can't let you off easy, either. So I'll be making sure that you don't try attacking us while our backs are turned, or something like that."

"H-H-How will you manage that...?"

 **"Wind Hammer."** He pressed his paw against the cobra's head and shot the green ball of Chi point-blank. The impact was powerful enough to push a large swirl of dust upwards, as well as create a medium size crater in the ground. Fu-Xi's head felt like it's been pounded by a mallet that weighed the size of a boulder. His eyes turned completely white to signify his loss of consciousness, as he coughed a spatter of blood and his head met the ground. Po sighed getting up and dusting himself off.

Fung leaned in to survey the damage, and his eyes widened. "Geez, if you put any more of your chi into that, you would have given him severe brain damage."

"It's official. There is no way he's recovering from that in a couple days. It'll be a while before he's completely healed.! Tigress stated, adjusting her scarf. "It's best we lock him up in the meantime, before he gets the chance to slither off. He may not he as much or a threat without his fangs, but we shouldn't push our luck."

"Waaaaaiiiit!" Po said aloud, gathering the attention of his two friends. "Can't we eat first?"

"Dude. Didn't you eat before this battle?" Fung said with lowered slightly annoyed eyes. Po glared at him.

"That was a pre-battle snack, not a meal."

"A pre-bat...what the heck is a pre-battle snack?!"

Po looked at him as if it was obvious. "Um...it's having a snack right before a battle. Duh."

"Don't duh me! No one ever mentions anything called a pre-battle snack!"

"I mention it!"

"Well I think it's stupid!"

"HEY! Never underestimate the helpful powers of a pre-battle snack!" Po and Fung we're now glaring at one another, looking ready to argue.

Tigress removed Fung's helmet and Po's straw hat, then softly bonked them both upside the head with her non-bleeding fist. It still hurt quite a bit, though. "Owwww...Tigress, that was mean." Po pouted, holding his head.

"How can you hit so gently and still make it hurt...?" Fung groaned, holding his own head.

The feline smiled, placing her paws on her hips. "Look at you two. Bickering even when we just defeated our first major threat. I don't think this is a time for fighting. We should take the time to rest. And more importantly, settle our recruiting issues with Mantis and Viper."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that!" Po exclaimed. They still had to convince the both of them that it was a good idea to join the team. But he had no idea how to go about it. He'll have to figure it out later. Right now he was too hungry to think properly. "Can we eat first?"

Tigress smiled. "Yes Po. We can eat."

"YES!"

She chuckled a small bit. Then she realized that the Tai-Lung mirage was still there, standing next to Fung, although she was the only one who could see him. Seriously?

 _"I know. You overcame the 'fear' part, but the venom is still in your blood. Don't worry, once the venom has been removed from your blood, I should disappear. You're stuck with me until then."_

She groaned again. She's stuck with her imaginary brother, which is caused by the venom still in her blood until it's been removed.

Great. Brilliant. She's asking Great Master Viper for the cure, as soon as possible.

 **(Later)**

"Told ya they could do it." Fenghuang said, smirking down at Shifu. "You were all like 'We shouldn't be making them face Fu-Xi themselves' and 'This is crazy and irreponsible!' Or 'Fenghuang you're a total lunatic!'" She paused, placinf a feather on her beak. "Actually that one might be a tiny bit true."

"Only a tiny bit...?" Shifu said with a silent poker face.

The owl shrugged him off as she turned to Po and gently petted his head. "You did an excellent job, Panda. I'm very proud of you."

Po smiled widely from both the petting and the praise, as he stepped back and did a small dance, waving his arms with a carefree aura. "Waaaat? Psssh! Naw! What? No way! It was nothing really, nothing at all, Master!"

"You just need to improve on your coordination just a bit. You could have kept Stripes from getting bitten in the shoulder if you we're able to predict that he was about to trick you. I know your coordination isn't the best, but it can't hurt to get better."

Po deflated just a bit, but understood where his Master wss coming from, and smiled. "Okay, I'll give it a better shot next time, Master."

"Good lad. Now go eat."

"FOOD!" Po cheered with his arms raised, as he rushes off to join his friends for dinner. It had been a rather rough day, but they were able to succeed in the end. Mr. Ping had already passed out noodle bowls to everyone, and everyone seem very happy to see that he was here. He doesn't waste time grabbing a bowl and chowing down on the noodles, like Mantis and Lidong were doing. They seemed quite thankful that they we're served even more food.

"Foooood...~" They both said as if it were a mantra. The others seemed surprised at Mantis, though. He's proven that he can eat almost as much as Po can. Size definitely doesn't matter when it comes to food. Monkey for one, was very impressed, though he won't admit it at the time. He was still a bit agitated at the insect for paralyzing his arm. Other than that, they were cool.

Crane and Mei Ling were eating the most casuslly of the group, as they turned to Po. The latter spoke first. "You were amazing out there, guys! You really put Fu-Xi in his place. His ego was really beginning to unnerve me."

"The guy was just annoying to me, honestly. Still glad you shut him up, though." Lidong grumbled.

"Yeah guys, you kicked his ass!" Monkey snickered, lightly punching Po's shoulder. "You totally destroyed that guy!"

"I'm pleased with the results, but I still believe that he got off too easy." Tigress said, her arms folded. "For lying to Viperdor all of these years. But...he lost his precious fangs, thanks to me. So I suppose that will suffice." She smiled. "Again with the irony. He mocked Master Viper for the lost of his prized venomous fangs. Now he's weighing in pain, inside a cage for the exact same reason. Doesn't seem funny to him now. Hmph."

Po nodded, slurping more noodles. Mr. Ping also agreed, stomping his feet as he waddled over to his noodle cart. "Pretending to be her brother for his own nefarious purposes...then he tries to kill her for knowing too much...THEN try to sway her back to his side. What a despicable person, he is! Maybe now he'll learn his lesson."

"I sure hope so. And if he doesn't, I'll just kick his tail again." Po shrugged. "Nothing too big. Mind a refill, Dad?"

"On it's way, son." Mr. Ping nodded, taking the panda's bowl and went on to make him another bowl. He unknowingly passed by a curious Viper. That, or he noticed and just didn't say anything. He wore a smile either way.

Viper slithered up to the group, looking a bit shy. They each turned to her with a look of curiosity on her face. She guessed that they were waiting for her to speak first. So she decided to do so. "Um...hi?"

"HI!" Po waved, smiling widely at the serpent before him. She weakly waved back, still slightly guilty for hurting him so much before.

"Um...I just wanted to say sorry again...for attacking you before." she said quietly, while bowing.

Po just smiled at her and petted her head. The gesture made her gasp and look up towards Po with a look of surprise. "Hey. It's cool. I'm okay, you're okay, no hard feelings."

"N-No hard feelings, even if I could have killed you?"

"Eh, you might have. But I'm more interested in how we can become friends and get you to travel with us. The beginning of friendships...is not always according to plan. But we took care of your phony bro for you. So now you can make room for your real bro." He smiled widely, and it looked extremely goofy. "Me!"

 _He was serious about that...?_ She thought in disbelief, seeing that his face was silly, but genuine. "But...why? Why do you wsnt me by your side so strongly? Not to mention..." She paused, gazing at the group that Po, Fung, and Tigress have gathered so far. "How did you get them to be by your side? And my biggest question...what you said before, Po...about not being interested in being a hero. Why would you say something like that?"

Po could see that everyone's gaze was on him, which meant they we're also interested in hearing his answer to this particular question. He signed, as he laid back, his eyes gazing at the sky. At this point it was nighttime, and a small fire was lit in the middle of the group. He set his hat to the side, and turned to Viper. "Viper...can ya have a seat?" He patted his belly, as it sloshed and jiggled just a bit. "Riiiiiight here."

"...On your belly...? Isn't that...?"

"C'mon, coil up on here." He smiled cheerfully. Viper gazed at him for a moment before she nodded. She then slithered onto his belly and coiled comfortably, as her eyes met his. "There. Aren't you more comfortable this way?"

She nodded in agreement, smiling. "It's like I'm lying on a fuzzy cloud..."

"Yeah, kids love that." He smiled, and sighed. "So about my reasons for saying what I said..." Mantis and Lidong were listning in closely more than the others, since they had good reason to believe that Po wanted them to hear this. "It's not about me not liking heroes. Heck, I LOVE heroes! Heroes are strong, they're powerful, they're inspirational...and so unbelievably awesome!" Po said with stifled giggles and kicking feet. Mei Ling, Viper, and Tigress took note of how adorable he looked at this moment. He then coughed and regained his focus. "It's just that it's not my main interest to be a hero. I'm a bit more interested in just doing my own thing."

"Doing your own thing...but what about the whole recruiting thing...?"

"When that list we have says 'recruits' I say 'friends' instead. I'm on an adventure now, and I want plenty of friends to accompany me on it. Though I can't force them to. I want them to come with me on their own accord, not because they feel like they owe me." Po's voice became a slight monotone, which caused everyone to listen a bit more closely. "Being an adventurer is pretty pointless, without friends to adventure with you."

Crane folded his wings as he took a more sympathetic look at the panda. "Wow Po...you really put some thought into this. You're not on an adventure for glory, riches, fame, not even heroism. "

Po nodded. "I just want some more friends, and to help lots of people. I'm pretty sure that those goals alone won't make me hero. As I said, I'm not going for that." He placed his hat on his face, and yawned. "But if people start to see us that way...well, we can't really do anything about that, can we?" He finished off. After a couple minutes of silence, snoring can be heard under the hat. He fell asleep.

Viper thought over Po's reasoning, and it seemed strange at first. But the more she thought about it, the more she understood it. For him to desire friendship more than anything else...

He had to know what loneliness feels like.

Viper turned to the others, looking shy, but determined. "I would like-"

"I suggest you sleep this off before you make a decision, Viper." Tigress interrupter, surprising the serpent. "You've had a very rough day today. It's best if you take the night to rest and think it over more, with a clearer head. Finalize your decision if you _really_ want to stick with us, then inform us in the morning." She turned to Mantis and Lidong. "The same goes for you two." They were caught off guard by this.

"That's right, we didn't forget about you two." Fung nodded. "What she said. Sleep it off and tell us in the morning." He also falls into slumber, falling on his back. Everyone seemed to show agreement, and one-by-onec they each fell asleep. Viper was the last one, as she coiled a bit more comfortably on Po's belly, her eyes slid down until they closed, and she fell asleep with the others.

Mr. Ping was delighted at the sight of Po having so many comrades already, but he stayed quiet to avoid waking them up. He just grabbed their plates and left to clean them in silence.

Great Master Viper and Mistress Viper watched as their daughter slept on Po's belly. Mistress Viper was relieved, while her husband was in deep thought. _This panda is a strange one. He not only acts the part but he also FEELS strange to me. Just...who is he, really?_ He thought to himself, as he held his wife's tail and told her it was time for bed. SHe reluctantly complied, as they slithered into their palace. He took one last look at the panda behind him, as he realized something else.

 _He bears(no pun intended) a very close resemblance to Great Master Panda...is this boy really...?_

 **(Valley Of Peace-Night)**

Mrs. Yoon was just walking home after buying an apple basket from the markets. It's been a quiet day at th Valley Of Peace, more than usual. Not that she has anything against a quiet day. If anything, she wished this Valley would have some more often. She witnessed so muche in this Valley that gave it it's somewhat bad reputation for attracting evil, that it would be enough to write a book in...a book the size of a flower pot. That was a lot of words. Far too many for a place that has 'Peace' in the name.

Oogway must have been very sad to see the Valley derail this way. Because she sure was. Sometime's she wishes that things would be handled much more delicately. Like Mr. Ping, she knew the truth. It was a rather unfortunate truth, but it was definitely there.

This Valley...is unforgiving.

It's difficult to believe, but it's somewhat true. Many who lived here could tell that anything that threatened the peace of the Valley wsd to be incarcerated...or annihilated. It has gotten that bad that they'rwe forced to choose between putting someone behind bars without giving them a chance, or just eliminating them outright. It wasn't the actions themselves that sparked this negative reputation, but the attitude behind them. There was an almost unanimous vote at locking Fenghuang away forever for her betrayal. And a lot of people we're so scared of Tai Lung and what potential he had, that when he exiled hinself to avoid being captured by Oogway, many people thought it was safe if he were captured and _executed._ Needless to say, Shifu was placed under severe emotional torment for that one.

Mrs. Yoon reached the limit of her patience when the villagers turned their paranoia against cubs Po and Tigress, since she as established a very deep bond with both of them equally, despite the fact that she spent more time with the latter because the former went away with Fenghuang and Mr. Ping. She missed the boys terribly, but she was alright. She has always supported the both of them through tough times. She helped Mr. Ping care for Baby Po, and she served as a helpful emotional crutch for Tigress while she was training with Shifu(bonus points for being a fellow female. Some things...just can't be discussed with her father)

Mrs. Yoon...may be the closet either of them can get to having a true mother-figure.

While she was minding her own business, she stopped to think. It was FAR too quiet. She's gone to this part of the Valley countless times. It's not lively, but it was never completely silent, not even at night. She cautiously kept moving on, and she turned a corner of a house...

The confusion on her face shifted to horror in seconds.

"By the gods..." She said quietly while placing a hoof to her mouth with wide, terrified eyes.

What lied before her...was disturbing. The bodies of geese, rabbits, and pigs were lying on the ground. Some were face down, some were face-up, others were lying against houses, others were hung over a windowsill. A couple were even put in baskets or pots. None of them were moving...that's when she noticed the blood. These people, men, woman, children...they were all dead.

She walked right in front of the aftermath of a slaughter...as well as the culprits responsible for it. Three wolves, each of their weapons covered with blood. And each of them turned towards her. They had eyes fitted to kill.

This...was a very unfortunate situation.

"Well well...what do we have here?" The wolf in the center smirked, gazing towards her. "It looks like a little old sheep has wandered away from her herd. And she no longer has the Shepherd known as Oogway to protect her or her fellow villagers from the Big Bad Wolves..." Mrs. Yoon shivered in fear as the three wolves surrounded her, preventing escape. One of the other wolves facepalmed.

"She's clearly a goat, dumbass. There's a difference."

"Shut up! The scenario fits!" He shouted at his ally. The third wolf rolled his eyes. "As I was saying...looks to me that you're having quite a horrible night. Because you've ran into us."

The goat didn't move a muscle, she was too afraid to try. Her eyes gazed back to the poor citizens who were killed by these wolves hands. "Don't look around like that. This is just business, lady." He said, leaning his head towards her with a grin. "And karma."

"K-K-K-Karma...?"

"This so-called 'Valley Of Peace' hasn't been loving up to it's name. Not anymore. I'm sure that old turtle meant well, but even he must have realized that this Valley's days were numbered. It was only a matter of when and how. And this is definitely how. Know what we were paid to do?" His grin grew more sinister. "Kill all the inhabitants, and then burn the Valley To The Ground. The Lin Kuei will be known as the ones who obliterated the Valley of Peace."

Mrs. Yoon tried her best not to faint as he held his blade closer to her neck. "We're not complete monsters though. We're mature. Those dead villagers you see, don't worry. We made the kills quick and precise, no pain at all." This did not reassure the panicking goat in the slightest. "Relax. It'll be over soon. We completed our section of the Valley with minimal trouble. Killing you should not prove to be an issue. Hold her in place."

"No..." She shook her head, but the two wolves already grabbed her arms and held her chinup, exposing her neck. "No, please don't do this! Don't burn down our home alongside slaughtering us! What kind of sick person would pay you for that kind of assignment?!"

"Jong Sung, that's who. He's given us quite a lot of loot. This Valley must have really pissed him off to order us to do something like that. Not that we mind, just being curious. Now be a good goat...and keep still. Don't wanna make a mess." He grinned.

The goat was now crying, as she had no one to help her. By their description, Oogway has left the world. There we're no warriors around to help her or anyone else. Nothing she could do to defend herself, as she was already pinned to the ground. The only thing she could do was close her eyes and wait for the end...

Her eyes shot open as she sees the wolf holding the blade was now unconscious, and the other two we're trying to figure out what had just happened. The answer appeared in the form of a _fourth_ wolf, this one having a hood unlike the others, and the only facial feature that could be seen was his eyes and his muzzle.

"Ànyǐng...?" One of the still conscious wolves said in disbelief. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You're on OUR side!"

Mrs. Yoon guessed that this wolf was younger than the others, he had this spark of rebellion in his dark purple eyes that can only be fully sparked in times of youth. He spoke in a tone that signaled great impatience.

"Not anymore."

If she blinked, she would have missed it. The younger wolf swiftly moves forward and punches the second wolf right in the face, causing him to roll along the ground until he hit a wall. The other one was also too slow to react, as he was immediately knocked across the ground when his own chain hammer was taken from him and slammed right across his skull. Ànyǐng checked to see if they we're unconscious. Killing them would spark far too much attention. He turned to Mrs. Yoon and offered her his paw.

"Ma'am...did they hurt you?" He asked gently. Seeing her shakeher head no gave him a sense of relief, but not by a lot. "Listen...I'm going to get you out of here undetected, but you must trust in me. I'm not like them, not anymore, not ever again. They've crossed the line with this." He stared at the ground. "I want to save at least one...just _one..._ I just can't support this massacre. Come on, we're getting out of here." He grabbed her hoof and quickly began leading her away.

She wasn't against getting to safety, but her heart was still heavy due to leaving her home behind. "W-Wait...what ahout the Valley?" This caused Ànyǐng to stop for a couple moments, but he did not turn to meet her eyes. "Can't you do something, young man...?"

Ànyǐng hated this outcome as much as he did, but there was little to no choice. "I can't fight them all off, ma'am. I honestly thought Oogway would be able to prevent this...but since he's passed on...there's nothing that can be done now." Her heart became even heavier at this information.

The Valley Of Peace would be lifeless by this night's end...

* * *

 **Mrs. Yoon rarely gets any major attention. Anyone else notice that? Being a minor character in LOA, it's understandable, if only by a bit. As you just read, that won't be the case, not in this story.**

 **Serpent's Tooth: Part Four, complete! Next one is the aftermath, where it will be decided if Mantis, Lidong, and Viper all join Po and the others or not. As well as what's occuring at the Valley Of Peace...yeah...that's not gonna spark positive emotions...**

 **...Anyway, until next time!**

 **Farewell...**


	19. Viper's Decision

**(The Next Morning)**

The sunlight hits Viper's eyelids to indicate to her that it was morning time, and she yawned quietly while rubbing her eyes with her tail. "Mr. Sun just couldn't let me sleep in, could he?"

"You call the sun Mr. Sun? Well, I guess that offers something special to it." She was surprised by the voice, and more surprised that she was lying on something furry and jiggly...and sloshy? She looked down to see Po smiling at her, his hat having now been removed from his face. "Morning, Viper. Did you sleep pretty well?"

Viper thought about this question, despite how trivial it may sound. The panda was warm, which was quite a plus for an aninal of cold-blood. He was soft, even more so than the softest of pillows, the kind of pillows that nobles woulr buy. He was fluffy, which made him immensely cuddly even if the other factors weren't a part of him. When she slithered onto his belly, she felt completely at ease. Even when he was asleep, it's like he was still keeping her safe from harm, wherever it may come from, or whatever form it may come in. It may have just proven once and for all that he was truly and honestly on her side.

He gave her a feeling of safety like a big brother would truly give.

So with a cheery smile, she nodded. "Uhuh. I slept very well. You're pretty comfy to sleep on, Po."

"Ehehe, glad to hear it. We had quite a rough day yesterday, it feels pretty cool to finally have a breather. Did the others wake up before us?"

Viper nodded. "Yes they did. In fact they're finished putting their things into their bags, I think they're preparing to leave and are just waiting for you."

Po's fellow comrades did indeed choose to wait for him to wake up, and also chose to pass the time by merely chatting amongst themselves. And they had quite a strange to look into. The name of said subject? Crane's Special Attack.

"Seriously dude? Wings Of Justice? How'd you come up with that?" Monkey said in a relatively bored manner, waving his paw in a way that matched said manner. It was something that irritated Crane. Both the way the primate addressed the subject, and that he thought it wasn't interesting enough.

"Hey, lay off!" The avian said, folding his arms with annoyance. "You don't have to like my attack because it clearly isn't yours. I can name it whatever I want!"

"And yet...you couldn't come up with a better name than that? Gonna be completely honest...that's pretty weak, dude. Preeeeeetty weak."

"Want me to peck you again?"

"I'm just saying, you could have done a bit better at naming it. Could have done so much better."

Crane glared down on his friend. "Well once you become the world's first flying Monkey with wings, they you can name your attacks however you wish. But sense that obviously won't ever happen, I suggest you shut up about how I name things. Besides...you do realize what your second nickname is, right?"

Monkey thought back, and he glared back at the avian. "You'd better not. Don't try it. I am warning you bro, don't you dare "

"That's right, I know how to mess with people too. Just not with the enthusiasm that Master Fenghuang has." He stated as he unfolded his wings. "Come to think of it...I haven't heard from her or Master Shifu in quite some time. Didn't spend too much time around them to be sure, but they seemed to be the types who wake up before everyone else."

"If anything, Fenghuang may still be asleep. Owls are nocturnal, maybe that's why she's so tired."

"Doesn't explain Shifu, though." Mantis pointed. "Apparently something has been eating away at him, and it kept him from getting any shuteye. Tigress said that she's never seen him like this before." That allowed a silent wave of worry pass through them all. That explained Tigress's absence to the circle.

Indeed, Tigress was sitting by the still slumbering Shifu, who seemed to be suffering from the effects of a nightmare of sorts. It made her feel powerless that she couldn't help him through it. All she could tell was that his face was twisted in guilt and he had a bit of sweat rolling down his fur, combining those two with his clenching teeth, and chilling words he spoke while sleeping: _Voices...I heard voices all around me. Voices...that are being silenced forever. One-by-One, the voices are never heard again...but why...ugh..._

"Leave it to the Midget to keep himself stressed even though he's sleeping." Tigress turned around to see Fenghuang yawning while stretching her wings. She used her left wing to rub her eyes. "He's been like that all night, and I have a pretty good idea why." She tucked in her wings while sighing. "But I don't think we should jump to conclusions until we know for sure."

"Know for sure, Master Fenghuang?" Tigress asked. Fenghuang sighed. That formal thing did get on her nerves, but she stopped complaining about it. It was going to keep happening, and there wasn't anything she could do about it for the moment.

"Midget is like this for a reason. He senses something is terribly wrong, no doubt. I can somewhat sense the same thing...but we gotta be sure, first. We'll just have to wait for him to wake up. Or...I could wake him up right now and you can ask him yourself."

"How?"

"Like this." Fenghuang walked over to the sleeping red panda...and swiftly kicked him across the room. She smirked slightly when he slammed into the wall. "Morning, Midget~"

Shifu growled as he stood up and rubbed his arm. "What is wrong with you?! Are you insane?!" He paused for a second. "...I retract that question. You have already provided an answer."

"Don't look at me. Your daughter was the one looming over you while you were sleeping. Maybe you wanna talk with her about it?"

The red panda shook his head, getting his walking stick and walking past the both of them, shaking his head slowly. "I'm fine. You have nothing to be concerned about, Tigress. I just need some more time to clear my head. I did just wake up from sleep...in the most uncomfortable of ways..." He glare at the owl, who just rolled her eyes at him, and he further moved away from them. Tigress still looked concerned about her father/master, but it was clear he was not going to talk about his nightmares. She had no choice...but to wait.

"Once we got everything ready, we need to head back to the Valley Of Peace." Fenghuang said. Mr. Ping and Zeng overheard these words, but didn't say anything. "Because I sensed a major shift in the air...and it's really buggin' me."

Mr. Ping stared worriedly at Fenghuang, while Zeng followed Shifu out of concern. The former looked up to the sky, as he took the Peach Tree Petal out of his sleeve. His eyes lowered. _I can feel it too, if only slightly. Something really bad must have happened to the Valley, because the petal has completely lost it's glow...I hope Mrs. Yoon is okay...wait, where did that come from...?_ He shook his head to regain focus, they all needed to regroup. Master Viper had something to say.

Viper and Po were called to Great Master Viper's room when everyone has properly woken up and eaten breakfast. Though they did not expect that Fu-Xi would also be in the room, with bandages covering his head and having a very right chain around his neck, reinforced by a rhino guard. Viper hissed angrily, only for her mother to calm her down. "Relax, honey. Your father did an extensive interrogation on Fu-Xi...and we learned a lot more than we thought we would. He wishes to speak to you and Po, is it?"

"That's me." He nods, pointing to himself. "What, is he still causing issues for you?"

"No it's not that. You'll better understand it if you to him yourselves."

The two did not know what this was ahout, but they couldn't keep their curiousity in check for long. They approached the cobra cautiously, though he showed no hostility towards Po this time. He just looked up at the duo, and they could see that his eyes were...exhausted. This didn't mean a lack if sleep, it meant something else. Viper dropped her hostile gaze, but didn't take her eyes off of him for a moment. He could see the immense distrust she him, and he sighed.

"Viper...before we get started on my confessions...I want to get the worst one out of the way..." He took a deep breath, and decided to get it over with. "Remember when I saved you from that Gorilla Bandit...and I told you that he killed your unborn sisters...?" The younger snake nodded slightly, unsure of where this was going. "...That isn't true. "

Viper's eyes widened. "What...?"

"That's right. I lied to you about your sisters being dead. I wanted to give you a major reason to become my apprentice. I would never lay that kind of harm upon my kind like that, especially not in the hands of a two-legger. I sent them far away from this village, somewhere unknown and somewhere safe. I avoided telling you the truth, and I blackmailed your Father to allow me to continue teaching you. I needed to give you a reason to hate two-leggers and join my cause." Fu-Xi looked up to meet Viper's eyes-

SLAP!

Fu-Xi's head snapped sideways when her tail impacted his cheek without warning. His cheek glowed red from the stinging pain he now received from the slap. He kept his calm expression, expressed through an exhausted sigh. "Ha...I guess I deserved that..."

"You deserve much more!" Viper hissed angrily. "You lied to me about a lot of things, that I recently found out. But I never thought that the main reason I sided with you was also a sick trick! My sisters have been alive thjs entire time and you deceived me about it? How...how could you do such a cruel thing to me? I have always wanted siblings, and I thought I lost that chance forever on that night. But you kept something this huge from me so that you would keep me in your coils?!"

The cobra cowered under her gaze. Being helpless and afraid was an entirely new concept to him, a concept he cannot understand very well. But he knew the feeling now. It was a feeling he forced on almost everyone in this village, for his own selfish purposes.

 _Selfish...yes...that's the word for it..._

"I have been selfish, Viper. And I denied it until the panda pounded sense into my skull. I have started out standing up for other serpents such as you and I..." He lowered his head. "Then I allowed hatred to get the better of me. I let my selfishness ruin whatever good conscious I had left. Losing all of my loved ones because _I_ was feared...I've never thought of such cruelty...until I began doing the same thing." He raised his head back up. "Me calling youn'Little Sister' was not me being deceiving. You just remind me...so much of my own." Viper's anger disappeared when this came up. "You two are a lot alike. Full of positivity, always cheerful, not _too_ interested in fighting...you even have a similar smile that always made my day better. I just...wanted to keep you close. Close enough so that nothing can hurt you."

Po's face was neutral, as he had no personal ties in their history. He was there to observe.

"Your father showed disappointment in you for not having fangs like his. He showed disappointment for something that was out of your control. It infuriated me when I saw how hurt you we're behind your mask of a smile." Po winced at the last part. He and Viper had more in common than he realized. "All your attempts to please him were met with little results. And each and every time...while you hold nothing against him, I was growing more agitated by the day. So when he lost his fangs, I took the time to mock him as I saved his life. Now he can be just like his daughter, now that his greatest strength has been utterly destroyed by a powerful force in the hands of a two-legger I defeated." He sighed. "I played with fate...and now I too, have lost my greatest strength to a powerful force, which also came from a two-legger. What a twisted combination of both Déjà vu and Irony..."

"Slithering in Viper's trail...I have never apologized so much to anyone in my days as a Master." Great Master Viper gently pets Viper. "Having to live without fangs as a weapon is highly risky. And she managed to do it with minimum effort, once she trained under Fu-Xi. As much as I disliked that...in the end had extraordinary results in her strength. His two-legger tendency also rubbed off on her, unfortunately. Then you came." He gazed up at the panda. "You never laid a harmful paw in her, and you were gentle. You got her to stand down without directly opposing her. I know few people who are capabpe risking their own well-being just to prove a point. The method...was pretty risky. Then again, your master is Fenghuang, I'm not terribly surprised."

"Viper. I know at this point an apology is most likely utterly useless...but I shall do so anyway. In my own blind irrational hatred and selfish wishes...I nearly ruined your personality...the personality that made me want to keep you safe in the first place...I am sorry." Fu-Xi said genuinely, bowing his head to her for effect.

Viper was definitely stunned by this sudden apology. Yesterday he was dead-set on killing her when she defected from his ambition. But now that he's seen that his ways were extreme, unjust, and absurdly cruel, he couldn't help but apologize thr the snake. He thought he was a superior role model to her father. But he was wrong. Her father never instructed her to be something her heart did not want. Her mind was the problem getting in the way of recovering from that mindset.

Not all two-ggers(as Fu-Xi continues to say) were evil. There were good ones, like Po. But his hatred mostly destroyed his ability to tell the difference. Losing family can do that to a person. It took Po's harsh blow to the cobra's head to see how low he had sunken. He was a noble hero once.

Now..he was no better than a common criminal. And he's never been so ashamed of anything else.

Viper took her time to properly gaze at her former cobra master. She could feel his apology was genuine and he meant every word. Although he may never gey over his hatred of anything that walks on two legs, but it was evident that he would no longer drag other innocent snakes into his damaged mentality. He silently promised not to bring other snakes into his obsessive hatred. Viper would be safer away from him...and by Po's side. As much as he hated to admit it, the panda ha truly acted like a better brother than himself in the span of two days.

After a while, Viper raised her head. "I can't easily forgive those misdeeds you fooled me into thinking that it was justice. Just because people on two-legs caused you pain in the past, doesn't mean you can antagonize every single one of them. You tried and almost succeeded in placing all of that in my mind, but my heart knew that it wasn't right. It may be why I never truly accepted your beliefs...unconsciously, I knew what we we're doing was wrong. If you can at least _try_ to overcome that irrational hatred of yours...I think I can try and forgive you."

"Any chance I have is a good chance. However...it may be quite a long time before we meet again. Once you leave, I will be escorted to prison. So I'm just getting everything I wanted to say out of the way first before you're seen off."

Viper blinked, while her father smiled. "We all know what you're thinking, Viper. We all approve of your departure. And we hope you have a safe journey. Po and his companions have proven to be very trustworthy. I leave you in their hands. Now I'll be escorting Fu-Xi to prison. I might be gone all day, so I'm saying farewell now so I won't miss the chance." He kissed her forehead and slithered off, with the Rhino guard dragging Fu-Xi along by the chains.

Viper was left behind with Po, surprised by the action her father chose to take. How could he have known that she would want leave? _Probably out of guilt..._

 **(Flashback: Great Master Viper's thoughts)**

 _Viper was slithering along out of the villagers eyes, trying to keep herself from drawing her attention. 7 years old and she was being antagonized for being a serpent. They didn't need any other reason to hate her other than that one detail. She has always tried to be nice, always trying to be a good person. But fear has kept them from accepting her kindess with open arms. They choose to keep her away, only because she was a snake...and her Master was Fu-Xi._

 _The fear that Fu-Xi imposed on people so that they could keep their distance away from him, was unintentionally passed onto Viper. Being isolated from others was something she definitely did not want, and she was very certain of it. But she had to obey her Master because she wanted to learn more from him, so she kept her complaints and hurt hidden behind her smile. Smiling was the only defense she could muster up at her age for the moment. She hid her pain with her smiles, if the villagers knew that they were causing her pain, they would only get worse. Plus she didn't want to strike back against any of them. Fu-Xi does that for her...it doesn't help her image much. Being the daughter of Great Master Viper does very little to help._

 _It has only been a year since the disappearance of the eggs of her siblings, since she refused to believe they were truly dead. While her parents have lost hope, and despite what she herself has said, she has not given up on them. Not even a little bit. She absolutely refused to believe it._

 _This mindset of hers was what prompted Great Master Viper to realize the grave error he made. His lack of encouragement inadvertedly pushed his daughter to be tutored by a snake filled with hatred that he hides from her daily. While his daughter very clearly still loves him, he could tell that the damage has been done. It was shown that she always made sure she time for Fu-Xi's lessons, and he would sometimes find his own room empty. His wife would usually be asleep or out shopping. Without his fangs, he himself was mostly defenseless. And he hated that. But he could not deny that it was his own fault. Arrogance cost him his greatest weapon, a weapon he could never get back._

 _He would usually be reminded of his failure in which Fu-Xi succeeded by numerous villagers. Many of them questioned his ability to even be a Kung Fu Master at his point. It was these times that kicked him down and refused to allow him back up. His only inspiration was that his daughter resisted all odds stacked against her without even flinching much. Secretly he wished he had half the confidence in himself that she had, a serpent with no fangs. If only she weren't learning from someone like Fu-Xi..._

 _He sighed to himself as he resided to bed for today. He was somewhat surprised to see that Viper had slithered into his doorway, looking tired herself. She gave a small yawn and rubbed her eyes. Then she moved up to kiss his cheek goodnight, and turned to leave his room. He did not move from his spot, as she thought he was asleep already, but he was able to sport a small smile nonetheless. He had a new type of newfound confidence in him._

 _'She won't end up like him. A kind soul like herself could never completely succumb to Fu-Xi's treachery. She just needs time to grow. Then she'll understand. I have faith that she'll make a proper decision on whether she'll continue to follow him or not However...I can never fully forget what drove her to him in the first place.' He closed his eyes._

 _"She wanted me to show pride in her...and I couldn't do it...but that will change..."_

 **(End Flashback)**

Viper's attention was brought back to Po when she was getting lost in her thoughts. She remembered her father telling her something like this once, and she wasn't too sure on how to properly react to it. But now she does.

"Okay Po. I've made up my mind after some time to think about it." She said with a sigh and a smile. "I'll join you and the others. Will that be okay?"

"Of COURSE it's okay! That's all kinds of super okay!" Po cheered as he grabbed onto Viper and pulled her into a hug. It was a bit difficult because she was somewhat slippery, but soon she was able to wrap herself around him for a hug as affectiinate as his own. "And you passed the initiation!"

"Initiation?"

"Giving me a hug!".

"Oh!" Viper understood, and giggled. She then leaned up and planted a friendly kiss to his cheek, leaving a red lip mark due to her lipstick. "Will that also suffice, new brother?"

Po smiled wide like she did. "That'll do just fine, new sis. We learned something new today, didn't we? Your sisters are alive out there...somewhere. One day...we're gonna find them. And you'll have quite the awesome reunion on your hands."

"But they disappeared before they hatched, Po. When we do meet, it's truly for the very first time. How will I know who they are?"

"Sibling inuition. Trust me, you'll know."

Confused by Po's reasoning but accepting it,Viper left the palace alongside him. They went down below to the village to regroup with everyone, who seemed to be having another discussion. It was about Mantis and Lidong joining the group.

Mantis finally caved an accepted, much to Po's delight. Lidong however, denied it.

"You're not coming with me? Come on, man!" Mantis groaned. "I wasn't too keen on joining them either, but now I sawthem in action, they're actually pretty awesome! Plus Mr. Ping's cooking...his _COOKING_...HOW can you give that up?"

Lidong gulped. "As tempting as that is...I can't." He sighed. "This is where we gotta go our separate ways, man. You found your group of friends to hang around. I'm gonna go solo from here on out."

"Wait...just like that, we're splitting up?" Mantis asked.

"Ley's face the facts, man. My history is much more questionable than yours, because I spent most of it as a bandit that likes to charge at everything and pick on people smaller than he is. Now that you straightened me out, I can work on disfusing that part of me from my reputation...and I gotta do it alone. People have to think I'm a decent guy because I _want_ to be a decent guy, not because I've been convinced to do so." He turned to Fung with a small smile. "Our reunion was short...just like your size compared to mine."

"Ugh..." Fung groaned.

"But it was a pretty good reunion nonetheless. Glad we got to meet again, big cousin." He grabbed Fung and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Fung was stuck between hugging him back and trying to break free. So he just stayed still and hoped it would end soon.

"Gack...agh...bah...Glad to see you...too...little...cousin..." He coughed out, gasping for breath as he was released, clutching his chest. "Ease up...on the grip next time...okay...?"

"No promises. See you guys later." Lidong waved them farewell, and went on his way, his giant footsteps still making small quakes. Fung was just as disappointed as Mantis was, but was happy to see his cousin again, regardless of the shortness of their reunion.

Mantis hopped on Po's head. "Alright bud. You got me interested in your team. I'm in." He was then knocked off and squeezed against Po's chest. "GAGH?!"

"Initiation. You must hug the panda!"

"That's...a rather easy initiation...except when your crushing me!" Po promptly released Mantis, rubbing his neck.

"Sorry..."

Mei Ling placed her chin in her paw, and turned to Crane. "Gee...group is getting pretty big, isn't it Crane?"

The avian sighed, laughing tiredly. "Yep...but I think that's Po's intention. Have as many friends as possible..."

Tigress once again took a cautious look at Shifu, who was staring off in the direction of the Valley of Peace. He had no idea why, or for what reason, but he has an incredibly strong desire to return there as soon as possible. And that desire made itself known, as he turned towards the younger group with serious eyes. "We are returning to the Valley. I have a grave feeling that something has gone wrong. Master Oogway must need our assistance!"

Fenghuang and Mr. Ping looked at one another with concern. They were able to read each other's eyes for a silent conversation. _He's finally figured it out...this cannot work out well..._

 **(Valley Of Peace-Ruins)**

The figure in the black cloak could only gaze with a mix of raging, saddening, and nostalgic emotions. But the person kept them inside, as the shadowed face was completely blank.

The Valley was completely destroyed from the Lin Kuei's raid. Not a single soul survived. No man, woman, or chold was left alive. Except for Mrs. Yoon and the young wolf that passed by him. It chose not to give chase, as the figure had too much in mind already. The figure already knew multiple things, and each and every one of them were depressing.

The Valley has been destroyed. Everyone that lives in it, except Mrs. Yoon, has been killed. The Jade Palace has been ransacked of it's treasures, and burned down. All homes were also burned down. And the Dragon Scroll was also destroyed. Proof of it lied at the figure's feet. All that was left intact was the lid. It was especially jarring, because without the Dragon Scroll, and with Oogway's unexpected passing, identifying the Dragon Warrior was officially impossible. The only thing that remained fully intact...was the Peach Tree. And even that has lost most of it's glow because the Valley was now lifeless.

The figure wanted to pay Shifu a visit and 'surprise' him. But after coming across something like this...it was pretty clear that this was _HORRIBLY_ bad timing. No choice but to leave and let events play out from there. But still, the figure was not happy, as it turned away and left silently.

"Once again...something is keeping us apart..." The figure said sadly, with a feminine tone to it. When she turned, there was a brief flash of a fox tail from behind the cloak, before she dashed out of sight.

 _And once again...the universe chooses to torment you. *Sigh...* Oh Fufi...why couldn't you have just ran away with me that night? Why do you continue to choose honor? Because your type of honor...is what makes you unwillingly betray people. Your kind of honor...will not allow you to let this go, and you'll be blaming yourself, even when you've done nothing wrong. I **DESPISE** your type honor. I really do..._

A tear dropped from her face as she jumps from tree branch to tree branch, and she slowly wiped it away.

 _Your specific devotion to your honor...is the key to your suffering. It has not been kind to you. And the only thing I despise more than your honor...is the suffering that it puts you through. This unfortunate tragedy...will force you to either hang onto it...or let it go. And for you sake...OUR sake...I hope you choose the latter. You've sacrificed far too much of your personal happiness to keep it intact..._

With these silent thoughts in mind, Mei Ling the Rogue disappears from view completely. Her reunion with Shifu..she has no choice but to keep it postponed...

* * *

 **Chapter End.**

 **Anyway, how is that? The Dragon Scroll has been destroyed in the raid. Oogway is gone as well...so how can anyone find out who the Dragon Warrior is? Currently...they can't.**

 **Po...Tigress...Mr. Ping...Shifu...they are NOT gonna be happy that their home has been destroyed. Fenghuang...well...her reaction will be somewhat mixed. You'll see what I mean in the next chapter.**

 **Farewell, for now...**


	20. Today Is A New Day!

Mrs. Yoon woke up with a start. She briefly looked over herself to make sure she wasn't injured in any way. There were a couple tears in her clothes due to running so frantically through the forest, but there was no harm done on the goat's body itself. That was a slight relief, at the very least. Although she didn't know where she was or how she got here...until she reluctantly remembered the events from last night.

Her eyes lowered along with her ears, she remembered it all clearly. Those barbarian wolves that threatened her with a blade towards her throat...the lifeless, cold, bloodied bodies of her fellow villagers...and the bright burning blaze that engulfed the Valley afterwards...she has a feeling that she passed out some time after that. The trauma must have hit her pretty hard if it made her fall unconscious like that. Though that doesn't fully explain how she got out here. Wait a moment...she looked to the side to see that the wolf was currently cleaning his tantō with the water fromthe riverbank they rested beside. She was able to take a faraway look at his tantō. It had the marking of a wolf's head surrounded in dark shadows. It looked pretty sinister. However, he looked nothing close to what that word describes. In fact, he looked pretty calm compared to most of the other wolves that were seen last night. He was the one who saved her, so he couldn't possibly be as bad as the other Lin Kuei wolves...was he even a Lin Kuei at all? Because they were unprepared for him suddenly attacking them when her life was in danger. And he wss genuinely upset when he was unable to save all of the other villagers.

She has come to two conclusions. He was never truly part of the Lin Kuei at all, or he was very remorseful for his actions. It could be a combination of both, but she was not certain about it. The boy irked her curiousity. She believed he could tell, because the very next moment, he turned to look at her. She jumped slightly from the initial blank tare he sent her, but it turned into a gentle one soon afterwards.

"You passed out while we were fleeing the Valley. I carried you all the way out here where we would not be found by any of my former colleagues." He frowned, and turned his attention back to his tantō, placing it back into it's sheathe. "However...the Valley must be completely annihilated by now. The Lin Kuei are rough, but they're also very thorough in their jobs. I'm afraid your home...is no longer standing."

Mrs. Yoon looked towards the ground, her eyes blank from the sadness overcoming her. Her home...was gone. In one single night, her fellow villagers were killed off for nothing short of hatred from some angry noble named Jong Sung. What could have provoked this tragedy? It was completely out of nowhere, there was no chance of any reaction. No matter how long she thought about it, she couldn't wrap her head around it. All she knew at the moment that she is the only survivor of the massacre. But Ànyǐng made sure that none of the Lin Kuei knew this, hence the whole running away from sight plan. But now that they're here, they had no clear idea on what to do next. He couldn't force her to return to the charred cinders that used to be her home, nor could he let her follow him. He couldn't let himself be seen with her due to a rather...hated outlook towards wolves. Not that he blames anyone for it. He also couldn't leave her alone by herself. Some Lin Kuei wolves may still be sniffing around for possible survivors.

There has to be a solution to this, anything.

"Dear young man...I do thank you for saving me." Mrs. Yoon eventually said, causing his eyes to resume their gaze on her. He could see her smiling, but her eyes were very clearly filled with pain. Yet she was genuinely trying to be grateful for his assistance, and not let her sadness interfere with said gratitude. She was trying to be strong, and desparately trying not to fail at it. "Those wolves that attacked me...they said your name is Ànyǐng."

"Yes, that is my name." He didn't know what this sudden interest in him came from, but he decided to indulge her. She may be using this as a way to cope with her loss.

"Ànyǐng...hm...yes. I must promise to remember that name. I need to remember that namwe. I just...feel like it's very necessary to do so." She nods to herself while folding her arms. "Since most of my possessions may possibly be lost in that raid...I have no way to repay you for saving me..."

"That isn't necessary." The wolf shook his head. "The Lin Kuei has been derailing into more and more sinister activities ever since they began their formation...and that was many years ago. I couldn't stay involved with them any longer. It's just by confidence and luck that I manage to break away from them just last night and save you in the process. Though I may be a traitor to them, I made the right choice. I know I did. It will sport more consequences than rewards...but I'm strong enough to endure them."

Mrs. Yoon tilted her head slightly. "Strong enough to endure them...how old are you, Ànyǐng?"

The wolf looked at her with a small smile. "I'm 19 years-old, Miss."

"19?! You were involved with such a dangerous organization as young as you?!" Her hoofs covered her mouth to show how surprised she was of this information. He did look like he was around twenty, though that didn't necessarily mean that was the exact number. "Dear...such a risky occupation, being involved with people like them. Aren't you afraid that you might get killed by them for betraying them like this?"

Ànyǐng closed his eyes, still having a small smile. "You don't need to worry about that. I've lost my fear of death as a young cub. There's nothing they can do that I'm not prepared to deal with. Death-threats towards me won't...no. They _can't_ bother me."

Mrs. Yoon was even more shocked of the wolf than she was before. Who loses their fear of death at such a young age? What has this wolf been through? "But...what if they target your loved ones...?" She knew that was going in too personal, but she wanted to see his reaction.

Ànyǐng slowly reopened his eyes at this question. "There is only two people the world I genuinely care about right now. My mother and my little brother. They won't endanger them just to get back at me." His claws slid out slightly. Not to scare her, but to prove a point. "They know better." Mrs. Yoon didn't press the issue past that. He was definitely not a killer, his eyes suggested no such thing. But they did promise pain to whoever crossed him just to provoke him.

Just then, he heard the sounds of somebody passing by the duo, and he instinctively grabbed his blade, though the elder goat prevented him from taking it out of it's sheathe. "Hold on...I recognize those voices...I hear Mr. Ping and Po...I have...I have to tell them what happened!" She was about to run ofr, but the wolf grabbed her by the arm, and looked at her seriously.

"Tell them whatever you'd like. But for your sake and theirs...I was never here."

"You saved my life...surely you can at least meet them?"

He shook his head. "No. I'm a wolf, and a former Lin Kuei. Those are two factors that can spark distrust towards me, and I don't blame anyone for it. Just don't mention me at all. They'll never believe it, because its far too random." He let her go and bowed slightly. "I hope you'll be alright...despite this horrific turn of events." He then disappeared in a blur, surprising her because it was so sudden. She wanted to think on it more, but she had more focus on reuniting with Po and Mr. Ping. They needed to know of the events that have transpired.

 **(With The Gang)**

Serious silence has always been very discomforting to Po. Too much silence was very disturbing to him, because he didn't know what was going to happen. When he gets serious, then the silence is for what he calls 'awesomeness points' because he sometimes basks himself in that kind of light. But when he's being himself, sioence was never something he enjoyed. He didn't know what was going on, he didn't know what was going to happen, and that discomfort turns to fear when he's in the dark.

Yes. Po is still slightly, though not to a paralyzing degree, afraid of the dark. While he's asleep, it's never a big problem. But sometimes he gets insomnia, and he finds himself too afraid to go to sleep without having the assurance of either Master Fenghuang or Mr. Ping. He never fully got over it, even as an adult. Though no one called him out on it in an embarrassing light, because he was at least brave enough to admit it.

He really admired Tigress in that aspect. She has no fear of the dark. Being cramped in a dark metal room during her days at the Bao Gu Orphanage has unknowingly trained her eyes to see through the dark, in any instance. She feared it for a very long time, but she's had 15 years to get over it. And she did. It made him feel embarrassed nonetheless that he still felt incredibly nervous in dark places all by his lonesome. In some aspects, it's understandable.

Back to the main matters at hand. It has been awfully quiet in the group...because Shifu has been feeling very disturbed, and the feeling compels him to make his way towards the Valley of Peace as soon as possible, with little to no delay. Tigress was certain he has only been this quiet once, and it was the times he was recovering from Tai Lung going rogue...something neither of them have fully recovered from. She didn't take he could take anything thay mimics that sort of heartbreak. Through determination, her cherished scarf, and ironwood tree training, she wouod do just fine, regardless.

The others had just as much reason to be nervous. Everything was far too quiet, but they were also too afraid to break the silence just because they were afraid of breaking the silence that Shifu was unconsciously trying to substain on them all. They felt that there would be serious repercussions if they dared to break this silence. So for their own sakes, they kept quiet.

Everyone was nervous...except for Fenghuang.

"Ugh! This silence is starting to piss me off!" She groaned. "One of you SAY SOMETHING! Don't be intimidated because Midget is in a bad mood."

"Will you cease with that nickname? I am not in the mood for it." Shifu grumbled, not even wasting energy to glare at the owl for her insult. "I just know something is wrong. Something very wrong."

"Well that doesn't give you the status to make everyone feel like you're about to murder one of the young ones because of your bad mood." The avian glared at him. Then she turned to Zeng, which made him flinch. "You! Palace Servant. Scout ahead and see what the hell he's so worked up about." Of course she got a terrible feeling tugging her senses just as much as Shifu, she's decided to at least do something about it other than glare in one direction.

"Y-Yes Lady Fenghuang!" Zeng gulped and flew off in a hurry, not wanting to suffer the wrath of either his master or the owl. He would prefer not to get in the middle of whatever conflict they might get into. Hopefully they wouldn't get into that with the younger adults around.

Po and Tigress were beginning to feel nervous that their respective masters were once again beginning to conflict with one another. It was in all seriousness this time, because Fenghuang was not using her snarky tone. She has grown increasingly irritated by Shifu's tense mood, because he was taking it to the extreme, whioe she managed to keep her calm for the most part.

"Oh man...I hope they don't end up fighting. A spar is one thing...but if they get into an actual fight it might get ugly. Really really fast." Po said with worry, clutching onto his hat. "Are you worried, Tigress?"

"The thought is definitely concerning..but I think we should steer clear of them for the time being." Tigress said. "They have more personal ties with one another than we do with either of them. Unless our intervention is really needed, we should keep our distance for the time being. They should work this out on their own." She then folded her arms. "That dark feeling, however...is felt by all of us. I too, can't get over the fact that something is wrong."

Po gripped his hat and lowered his eyes a bit. "Yeah...come to think of it...something does feel awfully wrong. How long were we gone?"

"Close to a week and a half. If you're worried about the state of the Valley...so am I." She admitted with a more relaxed tone. "A lot can happen in that kind of time, with the way China's dark side tends to rear it's ugly head. I do hope Oogway is alright. I also can't stop worrying about Father...he's more tense than he's ever been." Tigress stopped for a moment ad she noticed Viper stop her slithering and stare ahead with wide eyes. Now Tigrrss shifted her worries on Viper. "What's wrong...?"

"...I smell blood...far too much of it to be just from someone's injury. Why would the smell of blood completely take up the air...?" Viper whispered. Tigress was taken aback by the grimness of her words, before she also sniffed the air with her sensitive nose. Her eyes widened when the scent she picked up was indeed heavy with blood, and she shook her head slightly.

"Oh no..." Without warning, Tigress took off on all fours, surprising everyone in the group. With haste, everyone followed after her, except for Mr. Ping. He held back when he heard his ne being called. He turn around only to be caught in a rather tigght embrace by someome he recognized.

"Mrs. Yoon?! What's going on here?! And-" he stopped his shouting as soon as he noticed both her tears and the tears in her clothes. "Mrs. Yoon...? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Ping...it was horrible...utterly horrible, terrifying, and tragic...and I was there to witness it..." She said, holding on to him while trying to keep herself together. Mr. Ping's fears began to grow as she went on with this. She was incrediblyshaken up, and there was slight blood on her clothes. But that blood was not her own...

"Mrs. Yoon...calm down." The goose saif in a calmer tone, as he softly patted her back to try and calm her down. When she stopped sniffling and dried her tears, he met her eyes. "Now...tell me what happened."

A conplete recollection of her experience last night was shared with Mr. Ping, and each passing moment, his face continied to shift further into disbelief, and then onto horror. When she finished, he began to shake his head in order to try and dissuade the dread beginning to fill the air. But he knew that Mrs. Yoon wouldn't lie to him about something so serious. So...it was true...

Mr. Ping looked down at the ground, as he fell slightly. Only his wings kept him from completely hitting the ground. He continued to shake his head...until he got back up and thought of something more important.

"How are Po and Tigress going to take this...?"

 **(Valley Of Peace: Ruins)**

Po and Tigress...truly had little words to describe how they were feeling about this. Their reaction to the scene before them was nothing short of disbelief and heartbreak. This wasn't something they could process in an instant.

After a couple moments, Po began to speak. And it made everyone even more uneasy. Because he was usually a positive person. But it's not surprising that his positive attitude dropped completly when he saw what lied in store before them all.

"...Wha...? What...what happened here...?" Po said quietly.

"How did this happen...?" Tigress said just as quietly, though her face wasn't as easily readable as Po's. She was just as stunned as he was.

Fenghuang was currently kicking herself for thinking Oogway coupd have prevented this. Sure, he could have done it himself, no issues. But he had to croak on them the day before this happened. No one else could have seen this coming. No evacuation was sent out...no one was here to help them...no way to defend themselves...everyone here has been slaughtered, and everything was smashed, trashed, broken, torn, or burned. And she could tell that there has been a lot of burning.

 _Shit...I knew something would go awry while we were away...but not to this magnitude._ Fenghuang cursed in her head. Any of them could have stopped this had they stayed behind, but Oogway had already sent them all on their way. She was sure he had some sort of premonition that warned him about this, but he couldn't do anything about it when he passed on. She was handling it better than she thought she would. She was feeling a mix between sadness...and contentment. She broke her emotional ties with the citizens of the Valley Of Peace decades ago, therefore she has no apparent feelings for them. However, she was definitely saddened that her former home has been destroyed. She imagined that Shifu wasn't doing as well as she was.

She was correct.

Shifu had disappeared from sight while everyone gazed on in disbelief. He reappeared right in front of a Jade Palace...or what's left of it. The outside of it was burned. The inside was even worse. Everything inside of it was missing instead of burned, meaning that the place was ransacked instead. Someone had ransacked the Jade Palace while he was away, then burned everything else while killing the citizens, which includes the Palace Servents. He was suddenly grateful that Zeng came with them, otherwise he would have suffered the same fate. But then his thoughts shifted to something else. Why didn't Oogway prevent this tragedy...?

The realization hit him very quickly, as his eyes widened in shock and disbelief. _Oogway's Chi...I can't sense it. Not even a little bit...wait...don't tell me that he's...no...it can't be...it can't!_ He shook his head, but the fact remains that he could not sense Oogway anywhere in the Valley. And he would have sensed him anywhere in the Valley's proximity if he went anywhere. He also wouldn't ever leave the Valley unattended unless someone was left behind to protect it.

...Was Oogway truly gone? There was one way he could be completely sure. He moved swiftly over to the Peach Tree to know for sure. He passed through all of the wrecked and burned interior of the home he's resided in his whole life. He wasn't even gone that long, then it's gone the next moment. It couldn't have been gone within that time period, he had too much difficulty accepting this as reality.

But he laid his eyes upon the Peach Tree. He saw how much lifeless it looked. Oogway always told him that he and the Peach Tree had a deep connection with one another. So if one were to suddenly disappear...like Oogway...the other would look a bit more...drained. If the Peach Tree died first, Oogway might have gotten tremendously I'll. But the case is reversed. Oogway died...and the Peach Tree has lost much of it's life force along with him.

His Master has left this world. There's nothing that can dissuade this fact.

He was caught up in so much grief striking him at once that he didn't notice the letter scroll of Oogway's last words...they were burned as well. They didn't even let Oogway's last thoughts reach his students...that was an entirely new concept of cruel.

Back down below with the group, Po and Tigress were walking through the main road in silence. They weren't looking for anything in particular...they just observed the scene with blank faces. Something that deeply saddened their friends.

"Everything is destroyed...and everyone here is dead. This must be very painful for Po and Tigress..." Viper said quietly, wiping a tear from her eye with her tail. She was the latest addition to the group, and she was supposed to be happy about that. But how can she, when a tradegy like this has struck her friends. Fung could relate to her feelings. He only spent a single weei in the Valley of Peace, so he had no personal connection to it. But it was important to Po and Tigress, and it was also the place the three of them became friends. So he too, had a heavy heart about this.

Their new friends were little different. The sight was both saddening and infuriating, that someone would do something so heartless and evil.

Mei Ling placed her paws to her mouth when she spotted the local orphanage...it was also burned down. And therewe're a couple corpses of pig, geese, rabbit, and goat children...eyes lifeless or closed completely. She choked a sob, as Crane kept her from falling. "Not...not even the children were spared...how could this happen...?"

"We need to find out the identity of the bastards that did this." Monkey snarled. Nothing about this was good to the primate, he was angry the moment he saw all of this. He, Po, Tigress, and Mei Ling were struck extraordinarily hard by this sight. The four of them were orphans. Their actual family were nowhere to be found, so they were each orphans at some point or another. The difference was that Monkey stuck out for himself for a very long time. The other three were adopted or they were being looked after by someone else. These children had bright futures ahead of them, despite the lack of their birth parents. They were looking forward to the day when someone would eventually take them in to be lived and cared for like they truly wanted.

To have that chance taken away from them for no reason, so early in their lives...it was not easy to imagine who would do such a cruel thing. But it is easy to imagine how angry Tigress was. Having to wait for such a long time to be adopted by someone who would give her the family she wanted was an emotionally agonizing time for her. Though Shifu was trying hard, he did not spend enough time with her as she would have liked. But it was better than being left alone completely. These kids would not be getting the chance she and Po were lucky enough to get through their foster fathers.

Her fists clenched tightly. She noticed blood leaking from them, due to having her claws slightly out as well. Luckily she didn't feel it, but she would need to bandage her paws later. "This terrible act...will **NOT** go unpunished. That is a promise."

"Yeah it is! I really wanted to see what your home is like! Now we won't get the chance because somebody decided to be a bunch of assholes!" Mantis ranted.

Fung folded his arms. "But who? Who could have done this?"

Mrs. Yoon, while being held up by Zeng, answered them: "A large band of rogues...known as the Lin Kuei."

Fenghuang didn't even need to think about it in order for that to make sense. She stopped them from killing Po as a child. They must have thought of doing this as some sick way to get back at her for disrupting their reputation. Her talons dug into the ground at this thought. _Why those miserable filthy dogs...they'll suffer for this. **I** may not give a damn about this Valley anymore...but Po and Mr. Ping do. And that's a good enough reason for me to be pissed. _

"Oh thank goodness! It's not damaged!" She blinked at Mr. Ping's cheer and turned to face him. She saw him rummaging through the remains of the Noodle Shop he left behind. He pulled out a radish basket and clutch it tightly. "Thank goodness..."

Monkey scratched his head. "Er...Mr. Ping? Your Noodle Shop was burned down. What are you so relieved about?"

"Can't you see? The radish basket made it out okay!"

"Alright, different approach. Why is that radish basket so much more important than anything else that was in that shop?"

Mr. Ping closed his eyes, smiling gently. "This radish basket was in the alley at the back of my shop were I pick up supplies...and I found Baby Po inside of it." Everyone's eyes widened and turned to him to pay special attention to him and the basket. All excpet for Po, obviously. "He was left all alone in this basket for who knows how long. He was covered in soot, but otherwise had no injuries. I have no idea why that may be. But I obviously could not bare to leave him out there. So I fed him...gave him a bath...then fed him again...and when the day was over, I tucked him into my bed and kissed his head goodnight. I knew he was scared and lonely, so I slept beside him until the next day. From that moment on...my loneliness was dispersed...because Po appeared at random. Did I complain? Not once." He looked inside the basket and took out the Sun Lantern of himself and Po made for Winter Feast. The basket itself was filled with things he and Po made together when he was a small cub, before Fenghuang entered their life. "I finally had a reason to celebrate holidays in cheer. Because now I had someone to spend them with. That panda that I watched grow and grow...and smile at me every day. And I always smiled back. Po...my little panda. Po...my son." He closed his eyes again. "Memories...fond memories...I could use those right now..."

Everyone grew silent as Mr. Ping quietly reminisces his days with a younger Po. Eventually, Viper slithers up to him. "Mr. Ping...isn't there anything else worth of value to you left unscathed?"

"No. This is all I could salvage. This basket, a paint portrait of himself and I, and the Sun Lantern. Everything else is cinders now. But...I'm content."

"How can that be?"

"It's easy." Mr. Ping smiles. "I treasure my memories with Po more than anything else the shop had to offer me. He matters much more than my business. I can think of it this way. I no longer have to worry about family tradition taking over my son. I was thinking of breaking it, anyway. Not out of disrespect...but because Po matters more. Isn't that right, son?"

Mr. Ping was not surprised when the panda suddenly turned around, picked up the goose, and pulled him in for a hug. It was a rather tight one, but he didn't mind at all. He could feel Po shaking, lile he was trying his hardest not to cry. That's because he was. It was understandable. Po was not particularly fond of the villagers here, but he never wished for this kind of fate to befall them. He was feeling sorry for the very people who kept him from making friends. Fenghuang could hardly believe it. When Po let Mr. Ping down from his hug, he stared blankly at the remains of the Noodle Shop, feeling the same nostalgia from it like Mr. Ping was. They we're away from it for 15 years, but it was still holding fond memories.

"...We should spend the day burying all the bodies. We don't want to just leave them out." Po said quietly. No one disagreed with the panda. Leaving even one body out would be disrespectful. So they went to work, burying every single corpe in the Valley for the whole day, and with every one, they would pray for the departed, then continue to find more.

Everyone went on with this with no sound except for their own movement.

 **(The Next Day-Sunrise)**

Everyone was up early, greeting each other quietly, and headed onto the Peach Tree after Mr. Ping and Po cooked them breakfast and they ate quickly. Po and Tigress stood beside the Pesch Tree, overlooking the ruins of the Valley, while the others stayed back.

They learned a lot. All of the knowledge that would possibly be kept in the Jade Palace was either burned, or long gone by now. Shifu now held Oogway's staff, the only thing he has left to remember him by. They also discovered that the Dragon Scroll was destroyed. Tigress felt slight relief, even muttering 'Good Riddance'. She didn't want anything to do with Dragon Warrior related business, and she meant it. They would be fine without it. Fenghuang couldn't carw less about the Valley at this point.

"Now I think we're on the same page here." The avian said. "The Valley Of Peace definitely held true to it's name for a very long time. But the 'Peace' began to decline quite rapidly as the years passed. I am of course one of the causes of this, and many more before and after me have ruined the peace of this Valley. Now it's not there at all, as you can old turtle had a good run with it, really. But the curtain closes on the Valley Of Peace. The winds have changed."

"What do you mean?" Crane asked. Wind being a specialty of his, he was interested in what she meant by this.

The owl turned to face them. "You can feel it too, can't you? This is a new chapter. A new era has begun for everyone not just us. With the passing of Oogway, the destruction of the Valley of Peace, and the treasures of the Jade Palace either destroyed or scattered, it's pretty obvious what's happening." Her eyes opened calmly, as everyone felt a breeze become even stronger, as it rustled her feathers and robe for a couple moments.

"Oogway's Era...had ended..." The wind stopped, and she stared at the group before her. "He held his era together for a thousand years, not a bad run. But China has grown some dark shadows over the years. This just seals the deal and proves that it's real. And we'd better get used to it, because we're in for some painful times. What we have to learn how to do, is endure it, get stronger than it, and make sure it can't keep us down for good. You all will be a major example on what Kung Fu's Newer Age represents. Especially you two." She gestured to Po and Tigress.

Tigress folded her arms. "The first chance we get, we're going after the Lin Kuei. They can't be allowed to get away with this." Due to Fenghuang's influence and Mrs. Yoon's tailoring skills, Tigress was no longer wearing her training vest. She replaced it with a red short sleeved Kung Fu buttoned shirt with shaded images of tiger lilies in the front, and there as the image of a tiger on the back of it. It related the scarf Po gave her as well, making it a good match in her eyes. It looked like it would be suitable for both relaxing, and fighting. It was a slight change, but she was comfortable with it.

"I heard what Stripes has to say. What say you, Panda?" Fenghuang turned to her student with a small smile. She knew what he was thinking. She just wanted to hear him say it.

The panda overlooks the Valley below him, before turning to his fellow friends, masters, and father. "I won't pretend that I completely know what I'm talking about. I'm not wise like Master Oogway or experienced like Master Shifu. What I'm saying is what I personally think." He paused for a bit, allowing them to focus their attention just a bit more. "As I said before with Viper, I don't intend to make us great heroes or anything. I just want to go on an adventure and make more friends. If people see us as heroes anyway, we can't do anything about that. It is what it is. The Valley I live in will never be the same again. But Tigress, Shifu, Dad and I can preserve the memory within ourselves, and keep moving."

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?" Fenghuang asked, her smile becoming wider.

Po nodded. "We're our own group...so we're gonna make and follow our own rules. We live how we want, we do what we want(without becoming total jerks) and we help people because we want to and it's in our heart's interest, not because it's some kind of 'duty' to follow. We'll be gathering the rest of the friends on the list as we go forward on our journey. It's an opportunity for us to get to known one another better, become closer, and make room for more friends. As for Kung Fu...Kung Fu is definitely not a bad thing. Hell, I LOOOOOVVVEEE Kung Fu. It's so awesome! But over time...it's become far too strict for some to handle, thus it keeps us from reaching our potential while staying true to ourselves. Not saying it's like that all the time, just that we should watch out for that. We'll learn at our own pace, with understanding Masters, with just the right amount of discipline. But most importantly...we stick together, stand up for one another, and we fight alongside one another when danger comes after us. And it will. Now...who's with me?"

"No arguments here. I'm game." Fung raised his paw.

"Me too. It could be fun." Mei Ling raised her paw.

"My Wings of Justice are by your side, Po!" Crane raised his wing.

"Ever need cheering up, you guys can talk to me." Viper raised her tail.

"I may be little, but my heart is huge! Count me in too." Mantis raised his foreleg.

"Why not? Authority could never hold me down before. Now I have friends who back me up." Monkey grinned, raising his paw.

"Ah what the hell. Might as well join in. We are the teachers, after all." Fenghuang raised her wing with a genuine smile.

Shifu sighed. So much was happening and he didn't have enough time to react to it all. He was still grieving, but he also didn't want to ruin the mood they had going. "...I suppose it can't be helped." Shifu raised his paw.

"I'm a good messenger when I'm at my best!" Zeng raised his wing.

"I make some mean noodles! I also have quite the experience in managing bonds like these." Mr. Ping raised a wing.

"Ever need a tailor, you can come to me." Mrs. Yoon raised her hoof.

Everyone then turned to Tigress, who hasn't raised her paw yet. "Come on, Tigress! Don't leave us hanging!" Po said, smiling.

The feline then turned to Po with a confused expression. "Make and Follow our own rules...live how we want...do what we want...and help people because we want to and it's in our heart's interest...not because we feel like we have to..." She looked up to Po with her eyes slightly widened in realization. "Po...do you realize that you're asking us to become a band of rogues?"

"..Is that what it's called?" Po rubbed his head in confusion. "Huh. Then I guess I am."

"Po...aren't rogues...dishonest and bad people?"

The panda chuckled, surprising the feline a little, before he looked up towards her. "Is that what you're worried about? Being the old-fashioned definition of a rogue? None of us are either of those things, so I don't think you have to worry about that. We're also gonna prove that being a rogue isn't as bad as people might think."

 _Why do I get the feeling that that sentence will come back to confront me later?_ Shifu thought.

Po rubbed his neck. "Tigress. We're not gonna go around breaking rules just for laughs, that's not what I mean at all. We just don't want them to hold us back from doing the right thing. I want us to do these things on our own terms. We're gonna be good people who live how we want to live, while helping those in need in our own way."

Tigress then began to fully understand. Fenghuang was no longer evil because she met Po. Now she's just an arguably decent rogue who follows her own rules and cares not for the criticism of others. She's also passionate about being a free spirit who is chained down by nothing that can hold her back from her true potential. Did this mindset of hers...influence Po's current mindset?

"Tigress." She looked up at Po, who held his paw out to her, with a bright goofy smile. "Don't think about it, just say yes."

She wasn't oblivious to the fact that those are the exact words he used when he decided the two of them should be friends. It may have been coincidence or he did it on purpose. Either way, it was out in the open now. Po was not going against laws or the old ways of Kung Fu. He was fine with them...unless they intentionally try to harm him or his loved ones, or attempt to make him to do something related to that. Then all bets are off. This may have its risks...but Po has been taking risks ever since he was a cub.

If he can do it...she can too!

She smiled, and held his paw. "I'll follow you anywhere, Po."

Po's smile grew bigger. "Awesome! We're all in agreement! Now to make it official. Everyone: Group Hug!"

No one questioned him this time, they just surrounded one another and wrapped themselves in a large hug pile with Po right in the middle. Fenghuang and Shifu were the only ones not to jump in, but the support was there.

They then broke out of the hug pile, and Po turned to the sunrise, his hat raised so he could see it. He's been struck with grief for a bit, but he managed to recover from it. It can't be helped, so they'll just have to keep moving. He has his father, has his friends, will be getting more of them soon, and they have Kung Fu which will allow them to back each other up in a variety of situations. He couldn't stay sad after realizing all of this. In fact...he smiled.

"Today is a new day!"

 **(Unknown)**

"Hm...what do we have here...? Oogway has transferred to the next world so soon? How unfortunate..." Master Yao turned towards the skies, blinking with curiosity. "It seems that the Chi in the world has been released upon the world, and people who have the ability to control it will become much more powerful. And some of then are not good people. This may lead to a lot of trouble..."

The Secret Scroll, which this Master has accurately and quickly deciphers at the age of five, has been burned alongside the Jade Palace, where it was being kept. The Secret Of the Secret Scroll...has a lot to do with Chi. It kept much of the chi in the world to a minimum so that evildoers could not misuse it. With the Secret Scroll now destroyed, the chi is beginning to naturally flow back into the world, giving potential users more power and restoring the abilities of experienced Masters. Pretty soon, things may get extremely chaotic...

...all he could do was laugh. This was a grand change of epic proportions, and he merely laughs at it. He then sported a goofy grin that rivals Po's.

"THANK GOODNESS! I was becoming so bored just sitting in my box for so long with nothing going on. _Finally,_ the universe has decided to mix things up a little!" He stood up, his frail looking body wobbling a little, as he began walking on and waving. "Thanks for the experience of kidnapping me, young ones. But I wanna do a couple things on my own for a while. Such as eat tasty treats like moon cakes...I heard those are delicious. Mmmm...Anyway, see you later!"

There was a group of bandits lying on the ground, unconscious. Their force was 50. They were that determined to capture Yao and take advantage of the many powers he was possessed. He allowed them to do so...and when they threatened him, he defeated them all in seconds. Without moving from his box. He then stepped out and left them behind in the middle of a field.

Master Yao chuckled. "I wonder how the young generation is going to react. This is going to be fun. Really fun. And I'm interested in what they have to offer the future-oh! What a pretty flower!" He stepped up to the plant, sniffing it slightly. "Ah...what a delightful smell it has...I wonder what everything else around here smells like..."

Master Yao was wise, thoughtful and a really jolly nice guy. But he was also a bit...mentally unhinged. Not in a borderline insane way, it's just that being cooped up in a box for 60 years didn't do wonders for his mind. Being a legendary Kung Fu Master with a large IQ, however, he wasn't the one to be extremely concerned about. He could take care of himself...maybe.

Bottom line is, things will be getting MUCH more lively from here on out...and he can hardly wait to see it start.

* * *

 **End Of Chapter...**

 **I'm guessing you see by now the small but important difference between Canon Po and this story's Po. This Po is influnced by Fenghuang. While he wants be a really good person, have many friends, wants the gang to live how they want without appearing to be jerks, and help lots of people wherever he goes...he's also insisting that being a hero is not what he wants, and he means it. Though if people see them that way, he won't harshly call them out on it. He'll just shrug and move on.**

 **But to clear things up: NO ONE is going to leave that terrible act unpunished. If they ever find the Lin Kuei...they'd better be ready for some serious pain. And it seems the Dragon Warrior subject has been buried for good.**

 **...or has it?**

 **That's all. The Next chapter of the story will be out soon. Hopefully I won't take as long.**

 **Later~**


	21. Mosho Town

**Sorry this took so long. I'm typing this story on a phone, you see. And my phone had problems...yeah.**

 **But that aside, here's another chapter. And to signify the next part of the story, here's a new intro scene. Hope it doesn't do terribly.**

 **Music: Asterisk (Bleach Opening 1. The short version, not full version. Pretty sure the English lyrics are in a YouTube video somewhere...)**

 **(...I obviously don't own Bleach...or KFP. At all.)**

 **Why do I do intro scenes? Well...I don't really know, actually. Just wanted to do something a bit differently than most. If they suck, they suck. If they're great, then they're great. But they're mine. Not the songs I use, obviously. But the scenes I use them for are. And I'm pretty content with that. And as suggested, I change the intro when a certain number of chapters have past. So again, hope that's alright.**

 **First a little something, and then an intro scene. Lets begin.**

* * *

 **(Jong Sung's Estate)**

The prisoner felt like something was wrong. Jong Sung was far too pleased during these past couple of days, and she didn't lke it one bit. She wished she could break out of this stupid cage, but her powers were still restrained. One of his summer home's we're destroyed a while ago, that was nothing to smile about, she didn't see the point...

Unless he did something despicable. That would be the only way he would be enjoying himself. Why else would he be looking so smug?

She heard him entering the room and she returned to her position in her prison, not acknowledging him with eye contact. Though he seemed content with that, and lit a torch I'm the room to bring light inside. Her wore a victorious grin that she hated intensely.

"Xue, my friend. I seem to have gained yet another victory." He said calmly with his arms around his back. With the room lit up, there was now a clear view of what Xue looks like.

Xuě was a goat, but not like other goats. She was taller than most, just a bit shorter than Tigress. Her white fur was neatly smooth, and a bit of it served as hair reaching to her shoulders. THe hords on her head curved slightly, and were very sharp. Her eyes we're a deep icy blue, and no longer slitted. Her attire was a white snowflake patterned cheongasm with a long slit on both sides of her legs which allowed for easier and more comfortable movement. The dress reached to her ankles, and hugged her form gently, showing that she is decently well-endowed, and attention can be brought to her legs. In all honesty, she was a very beautiful woman. She also has the aura of a very powerful fighter, her clothes do nothing to slow her down. Her cold gaze lingered on her jailor.

"Jong Sung...if you keep talking to an 18-year old girl like that while she's locked in a cage, people will get the wrong idea." She said coldly. "Now why are you more smug than usual today?"

He chuckled. "It's quite simple, really. Remember that sudden destruction of one of my summer homes? Well I hired the Lin Kuei to punish that action. The Valley Of Peace is currently, as I ordered it's destruction."

Xue paused, her mouth agape in shock. When the I understanding sunk in, she gripped the bars of her cage angrily. "You...bastard...Your cruelty has finally drove you over the deep end! How can you give such an order?!"

"Anyone who crosses me is punished severely. No exceptions to anyone. I don't know who would have the gall to do something like that, but it was a mistake. The Valley Of Peace serves as an example for those who cross me. Now no one else will think about doing such a thing." He nodded. "Now then...until next time, my friend. We'll speak again soon." The takin then closed the door to her room, leaving her there alone again.

Xuě stared at her paw, which began covering itself with ice and snow, then it disappeared. She clenched it and gritted her teeth while gripping the collae placed on her neck that constantly drained her Chi. _This can't go on. Either someone comes for me soon, or I'll need to escape on my own...hold on...the Chi around me as changed...it's more free, and unrestrained than before...does that mean...?_ She began forming ice in her hand, which began forming into a key...it falls apart after five seconds. She sighed. _Of course. But this means something serious happened. I can use this to my advantage. All I need is patience...and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. But sooner or later, I'll be free. I need to take the chance when it makes itself known. I won't be kept here for long..._

Her mind briefly flashed years back, as she saw herself playing with a wolf cub, her being just a kid at the time. She then opens her eyes, which were filled with resolve. "I'm not going to taint his memory by remaining a prisoner here...I WILL escape...!"

* * *

 **(Intro)**

 _The Ghost of Oogway looks sadly upon the charred remains of the Valley of Peace. But he turns his back and smiles, as the heart and strength of the Valley still lives on in the two core characters: Po and Tigress respectively, as they both stood next to the still barely living Peach Tree. The latter strongly folded her arms with her tiger scarf flowing with the wind, and Po was placing his hat on his head, and had a small smile on his face as their current friends stood behind them._

 _The Title: **'T** **ales Of China'** flash in a flurry of Peach Petals, before disappearing in a blur... _

_The current group makes their way forward. Monkey is climbing trees and looking outward, Fung checks a map for their next destination, Mei Ling served as a morale booster by wearing an energetic smile, Viper slithered alongside Mantis, and Crane overlooked them in the skies...before being rudely frightened by an amused Fenghuang. Mr. Ping and Zeng both laughed at him, then whimpered as Mrs. Yoon smacks them both in the head. Shifu silently facepalmed at them._

 _Po and Tigress we're looking over the recruits list, showing that half of the list was complete, and that they now needed the other half. They then close the scroll and continue moving onward._

 _The entire gang was making their way onward with the elders sticking behind to see how they do. Hordes of enemies try to get in their way, they're batted away within moments. Monkey's trickery, Crane's wind, Viper's smooth movement, Mei Ling's staff, Mantis's lightning-fast movement, and Fung's cleverness. All enemies before them fell to these elements._

 _The last scene had Po and Tigress simply sitting down and enjoying the company they now have, as the shadows of their loneliness has finally started to dissipate..._

 **(End Intro)**

* * *

 **(Later That Day)**

"What...? Are you sure, Mrs. Yoon?' Po asked the goat for confirmation. When he sees her nod to this, he clenched his fists. "Why that lousy slimeball...he's going to pay for this!"

Mrs. Yoon had forgotten a major detail when she told them about the slaughter of the Valley Of Peace:

 _"Jong Sung, that's who. He's given us quite a lot of loot. This Valley must have really pissed him off to order us to do something like that."_

She felt a bit guilty for forgetting this important piece of information, but no one blamed her not even a little bit. It was a bit of a traumatic experience since she was faced with a pack of bloodthirsty wolves who try to play off as decent businessmen. No one could boame her for hesitating ton recall that night in order to remember something very important..Viper even coiled around her gently to comfort her as she recalled the events.

"There there, Mrs. Yoon. It'll be alright, no one here holds anything against you for forgetting something very important. Someone as sweet and kind as yourself shouldn't have to experience something like that. So dn't blame yourself." Viper said, gently nuzzling Mrs. Yoon to comfort her.

Monkey clenched his paws as well, feeling extremely frustrated and guilty. "That petty conniving crappy bastard! He did this because we trashed his stupid summer home!? Damn him!" He sighed, as he turns to Po with sorrowful look. "I'm sorry Po. I was your first recruit, and you proved you we're genuine about being my friend by trashing his summer home. And he retaliated by trashing _your_ home. If only I-"

Po placed a paw on Monkey's shoulder. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Monkey. I'm the one who made the call, so it's on me. Though...that doesn't mean I'm willing to let him get away with this so easily. If we ever see Jong Sung for real next time, then he's gonna pay."

"He'll surely be punished for this, since he's the one who ordered it in the first place." Tigress said with folded arms."Both he and the Lin Kuei will pay dearly for this act. We will make sure of it." Po nodded to this. Then he took a good look at her, then smiled. She raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Po?"

He just shook his head and pointed at her shirt. "It's just that with that short-sleeved red Kung Fu buttoned shirt you have on,instead of the training vest you used to wear...I dunno. You just look more relaxed with that shirt. I like that. Not that I have anything against your training vest, though."

Tigress blinked. Po may not have realized it, but in a simple general sense..he's saying that she looks really good in her shirt. She just managed a small smile, turned her head away from him and placed a paw on her cheek. There was also a small blush sprouting on her cheeks. "Um...thank you, Po..."

Fenguang raised an eyebrow at Tigress's reaction. _Seems like she's never been complimented much on her looks, so it may be very unexpected for her to hear such a thing. Either that or she finds praise from the Panda specifically...very flattering._ She smirked mischievously. _How intriguing...I'll keep quiet for now, but if the latter hypothesis proves to be correct... I'll be interested in seeing how this develops._

Mantis snickered. "Wow Tigress, you seem to be pretty embarassed by Po's been complimented on your looks before?" He folded his forelegs. "Well...I can't say I'm too surprised about that-"

 _Stomp_

"You say something, you little bug?" Tigress said with an agitated smirk, placing her foot on top of Mantis, who was making a rather frantic attempt to get away.

"Me? Say something? Hehehe, I didn't say anything worth mentioning-OW! I'm sorry! Mercy!" He begged of her, causing most of the others to laugh at his expense.

Mei Ling was sitting on a rock, her arms folded, her tail swishing side to side behind her, and her staff on her back. Though judging by the middle detail, she was clearly eager. She turned to Po with a smile. "Alrighty then Boss." She says 'Boss' jokingly. There is no one clearly in charge of the group, but everyone seem to agree to follow Po. "Where are we off to?"

Po blinked a bit while folding his arms. He gazed up at the sky as his hat moved behind his neck, still attached with a string. After a while, he unfolded his arms and tapped his cheek twice. "I...have no idea where to go next."

 _Wham!_

Most of them face-faulted, incredibly stunned by what the panda just said. Crane recovered first. "WHAAAAT?!" He screeched, as he flapped his wings rapidly, getting into Po's face. "You mean to tell me you have no idea where to go next, even after all that talk about sticking together?! You didn't think this entire thing out at all, have you?!"

Po sweatdropped as he raised his paws in defense. "I was just winging it up to this point! But the emotion behind it was definitely real! I'm sorry!"

The avian sighed while showing slight amusement at the 'winging it' comment, as he stopped flapping his wings and rubbed his head to manage his own headache. "How did I see this coming...?"

The panda shrugged, smiling nervously. "Well...I guess that's what being a rogue is like. They go wherever they wish to go. They don't always have a specific and detailed plan in mind. They just...ya know..." He stretched out his arm and slowly moved it forward to demonstrate what he means. "Go..."

"Oh for the love of-"

"Panda is trying to say that sometimes _not_ knowing where exactly you are going is part of the fun of being on a long journey." Fenghuang stated casually.

Po blinked for a moment, before pointing at her. "Yeah that! I was TOTALLY gonna say that!"

"Of course you were, ya big dummy." She rolled her eyes with an amused smile. The panda pouted and covered his face with his hat.

"That was mean, Master. Why ya gotta be so mean...?" He complained childishly. This only made the owl laugh.

Shifu folded his hands behind his back while standing atop Oogway's staff, looking over the remains of the destroyed Valley of Peace. He knew this wasn't his fault, everyone was telling him this. But still, he grew up in this Valley and he has grown to watch over the Valley alongside his master. As such, he unconsciously feels as if this was his responsibility to seek out all beings behind this tragedy...and bring them down. But first, he had to at least let China know what happened.

He closed his eyes. "Other Masters will soon want to know why the Valley Of Peace has went silent. We will have to send a message out to all the Masters in China to let them know of this tragic turn of events. They all should be aware of this...and they'll also want to know about Oogway's passing. It will be quite a shock for the entire country...but the news must get out to everyone. This cannot stay quiet for long."

"Obviously." Fenghuang sighed. "There's no way in hell that an entire Valley being wiped out overnight will stay private. Sooner or later, whether we instigate it or not...this is gonna get out to everyone. Stopping it from happening is borderline impossible. So we might as well send the message out ourselves to prevent someone from messing around with the details. Some messengers are we etty enough to change up the details to make the story seem 'better'."

Zeng huffed, folding his wings. "How dishonest. Messages should be given out word for word. The honor of a messenger should not be tainted by false wording! Luckily I am a very focused messenger in my own right. I'm no slacker."

"Oh really? Then those 'extended lunch breaks' you tend to take all the time is not slacking off?" Tigress asked with a tilted head. This caused him to point to her in slight panic.

"I fly across entire regions in order to deliver messages! I _DESERVE_ occasional extended lunch breaks!"

"Did someone say extended lunch?" Po asked, looking very hopeful.

Fenghuang turned to him with an amused smile while shaking her head. "Of course not, Panda. Palace Servant is just whining about his job. Nothing that requires your concern."

"Aw man...I was really looking forward to having lunch. I couldn't really eat yesterday. Because...you know..." Everyone understood what he meant by that.

"That's alright, Panda. Once we secure a definite destination to go to, we'll take the time we need to eat."

"Sweet! So we gotta send a message out to China as a whole to all Kung Fu Masters, right? So how are we going to do that?"

Shifu stroke his beard while looking outwards. Then he hopped off the staff, whisked it into his hands and turned to everyone. "Our first destination will be the Kung Fu Express Headquarters."

"Nnnnnoooooooooo..." Fenghuang groaned loudly, gaining an annoyed eye from Shifu. "Not that place. The place where all those guys and gals take their mail WAY too seriously!"

"That's because the Kung Fu Express is in charge of urgent messages and very important documents!" Shifu shouted at her. "And in case you failed to notice, this situation involves both urgency and importance! Which is why sending a message would be extremely necessary!"

"Don't shout at me, Midget!" She shouted back at him. She huffed while closing her eyes. "I still just see those guys as a mail delivery service that puts far too much passion into their job. It's just mail, for crying out loud."

Shifu rubbed his ears. "I knew you would still be unable to grasp the significance of this organization. So you're free to stay behind if you dislike them so strongly, but we're heading for he headquarters. It will be our destination, because it will send out the message we plan to make throughout China all at once. It's the most effective way to send out our message. Because it MUST be sent, Fenghuang."

The owl groaned again, before looking to the sky for a couple moments. Then she nodded with acceptance. "Fine. Whatever. Let's get to the stupid Kung Fu Express Headquarters, then. The sooner we get in, the sooner we get out. And I don't even wanna go in." She paused. "Plus, you can't tell me what to do. I'm a grown woman."

"A grown woman with the mindset of a whining child. Of course your maturity hasn't improved since you've been gone."

"Ohohoho! Look who just turned into Mr. Smartass!" The elder masters glared at one another, so hard that there were sparks.

Fung shrugged, ignoring their banter, and adjusted his helmet. "We'll work something out. But nothing will get done if we're just standing here idly. Let's just go and figure out our plans when we get there. We have a message to send, that will be our way to send it."

Po pounds his fist into his other paw, grinning with excitement. "Alright then, that's our plan! Ur first stop is the Kung Fu Express Headquarters, so let's get a move on!" He then blinked, and rubbed his neck nervously. "Er...which way do we go?"

"Ah boy..." Crane shook his head in slight embarrassment. They knew that it would take a long time for them to get to the Kung Fu Express Headquarters. That location was anything but close to where they currently were.

Mei Ling got up from the rock she sat on and stared out towards the opposite side of the Valley. "I really wanted to know this place better, honestly. And then look what happens to it, all because some petty rich noble couldn't take a loss. What a shame. The Peace in it's name has been taken out and shredded it to pieces for nothing but revenge and profit..." she lowered her eyes n sadness. She was never really sure about it, but the number of bad events occurring in the Valley each seemed to be an omen that lead up to something like this. And now it's one true.

"It'll be alright, Mei Ling." Crane patted her back, as she smiling at his support.

Fenghuang blinked a bit, and looked upwards. "You know what...I may have a good idea on where to start while we're making our way there."

Shifu turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "Where would that be?"

"Moshou Market. We'll need some supplies, as it's something we're beginning to slack on. In another way, we may be able to find something useful that can help us out."

The smaller Master blinked slowly as she said these words. "Moshou Market...the place that specializes in supplying black market merchandise...? Why would we go to a place like that? It's highly untrustworthy in many places that I don't even want to know about! It's unfit as a place to gather supplies!"

The owl shrugged, not understanding the smaller Master's complaining. "Why not? I took Po here all the time when we took a break from training." This only seemed to increase Shfiu's anxiety, which still had her a bit confused. "What are you so panicked about?"

All the others, sans Mr. Ping, instantly understood many things about Po and Fenghuang. Moshu Market was a very shady place, and to think Fenghuang actually taught him Kung Fu near a place like this. It explained a bit of Po's behavior, and Fenghuang's playful negativity towards seems nearly effortless at this point. Po was taken in by a snarky Owl, trained in Kung Fu near shady town, and he's been there for 15 years. His roughness would of course build during his stay there. And yet Mr. Ping is the only one who hasn't changed at all, which is very surprising. If anything can count as a change for him, it's his business becoming well-known, even with a noodle cart There was a very good chance that Mr. Ping played an active role in keeping Po from people that were _too_ shady.

"Fenghuang made a big impression on Po, Shifu. And not in a bad way not bad at all. Likewise she wasn't the only one." Mr. Ping said, gaining the small Master's attention. "There was...one other person..." is voiced trailed off for a moment as he entered into a state of deep thought. Then he brushed it aisde and smiled. "Bah, it doesn't matter right now. We oughta get going, we stalled ourselves long enough."

Po smiled. "Dad's right. Come on guys, let's go!"

Shifu sighed. "Why do I get the feeling I won't like this...?"

 **(Mosho Town)**

It took up a little up to a couple hours to travel all the way out to the Mosho Market. Not too rare from a typical village, the Mosho Market is a pure marketplace village where travelers can get what they need, be it regular supplies...or something of a dark magical kind. And to be honest...Shifu didn't know what to think of the place right now.

Sure, the place was still extremely shady in many ways. But the place seemed...cheerier for some reason. As in many of the citizens here are much more positive than they usually were. Even during their somewhat dark dealings most of the time. Many of them wore a couple honest smiles, even. Some didn't smile, but were just nice enough for them to tell be able to tell the difference. It was something unexpected of them.

Shifu just looked around the through the darkness of the market, where blue lanterns over many of the shops were used to illuminate the area, giving them a slight eerie appearance. The place was eerie for sure, and so are some of the items. But the people were usually nice. He realized the descriptions of this place may have been a bit over exaggerated.

"You weren't completely incorrect about your assumptions of this place, Midget." Fenghuang stated when she recognized his confusion. "Yeah, this place used to be much darker than it used to be...but that's before Po wandered into town with his little feet, walking alongside me and Mr. Ping. After a couple of months, many people here were helping us look after him when one or both us got to busy. Like when I was training him, or Mr. Ping was doing business with his noodle cart."

Monkey stared at Po in surprise. "No way. This place is a haven for shopkeepers who do dark and mysterious dealings behind everybody's back with nothing but trouble in the area. You actually got them to become a decent marketplace while still being dark and mysterious? How'd you pull that off...?"

Po shrugged. "I was just really nice to everyone. I didn't think they would get nicer too. Who knows, it may be a good thing. And considering that we're officially rogues...who knows? This may be a good place to properly kick it off. Ya know, get some supplies, say hi to a bunch of folks, give them a helping hand...it'll be a good time."

"You're really willing to give the word 'rogue' a strange name, you know that?" Fung told him. "Not that I have anything against that, just stating an observation of mine. In fact, I think we can learn to like them."

Po grinned and wrapped an arm around him. "Now you're talking! Now let's go shopping for supplies and stuff!" He then paused. "Wait...what are we shopping for again?"

"The essential supplies. Ya know, backpacks for each of us, a large-scale map of China, scrolls to draw out and sent messages, calligraphy pack for Crane, couple of ingredients for preparing our own breakfast, snacks, lunches and dinner. We don't need all four at once, but it would be nice. Mr. Ping needs more ingredients and utensils if he's going to keep his noodle cart a success." Monkey told them. "...I also need ingredients myself. I can tell that Po already misses my cookies. So overall, we're going to go get a lot of stuff."

Po was lost in a daze. His eyes sparkled and shined at the prospect of being able to prepare their own food in large quantities. Mr. Ping noticed this, and chuckled softly while raising his wings up. "I believe we lost him at breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner." Everyone else agreed. "Po...son? Are you going to be alright?"

"Cookies..."

"Yep. We lost him." Fenghuang raised her wing and slapped Po upside the head. Not enough to hurt, but to snap him out of it. He immediately shook his head and looked around frantically.

"Huh? What happened? Where am I?...where'd the cookies go?"

"No cookies at the moment, Panda."

"Aw man..."

They had plans to distribute the money earned from Mr. Ping's noodle cart, which was plenty enough to get just the right amount for each thing they need. They each decided to split up and search for their respective supplies. Po, Tigress, Crane, and Mei Ling were just taking a stroll around the market. Needless to say that Po was quite upset that he didn't get to go get the food alongside Mr. Ping, Zeng, Fung, and Mantis. Shifu and Fenghuang would be keeping an eye out for anything that might look dangerous to the young ones, and they were also in charge of getting the map they need in order to make their way to the Kung Fu Express Headquarters. Viper and Monkey would be looking for scrolls to write in. With everyone's role decided, they split up and went on their search.

...Po was still upset that he didn't get picked to get the food.

"Maaaaann...I really wanted to pick out the food. I would have picked out something awesome." Po folded his arms, pouting childishly.

"Calm down, Po. Your father is more than well-suited to do the job for you so that you can search for many of the other supplies alongside us. We're being flexible when it comes to stocking up on supplies, that's all. Nothing to be upset about."

"Ha...ah man...I know, you're right about that, Tigress. It's still pretty suckish that I didn't get the chore I like."

Crane adjusted his hat, sighing. "It may have been a smart move. If YOU were in charge of stocking up on out food...well...no offensive at all to you, Po...but we have suspicions that we might end up with less than what he asked for...and not because you didn't buy enough."

"Are you saying I might eat some of the food myself if I'm not supervised?!"

"No!...possibly...yes."

"How would you know that, huh? I'm not even hungry right now!" Po's belly shook a little from it growling for a couple seconds, and he pretended not to notice. "...That proves nothing. Nothing at all."

"You sure about that?"

"Yep."

Both Tigress and Mei Ling chuckled at Po's refusal to prove Crane correct. Then they heard a voice.

"My my...is that a panda you have in your group?"

All four of them blinked, as Po lifted his hat. "I am that panda. Who's talking about me?"

"Over here." They turned to the sound of the voice, towards someone who was shown under the light of a blue lantern. A snow leopard was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed, a chin in her paw, and a small smile on her face that goes along with the sly look in her eyes. She was currently wearing a red and brown vest along with her black sweatpants. There was a red parasol right above her head, which was clearly hers. "Hey there."

"Hey!" Po waved. "You noticed me, so it means ya wanna chat. But let's try and introduce ourselves first. My name is Po! This is Tigress, Mei Ling, and Crane. Nice to meet you!"

"Only you would be so cheerful and friendly in a shadowy marketplace like this...then drag us into it." Crane mumbled.

The snow leopardess smiles at Po. "Po, hm? Such a nice name you got there. Well, it'd be bad manners if I didn't give my name as well." She stood up and cleared her throat. "My name is Song. Nice to meet you, Po."

Po smiles at her name, thinking it was quite a fitting name for her...then his jaw dropped. "Wait a minute...your name...is Song?"

She didn't know what he meant by this, so she just continued to smile politely. "Um...I'm pretty sure my name is Song. Are you having a hard time believing that, or something else?"

"No, it's not that. It's just that..." Po recalled the 'friend list'(he grew tired of the word 'recruit' in the title, they weren't soldiers) and remembered that the name 'Song' was definitely on it. "Guys we found her! Our next friend is here! That was so easy I can't even say how easy it is!" Po stopped himself, and tapped his chin. "Wait..."

In the midst of this, Song was blinking in confusion, not understanding what the Panda was so excited about...

(Meanwhile)

Fenghuang yawned slightly in boredom, blinking slowly. "Where the hell do we find a map...?" I forgot far too much about what this place to even remember where they keep them. Are we really gonna have to search the entire market in order to find a mao that's good enough to get us through during our future travels?"

"You are the one who suggested this place, Fenghuang. Why are you complaining about it?" Shifu asked with an irritated twitch of his eyebrow. "We'll find a map soon, so I truly do suggest that you calm yourself down for a bit. Are you able to do that for everyone?"

The owl groaned, and rubbed her head with her wing. "Fine fine, I'll calm down for a little bit. It's just...it's nothing against this market. I think it suits me. Dark, mysterious, and a fair share of sarcasm."

"How does sarcasm fit into that description?"

"Oh wow, you can't understand what I mean. I'm very surprised." The two rolled her eyes. Shifu understood at that moment, and it had quite the right amount of irritation. The owl then stopped and pointed at a wooden shop. "I don't think I've seen that shop before. Let's check it out."

Shifu and Fenghuang walked up to the, shop at hand, and knocked on it to gain the attention of the person in charge of it. They heard a couple of things being moved around, along with the sounds of someone talking...and slight banter to follow it. Then the door began to open, and the shopkeeper came out...

The shopkeeper was one of the last people Shifu expected.

"Hello there, and welcome to ou-" Jaws dropped, both his and Shifu's. "Whaaaaaat?! Shifu?!"

"T-T-T-T-Taotie?!"

Both the warthog and the red panda stared at one another for a very long time. Then they both sported tick marks on their heads and pointed at one another with anger. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Oh goodness no. Old men quarrel." Fenghuang groaned, rubbing her beak with a feather. "Maybe I should have went with the panda. Then at least-"

"Dad...what are you doing yelling already...? You usually yell AFTER your customers call your things crap." They heard this as another warthog stepped out with a lazy yawn as he observed the commotion with little interest. "They're not gonna trash our house, are they?"

Taotie sighed and turned to the younger warthog with a stern glare. "Bian Zao. Get back inside, this doesn't involve you."

Shfiu backed up when he tried to regain the sense of what he just heard. "Taotie...you...you have a son...? And his name is Bian Zao...?"

Fenghuang narrowed her eyes. Bian Zao was one of the people on the list...but he looks so young that she'd wondering if they got the right Bian Zao. She thought that all of the recruits would be around their twenties at best. But he looked like a simple teenager. She was going for 15 years old. Which means around the years she was with Po and Mr. Ping, this child was born. It was only a guess.

Bian Zao looked between Shifu and his father. "Is this some kind of...awkward reunion or something?"

Taotie glared at Shifu and sported a careless wave to Fenghuang. "You could say that. I bet you're curious about our history, son."

To their surprise, the teen merely yawned and scratched his back. "Nah...sounds pretty lame. I'm going back to bed. Try not to argue so loudly, alright?" He turned and walked back into the shop/house. His father and Shifu we're left utterly speechless.

"W-Wait! Are you sure you don't want to hear about it?! It involves a lot of-"

"Laaaaaaaaame."

Fenghuang blinked. Then she blinked again. Then a third time. "...That boy...impresses me..." she said with an insightful look, as Shifu turned to her, his eyes asking what that meant. "It took me years to master the art of being deadpan...but that boy is deadpan by nature. I don't think I've seen that before."

"I swear you're paying attention to the wrong things." Shifu sighed, holding his head. "What matters is that we found our next person. We ought to tell the others about this and then have Bian Zao join with us."

Taotie adopted a serious expression when he heard this. "...Did you just say that you were going to take my son somewhere with YOU, Shifu? Where are you going?"

"That doesn't concern you."

"That's my son you are talking about. It's my business by default! So tell me why he has to come with you! Because if I don't like your answer, then I'll have to ask the both you to leave. You already ruined plenty of things for me already, Shifu. You're not going to add him to that list. I won't allow it." Both he and Shifu glared at one another once again. Luckily no OK he else but Fenghuang was wondering n the area.

The owl sighed and flew up on a roof, perched on the edge. "Yep. I am not getting involved into their personal quarrels. They can work this dispute out themselves." She paused.

 _Hopefully..._

* * *

 **Remember when I said that recruiting will get increasingly more difficult. Well, this is the time where it REALLY comes into effect.**

 **Until next time!**


	22. Song, Rats, And Orphans

"Po, you're not making any sense." Crane said in exasperation.

The panda wouldn't have it, however. "Sure I am! I just need to get my thoughts together. Now what was I saying again...? Oh yeah, this is such good news that it's shocking how good it is!" Pause. He scratched his head as his straw hat hung behind his neck. "Hold on...that really _doesn't_ make much sense, does it?"

Crane shook his head, sighing. "Po...you really need to learn that just walking up and asking someone to come with you out of the blue...isn't always the best way to have them do so. Especially when the one you're asking is female, and even _more so_ when you do that in public where everyone sees and hears it!"

Po blinked at Crane. "...I don't understand what you mean."

"Ah jeez..."

"Ignoring the boys for a second..." Mei Ling cut them both off, as she turned to the utterly confused snow leopardess known as Song. "Let's see, Po has already told you our names, and you told us yours. It seems to me that we have a pretty decent introduction on here."

"It would seem so." Song said, plucking her parasol from it's hold and held it over her head. "So, Po seems like he's actually glad to see me, despite this being the first time we met. Is there some particular reason that he would do such a thing?"

Po smiled. "Would you like to be our new friend? It'll be so awesome if you were our friend! C'mon, what do you say?"

Song was rather surprised that he would ask her such a thing out of the blue, and apparently Crane was as well. Crane facewinged a bit as he remembered this was how the panda approached him and Mei Ling. "Po...I get that you're a nice enough guy to just flat-out ask someone to be your friend, but that doesn't always work out."

Song smiled. "Okay. I can be your friend."

Crane's beak dropped a little from the instant acceptance. "Okay...on the other hand, maybe I'm completely wrong about that theory. How can she accept so quickly so easily?"

"It worked on us." Mei Ling pointed out. Crane just sighed when he realized that she had a good point.

Tigress kept her eyes on Song without drawing her attention. Song definitely did not seem like a bad person, and she actually seemed pretty nice. Though she also had an air of trickery hovering around her, a sneaky kind of trickery. Not the trickster kind of trickery like Monkey does, but something else related to that. She just felt...very sly. Tigress pounded her head softly with a fist. She knew there was a word for it, but she had no idea what it was. Something relative to-

"THIEF!"

...That's the word. She has the aura of a thief. But who could have said that...? SHe got her answer when a pig came up from behind thrm, huffing in exhaustion. He must have been running for a very long time, because exhaustion was definitely evident. He also seemed pretty angry. Song turned to him with an oblivious expression on her face, as if she didn't know what this pig was talking about.

"Theif? Who? Little ole me? Now how can you say such a mean thing?" She said with her head tilted to the right.

"Don't play innocent, you know what you stole!"

"Hmm...not really. Nope. Sorry." She shook hernhead while holding her paws up. "I dunno what you're talking about."

"I see the jewels hanging right on your parasol!"

The others blinked, only to see that he was right. There we're jewels of varying colors hanging clinging to her parasol. She failed to hide them when she first spotted Po...that was definitely a rookie mistake on her part. Though she attempted to play it off.

"...Eh? How'd those get there...?"

"DON'T ACT SURPRISED!"

Song sighed. "Alright alright, you got me. So what happens next, though?"

"Obviously you should give them back!"

The snow leopard thought about it for a little bit, placing a paw on her cheek and tilting her head. When she took a minute to think about it, she shook her head. "Nah, don't feel like it." She answered while sticking out her tongue. The reaction from the others was pure shock from her decision and the attitude she chose to display it with.

Tigress turned to Po. "Po, I don't think we should take her after all. She just admitted herself to being a thief. And I don't think we can trust a thief too much."

Po blinked when he thought about this, while turning to Song. "Hey. Are you really a thief?"

"...No."

"You fibber." Mei Ling countered.

"Okay okay...yes, I am a thief. A really skilled one at that."

Po folded his arms. "Hm...this might be a little tough after all." He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the left. "She's a thief and they are pretty untrustworthy at times..." he then tilted it right. "But on the other hand, she's on my friend list, and I don't want to deny the chance just becuase of this unexpected detail. Hmmm..."

"Po...what are you thinking about?" Crane asked cautiously. The pands was in such deep thought that he actually got concerned for him.

When the time passed, Po opened his eyes and pounded his left fist into his right paw. "I got it! It's such a great idea!"

Tigress managed to take her attention off of Song to listen to Po's idea. "Did you really think of something about this situation? What is it?"

"Song can be our team thief!"

A long silence passed through them, taking the time to process what Po had just offered that they do. And he was completely honest about it. Song could only blink at the amount of trust he was putting into her when they just met. Crane was shocked, Mei Ling shrugged, not having anything against it.

Tigress, on the other hand...

"No way, Po. The others we're pretty decent, but she admitted herself to being a thief. And I'm not fond of having our stolen and she disappears along with them." She folded her arms.

"Aw, come on Tigress. We won't know until we give it a go! I know she can be trusted. We just need to give it time, that's all. We're still taking time getting used to the others, still. Ya know, development...and stuff." Po held out his paw. "We can set down some ground rules after a certain amount of time passes. By then we'll be sure to trust one another."

Tigress was still reluctant. "Po she's-"

"Please, Tigress?"

"Po-"

"Please?"

"She's-"

"Please?"

"But I-"

"Pretty please with bean buns and tofu in top?" He begged, his eyes getting bigger and sadder. Tigress found it extremely difficult to keep her resolve intact. But his sincerity in the request endured longer, and she sighed.

"Fine..."

"YES!"

"However...she has to return those jewels first. This pig clearly isn't a bad citizen, so she shouldn't keep them at all."

"What?! No way, I didn't agree to that! I just got these!" Song denied.

Tigress turned to the snow leopard and smiled. "Song...please return the jewels to the pig." Her voice was indicating her asking nicely, but the look behind her eyes suggested something else: _If you continue to disobey, I will smash your face into the ground._

Song sighed in slightly frustration in learning that her hard work was rendered to moot. She returned the jewels to the pig, who rudely snatched them back and marched off, mumbling about 'Troublesome Youths these days' and something about them actually acting like adults. She pouted childishly. They owed her so much. For some reason the panda wanted her to join up with them, and he made it pretty clear that denying it was not an option she had. She wondered what she would be doing now that she got herself into this arrangement.

Po folded his arms and grinned. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Now our next objective...wait a moment. We we're supposed to get some sort of map, right?"

"No. That job goes to Viper and Monkey. We're just exploring the place, Po." Crane reminded him.

"Really? Well in that case let's join up with one of the others! They're bound to have something cool to do here! Maybe my Dad and the others will have a couple ideas."

"Po. You're hungry aren't you?" Mei Ling asked. Her question was answered by Po's rumbling belly, and he pouted.

"I can't help it!"

"Alright Po. We did get something major done just now. I guess we can get something to eat while we're waiting for an update from the others." Tigress reassured him.

Po smiled and nodded in approval. "That sounds great! But first...initiation hug!" He swiftly wrapped his arms around Song in a bear hug, before letting her go and dashing off in search of his father. "Next, lunchtime!"

Song blinked. "Initiation...hug?"

"Its a thing we do. Hug the panda, you're officially one of us." Mei Ling explained with a smile. "In simpler terms, he's a hugger. A really friendly hugger."

Song decided that made plenty of sense. He did seem to be a pretty friendly guy...why not? She'll stick around and see what happens. Though she was acting incredibly wary of Tigress, as she had already voiced her disapproval of her due to her status as a thief. She only allowed it after Po had begged her a certain amount of times. Which meant that while Po had no problems with her, it didn't mean that Tigress would feel the same. Understandable, since she was most likely the more logical one. In a way.

They all turned and ran to catch up with their panda leader.

 **(With Viper and Monkey)**

"Scrolls, Viper. _SCROLLS._ " Monkey whined, placing a paw on his forehead. "We got stuck with a crappy job...how did that happen?"

"Be grateful we got to help out at all, Monkey." Viper lightly reprimanded him. "I'm always willing to help. Are you?"

"Yeah yeah." He sighed. "I just wish I could help out in more... _interesting_ ways, right? I mean going on an errand to fetch a couple blank scrolls...that sounds so awfully boring. This boring, Viper. I just want something to happen so that I can take my mind off of this stupid boredom." Monkey paused. "...Did I mention that I'm bored?"

"Yes. Plenty of times." Viper sighed. Monkey sure was impatient, this she was beginning to learn. His impatience doesn't amount to Mantis and his own impatience, but it definitely leaves an impression.

The primate had his eyes wondering for a while, trying to find something to occupy his need to be active. He had grown so used to being chased anround by angry villagers he pranked that he was actually beginning to miss it. That doesn't mean he regrets his decision, but still. It would be nice if he could get a good prank in and get away with it.

His eyes had set on a small orphanage, and he stopped in his tracks. "Hey Viper...check this out."

The snake paused her movement to follow Monkey's gaze to the orohanage before them. This one was definitely occupied, but it surely wasn't well cared for. Which surprised the both of them, sense they thought that keeping orphans in a relatively safe environment where they could be happy was the best place to keep them until their adoption. This didn't look safe.

Without hesitation, the both of them walked past the walls and into the small building. Not even a couple moments in, they heard a young voice call out to them.

"You two shouldn't be here."

Viper was the first to turn to the voice, and it was revealed to be a rabbit peeking behind a wall. She lowered her guard and smiled gently. "Hey there, little one. What do you mean we shouldn't be here? And is there anyone watching you?"

"Not really." He came out from the corner, and five more children came out from hiding. In total, there were two rabbits, two geese, one goat, and one pig. They all had dirtied clothes on, and they had a couple bruises on their bodies. This did not sit well with Viper or Monkey. "We were left here by ourselves. Our caretaker isn't here."

"What the he-" Viper glared strongly at Monkey, enough to make him flinch. Right, they had already established the 'No Swearing Around Children' rule. Judging by their slightly hardened faces, however, it looks like they had heard a couple swears in their lives already. But he was not risking a slap to the head just to test the theory. "What kind of caretaker just leaves five kids here by themselves without anybody watching them?"

"A really mean one." The pig child stated. "Anyway...my name is Piggy. The others are Ho, Lippy, Chang, and Yue Yue. And Liang is our leader because he's the oldest."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. These are my brothers and sister." Liang nodded. "We may not be directly relater, but we've always looked out for one another despite how tough it's gotten. And it's gotten tough..."

"Tough? How so?"

"W-We can't tell you. If we start telling people about our troubles, we'll get hurt some more..." Yue Yue whimpered, clutching her rabbit doll and sucking her thumb.

Viper and Monkey kept themselves in check, because they were starting to get angry. But they calmed down, they didn't want the children to be afraid of them. Viper looked towards Yue Yue, it was clear that she was the youngest. "What do you mean by that?" The small rabbit stubbornly shook her head, but the serpent was patient. She slithered up to the child, surrounding her in a circular motion, before she gave her a gentle nuzzle. "Come on...talk to us."

"Tell us who's hurting you." Monkey asked, positioning himself next to Liang. "Let us help."

The rabbit hesitated a little, before he looked up to Monkey. "Our caretaker is a jerk. He makes us clean this entire place, barely gives us food, yells at us a lot, and he even hits us if we don't listen to him or don't follow his every direction. He doesn't care about any of us at all!"

"The only reason we kept enduring it is because we have each other." Lippy said quietly. "Our caretaker could care less if we're happy or not. And his rats are even meaner than he is."

"Rats...?"

"Mh-hm..." Yue Yue nodded. "There are so many of them and they're all very mean..." she held up her little paw, which had a bite mark on it. "We even got bitten a couple times just so they could make us cry...we don't want to be here anymore...we just want someone to adopt us and take us away from them...but they won't let that happen."

"But we wanna go...we don't like it here..." Ho sniffles, wiping his eyes..

"No one is nice here but ourselves...it's not fair!" Chang shook his head furiously.

But his fury was nothing compared to Viper and Monkey's. If Po had come here instead of them, they we're positive that there would be a much bigger ruckus. Unhappy children means a _very_ unhappy Po. He would...no, he _will_ be **livid** when he hears about this. This was something he had to know. Though the duo are more than happy to step in for him for the time being. Monkey could hear someone messing with the gate behind them, and he looked towards the orphans.

"Kids...go upstairs and close the door, will you?" Monkey asked gently, trying to keep himself together. They all heeded his request, as they all left to the upper levels of the house. He and Viper then heard the gate open, but they didn't move.

They heard a bit or scurrying, and a gasp of shock. They turned at last to see a rat standing in the doorway, his mouth agape in disbelief that someone got in here. But he did not realize how much danger he was in, as he didn't see their eyes darken considerably.

"W-What...? Who are you two? How'd you get in here?!"

"...Who's your boss?" Viper asked quietly.

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with us. I can tell just by looking at you that you're not the one in charge of whatever gang your in. Now let me ask again...who are you working for?"

The rat paused in confusion, before he clenched his fists. "Damn brats told on us! When I get my hands on them-"

That was a _very_ poor choice of words. When it was clear that he intended to hurt the children some more, Viper swiftly wrapped around him and constricted him with the strength that rivaled a boa snake. "When you get your hands on them, then what?" She asked quietly. "Go on. Finish your sentence. Don't let me stop you."

It was impossible to fulfill that rhetorical request. The rat was utterly frozen in fear of Viper's gaze. Her calm blue eyes were now slitted with fury, and it showed through her occasional hissing. He sensed a very painful future if she did not like his answer.

 _"To the weaker foes, you paralyze them with fear." Fu-Xi once told her. "You let them know through your eyes. They are trapped in your coils with no hope of escape. Once you have them in your grip, you are in control. They'll have no right to demand anything from you. They are completely under your control, which fully stimulates that fear. They have no control over what happens next, and that's why they will be afraid. They lose the will the move, and they will be too afraid to look away from your gaze. They're not free unless you decide it. Once they are trapped...they are yours until you decide otherwise."_

And this lesson stuck. The rat was too afraid to respond to her in a way she did not like, and it seemed that no matter what he does, the end result would be excruciating pain. Viper was not normally that kind of person, but she was too angry to care. But she did make sure that she kept herself under control.

"Now I'll ask you again since you won't answer my question about the kids. Who are you working for?" Viper asked again, squeezing the rat more.

He was definitely in pain, though it seemed he gained a bit of his backbone back, and he glared back at her. "I'm not telling you anything!"

"That's not an option for you. Either you start talking...or I start breaking bones. And you don't look very sturdy." Fu-Xi's training had definitely made her colder when in a state like this, but she was careful not cross a line she couldn't come back from.

He didn't need more than that. "Alright alright!" She released him from her coils allowing him to breathe. When he took in enough air, he spoke again. "I am just one of many members from the renegade group, known as the Lao Shu..."

 **(Shifu and Fenghuang)**

Shifu was feeling quite a plethora of emotions at the moment. The absolute last this ngnhe expected to do today was run into his ex-best friend while simply searching for a mad. Nor did the ex-best friend in question, Taotie. He was just minding his own business, as in being ignored by his child and bugged by his neighbors. And then Shifu shows up and says that he has to take Bian Zao with him. Obviously he isn't obligated to let that happen, which led to the conflict they placed themselves in.

Fenghuang had chosen to remain neutral in this encounter, and stayed out of their argument. She'll have to wait for them to finish up though, or else they wouldn't make any real progress for a while. She'd like to just leave them here and go off on her own, but she wanted to make sire Shifu didn't do anything stupid. It was not likely, but the possibility cannot be denied.

"You think you can just waltz into my home and just snatch up my son without an explanation? Well then you got another thing coming!" Taotie shouted.

"I keep telling you my intentions are not anything that causes concern, I just want him to come with us for the sake of having a bigger number of us. He's one of our recruits." Shifu tried to explain, but was quickly losing his patience with this man.

"That seems pretty concerning to me! Why is this thing so important to you anyway? Is it because of Oogway, did he send you to do this?" Shifu flinched slightly, and the warthog caught wind of it. "Aha! I'm right aren't I!? You're not even doing this just to do so, it's just following orders for you!"

 _'Oh boy...'_ Fenghuang groaned quietly. Not only was Taotie right about why Shifu was still complying with the recruitment thing, it seems that even he himself doesn't realize it either. She doubted that he'd realize his error anytime soon.

Shifu stobbornly shook his head. "That's not true!"

"Is it really? How long do you plan to play the lap dog, Shifu? Because as you grew up, that's all you've ever been!" The Warthog folded his arms. "You'll do anything to stay on his good side, won't you? I know that you're just repaying him for taking you in when you we're abandoned, but was your intense loyalty worth the cost? Everything that isn't okay with Oogway wasn't okay with you. You know what? Where is that old turtle? Is he with you? I wanna give him a piece of my mind as well!"

Shifu unclenched his fists and stared down at the ground. "...He isn't with us anymore."

Taotie widened his eyes and unfolded his arms as he heard what the red panda said. "What...?"

"You heard me. Oogway had passed on. And during my absence too. And because f both those factors, our home has been destroyed, along with everyone in it. Me and my associates have no where else to go but on a oath to the unknown. No clear destination, we just know that we have to move. This is why I stand before you, Taotie. I have nowhere else to go, and I don't even know where I'm going. I just know that I have to try and fulfill Oogway's last request before I completely start acting on my own merits..."

Taotie's anger had disappeared, and had been replaced with sympathy and sadness. It was clear enough that Shifu wouldn't lie about such a thing, and he could tell that he isn't. The Valley of Peace was his home too, and now it's nothing but a charred wasteland. Oogway's attempt at peace for the Valley has been rendered pointless in the time span of one night. The 'Peace' in the title never truly stuck because of the amount of chaos inflicted upon them. Now it's been removed entirely, it no longer needs to worry about that.

Taotie once again met Shifu's eyes when he snapped out of his short grieving moment. "Who did it?"

"The Lin Kuei."

"Lin Kuei, huh? Stupid dogs. Hey...the training hall..."

"Also destroyed."

"THOSE MISERABLE MUTTS! I EXHAUSTED MYSELF CLOSE TO STARVATION WORKING ON THAT MASTERPIECE!" The warthog fell to the ground, his arms the only thing holding him up. "I put my blood, sweat, and tears...mostly my blood...into making that Training Hall. And what happens? It gets smashed to pieces by a bunch of canine hooligans! Gah, it infuriates me that this had to happen!"

"For all it's worth...I'm sorry." Shifu tried to relieve Taotie's frustration.

The warthog calmed down, and chuckled. "How odd this is, Shifu. You and Oogway sent me away. Oogway passes away and them the Valley gets destroyed, and you had no choice but to leave it all behind. What a turn of events this turned out to be. Our loyalty to Oogway and look how it gets repaid. We both end up with almost nothing. I'm beginning to think that some higher power is out there watching us, and finds it funny to watch life repeatedly kick our butts."

Shifu understood what Taotie was trying to say, and that he was feeling just as sore about it as he was, even when he was just told about it. He could not fake sincere grief. As stated already, the Valley of Peace was his home, too. "So...do we-"

"HELLO!" They we're interrupted by the sound of Mr. Ping's call. He, Zeng, Fung, and Mantis returned with plenty of food and still a bit of money left. "Po is gonna be so happy that we bought more foood. Enough for him and everyone else...hm? Am I interrupting something?" The goose tilted his head.

"Not at all, Mr. Ping. In fact, I'm glad you came. You can spent time with them. I'm searching for a map." Fenghuang yawned as she flapped her wings and took off in the air towards another part of Mosho Town. Shifu sighed.

"I'm beginning to understand a bit more about why she just leaves us..." Until she finds something that truly deserves her intervention, she won't do too much. Be it her own laziness or just having enough confidence in Po and the others. The latter was much more likely, but she did admit to being lazy. However, that doesn't mean she didn't get cautious and concerned when he and his friends were in serious danger. It's just that if the owl bails them out of every serious situation coming their way, how can they improve? Thats her reasoning, anyway.

"Odd...anyway..Shifu, who's your friend?" Shifu was brought back into focus, and turned to Mr. Ping and Taotie.

"Oh, right...this is Taotie. He's...an old acquaintance of mine."

"Uh-oh. You said 'old acquaintance' in a very solemn tone. Did you two have a falling out?"

Taotie looked at the goose in surprise. "How could you tell...?"

"I have seen it happen plenty of times. As well as Mrs. Yoon."

"Indeed." The elder goat nods, holding an apple basket. "Friendships are often broken off by disagreement...what did you two disagree on?"

Shifu and Taotie looked at one another, then looked away. "Kung Fu. Taotie's mechanisms and his intent on using them in replacement of Kung Fu was dishonorable, and he was dismissed from the Jade Palace."

Mr. Ping groaned with a facewing. "How come this doesn't surprise me? Shifu, I'm beginning to think that Kung Fu is both the best and the worst thing that could ever happen to you."

"Mr. Ping, how can you say such a thing!?"

"You dropped your friend because you wanted to stay honorable to Kung Fu. While I do find it admirable, you could have found another way to keep Taotie by your side without completely abandoning him. Though given your young age at the time, I guess I can't fully blame you. We do get a bit rushed and fearful of consequences."

"Youth does tend to make us a bit impatient. But we can't do anything about it now." Mrs. Yoon said. "Maybe this is an opportunity waiting to happen. You two can patch things up."

Shifu and Taotie looked hesitantly towards one another, and back to the others, both of them rubbing their necks. "We-"

"I SMELL FOOD! FOOD!" They all jumped as they heard Po running towards him, towards the smell of the groceries they just bought. "Hey guys, I found another friend from the friend list!"

"You did? Well ain't that a lucky break!" Mantis cheered.

"I would keep an eye on her though, she likes to play the thief." Tigress grumbled.

"Hey guys! Its very nice to meet you all!" Song bowed.

Fung groaned. "Po can you at least wait until-" he paused. His eyes widened and his jaws parred open in shock. He stared at the snow leopard before him, and found himself unable to look away for a couple moments. His rising blush was also not within his power to stop. But where was this coming from?

Song could see how surprised he looked, and blinked. "Whats the matter? Do I have something on my face?"

"Bah...Fah...gah...ah...kah..." He babbled, his jaw occasionally opening and closing, as he could not form actual words at the moment. He then slapped himself and shook his head. "Uh, nope! Not at all! Nothing on yournface, everything is alright! He he...hm..."

"Ookay..." She seemed confused, but to Fung's relief, she dropped the small issue.

Po looked at the group before him, noticing that Monkey and Viper were not here yet. "Eh? Monkey and Viper aren't here yet?"

"Now we are." They heard Viper call out to them, as she and Monkey were heading towards them with six children in tow...and Po gleamed in excitement.

If it hasn't been established already, Po _loves_ children.

"Oh my gosh...there's a bunch of little buddies over there...I gotta...I just gotta." Po says to himself before running over to them and giving off a wave. "Hey there!"

"W-Woah!" They all stopped in place at seeing the panda stand over them with a wide smile on his face. He looked at Yue Yue, identified her as the youngest and picked her up in his arms.

"Hey there, little buddy." He smiled at her. She flinched a bit and clutched onto her doll, looking a bit fearfully at him. He was not discouraged by this. "There there, I'm a nice fluffy panda-bear." He realized he made a small rhyme, and chuckled a bit. He then softly petted the top of her head, with one paw while holding her with his other arm. "Relax." Yue Yue found herself relaxing in the warm fur of the panda holding her like he asked her too, and she found herself able to look him in the eye. His smile expands farther. "There ya go. Now can I get a smile? Come on, lemme see your cute little smile. I already showed you mine, it's only fair." She took a moment to think. Then she shyly gave the panda a warm smile, which pleased him greatly. "There ya go! Cute rabbits should have cute smiles!" He then lightly pressed his finger towards her belly, which caused her to laugh cheerfully. Which in turn made him laugh.

Shifu was more surprised than the others. He could have sworn that those children looked pretty sad, and yet Po got one of them laughing and smiling in a matter of moments. "Since when was he good with children?"

"Po wasn't treated very well as a child by most adults besides myself, Fenghuang and Mrs. Yoon." Mr. Ping said. "This must be his way of coping with that. By being nice to all children he comes across. That's what he tells me, at least."

"I can see where he's coming from. I like kids, too. Anyone else agree?" Mantis said. Crane, Mei Ling, Monkey, Viper, Fung, Song, Mrs. Yoon, and Mr. Ping nodded. Tigress seemed a bit hesitant. "Tigress, what about you?"

She flinched at the question. She then looked at her paws, lowering her eyes. Rembering how a couple kids always avoided her and her gaze, even as she grew up. It was tough having claws and fangs. "I..."

"Excuse me, Miss?" She blinked as she stared down at Liang, who was staring back in curiosity while gently tugging on her pants. "Are you friends with the nice panda over there?"

"Um...yes. Yes I am."

"Oh...are you nice like him?"

She blinked again when she realized that he wasn't looking at her in fear, but mere curiosity. And...he was pretty cute. Viper nudged her leg. "Go on, Tigress." The feline sighed and took a deep breath, before reaching down and picking up the rabbit, holding him in her arms. To her further surprise, he did not resist. She could see the trust in his eyes, he felt safe in her embrace. So with a small smile, she hugged the rabbit closer to her, and he hugged her back.

The scene causes Mrs. Yoon to smile. "It seems Tigress has a similar mindset. Though she isn't as enthusiastic as Po about the concept of being friends to children, the sentiment is the same."

Po noticed that the children were all dirty. He licked his thumb slightly and lightly rubbed Yue Yue's cheek in an attempt to wipe the dirt off. "Yeesh, you guys are filthy. Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" He turned to Viper and Monkey. "Where did you find these kids anyway?"

"That's what we came here to tell you, Po. They're orphans." Viper said. Po's eyes softened a bit. "But they're caretaker is irresponsible and cruel towards them! Not to mention he's working together with a group of renegades that constantly steal the food from this town and keep it somewhere they can't find it!"

 _'That's why shopping was so difficult compared to last time...'_ Mr. Ping recalled.

Po narrowed his eyes when he heard the bit about an irresponsible and cruel caretaker. And narrowed them even more when he heard the bit about stolen foods. That's two things that were messed with that Po liked a lot. Children, and food. Since he hasn't eaten yet, and these children definitely required his attention...he'll take care of both issues at once.

"...let's get these kids cleaned up and fed, then you can give me the full story." Po said, as he carried Yue Yue in his arms. He stopped and looked at Taotie.."I saw a bit of your uneasiness towards Shifu, and he returns it. But can you both please put that aside for the moment? I have to deal with this. Can we use your house?"

Taotie saw the sincerity of Po's offer. He was letting strangers(and Shifu) into his house to care for children who are clearly having pretty tough lives. So with a sigh, he opened the door further. "There's plenty of room, try not to break anything." Po nodded in understanding as he entered the small house, along with everyone else. He and Shifu hesisted a bit while looking at one another once more, before entering and closing the door behind them.

Throughout the ruckus, Bian Zao saw it all through his window, and sees them enter his house. He sighed. "So much for sleep...now it's impossible with all of these people here. Might as well just stay up and think about stuff." He laid back on his bed, yawning. "Hah...such a ruckus. Sooner or later, I gonna have to go down there, and they'll see me and want to talk. Then it will get all loud snd I won't be able to enjoy my nap..." he groaned while placing a pillow over his face.

" _Laaaaaaame..._ "


	23. Taotie and Bian Zao

"Thats right, little buddies. Eat up and fill your tummies~" Po encouraged the orphans in his presence.

The others we're slightly surprised by Po's actions. He was a really big eater, a trait he embraced and fully accepted as part of his character. He hasn't eaten since everyone left the lifeless Valley of Peace, which was a _very_ long time. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't hungry, and he's a terrible lier. But he's willing to hold off a little longer to make sure these orphans bellies we're completely full. They needed it more than he did.

Taotie's place was pretty roomy. Not very impressive, but it was decent enough to live in. There was an upstairs and downstairs, a small living room, a kitchen, and most other necessities for regular housing. Everything that a simple house needed. Now his 'lab' somewhere next to the living room...that was off-limits go no one but himself. Not that anyone would want to go in there anyway. The only one that lives with him was his son, and he couldn't care less about his projects. Bian Zao's laziness was a major annoyance for his father.

Back to the kids. They have been bathed first, cleaned from head to toe because they definitely needed most of the soap and water. It has been made clear that they have been living in filth for such a long time that they needed an extended bath, affectionately provided by Mrs. Yoon. After that, the six of them were wrapped up in little towels, and all of them were served two bowls. One filled with noodles, and the other filled with dumplings.

And they enjoyed them so much.

"I don't think we've eaten so well in forever!" Liang said as he early eats from both of his bowls while sitting on Tigress's lap. The others were eating their foods as well, including the adults but not including Po. Lippy, Ho, Piggy, and Chang were also wrapped in towels and eating from their bowls in various parts of the living room alongside a couple of the adults. Yue Yue took her seat right on top of Po's belly, and she seemed quite comfortable there, as she cheerfully bites into her dumplings.

"These are really good, Mr. Po!" She gleamed.

"Hehe. Just call me Po, little buddies. And don't worry, there's plenty for all six of you." The panda smiles while lying on his back, his hat currently resting on Mr. Pings head.

Yue Yue tilted her head while looking down into Po's eyes. "But what about you? You seem pretty hungry too, Po."

"Nah, I'm good." He tried to deny. But then his belly growled again, gently jiggling with the rabbit on top of it, causing her to laugh. "...again. That proves nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Po. Dude. Just go ahead and eat already. I'm pretty sure the little ones are pretty close to eating their fill." Monkey stated, balancing on his tail. "You wanted to wait until they clean themselves up, and they've eaten plenty already. They did both of those things, so you're in the clear."

Po seemed a bit hesistant, though he immediately let go of his restraint as his father placed a bowl of noodles next to his head. "You have to eat, son. The children are safe, they're clean, and they're fed. Heck even _they_ want you to eat."

"Yeah...I am pretty hungry...but first things first. Tell me what's gong with these kids. Monkey, Viper." Po leaned forward with a face full of seriousness...but that seriousness was downplayed when Yue Yue finished her food and climbed on top of Po's head and keeping her place there. Such a cute sight combined with Po's attempt to be serious made the image look ridiculous. But they got the message, and most sat down to settle themselves.

"Alright, we interrogated some rat who was roaming around the orphanage, and he had intentions to hurt these kids because they spoke to us. But we stopped him and extracted information from him." Viper explained.

"Viper...how did you interrogate him?" Tigress asked.

The serpent turned towards her. "I constricted him and threatened to break every bone in his body as I kept squeezing him." There was a long silence after she said this. Her eyes blinked innocently. "...What?"

"Dude. Do you even hear yourself right now?" Mantis said in disbelief. "You threatened to break every bone in is body and then talk about it so casually. How can you do that?"

"I didn't cross any line I couldn't come back from." She said calmly. "Plus I have a hard time holding back when I'm facing someone who works for someone who deliberately subjects children to abuse and forcing them to be thieves."

"Little Mini-Thieves? Now why would they do that?"

"To take attention off themselves for whatever they're doing behind the town's backs. Besides, these villagers are shady and dark, but not to the point of harming children. Plus they can for in small spaces and run away pretty quickly and easily. Hesitation of the villagers put together with the children's teamwork, sneaky tricks, and some extra intervention from those rats, it's been highly difficult to make some progress in reducing the problem. Food is scarce now, and so is money. All because these people have the audacity to use children to do bad things, and then use them as a shield when they themselves are in serious danger. They'll be back to square one every single time they try."

"Such cruelty...and such an act of cowardice. They want to stay just out of reach, so they used these children to take the fall for them." Tigress narrowed her eyes while her tail bristles with irritation. "They better hope that we don't find them. Unfortunately for them, I can be a very stubborn person."

"Yeah. We kinda figured that out already." Monkey mumbled. This prompted Tigress to roughly grab him by the vest, which made him sweat a little. "I didn't say it was a bad thing! Chill out!" She smirked and released him, allowing him to catch his breath. "Jeez, I need to know what sets you off...so I can avoid them."

"That wouldn't be very fun, now would it?" She responded with a smile. This did not ease Monkey's nerves.

"I don't know what your idea of fun is...so now I feel like I'm in constant danger."

"Depending on our interactions in the future, and considering our earlier ones...that might be true."

"Yeah...wait what?!"

"Cut it out you two." Shifu stated. He sat down with crossed legs, and stared at Taotie. "Taotie...if you don't mind me asking...when did you...well...you know..." This was an awkward for the two of them, _very_ awkward. Neither of them had gotten into conversation fro years. And now the first thing Shifu chooses to talk about that doesn't involve them descending into a shouting match...

...is when Bian Zao happened...because _how_ he happened should be pretty obvious...Yeah...neither of them felt very comfortable about this...entire thing...

Taotie sighed as he turned away from the others and sat at his desk. "A lot of things happened since I left the Jade Palace, Shifu. I put mechanisms in my life and tried to do the best I can without Kung Fu clouding my mind. I can just give you the gist of it. Through some miracle, I got married. Through some miracle, I got a son, whom you met already. Though my wife didn't survive the childbirth...not so miraculous..." Shifu's ears lowered at this. When he tried to speak, Taotie turned and cut him off. "The three of us have something in common, don't we?" He pointed to himself, Shifu, and Mr. Ping. "Three single fathers for three different reasons. And all of them are pretty sad."

Shifu's mind wandered into thinking about the rogue Mei Ling, and Mr. Ping remembered his fsiled attempt at gaining a partner. Both of then sighed quietly at the similarity the three of them seemed to share. This was not lost on Po and Tigress, who also sighed with a bit of exhaustion..Bian Zao, who was just passing by, sighed with a sense both boredom and a sense of unbelonging.

Some people say sighing is contagious. They'd be somewhat correct. In any case, Po had gotten his explanation, and decided that he would like to meet Bian Zao. After all, he was on the friend list. So he was pretty obligated to be his friend.

"Alright, I'm gonna go up and befriend him then!" Po smiled with crossed arms. "He looks like he really needs one. Is that alright, Taotie...sir?"

"Be my guest. I actually hope you can get a reaction out of him that he doesn't compare to the word 'lame'. Seriously, if you can at least get him out of the house, I'll be very grateful. But wait until tomorrow. With all this junk about the Valley, and these kids, Shifu coming back...I just...need some time to process all of this stuff. You get it."

"Yeah, we were all pretty overwhelmed by how crazy wrong things turned out. But we had to keep moving somehow, right? At least...that's what I think."

"We'll have plenty of time to think about it tomorrow, Po. These kids have filled their bellies, and now they're getting all sleepy." Mr. Ping said. "Now how will we deal with sleeping arrangements...?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Song raised a paw, and the others turned to hear her out. "Grab a child and snuggle up with them. Keeping them warm and safe is probably something they haven't experienced in a long while." She hugged the goat child Lippy next to her, and grinned. "Like so~"

Tigress rubbed her neck nervously. "Um...I'm not sure I'm-" she blinked when she feels Liang latch onto her leg again. Seeing the hopeful gaze in his eyes quickly shooed away her nerves, and she picked the rabbit up in her arms. Seeing how much more relaxed he got in her embrace, she smiled. "Oh alright. I suppose I can give that a try."

"Ooh! That's a splendid idea! I say we do it!" Mei Ling clapped, as she turned and picked up Piggy in her own pair of arms, after taking off her gloves. "C'mere little Piggy, Mei Ling is your snuggle buddy for today~"

"U-Um..."

"Come now. You can trust a mountain cat like me. I'm a nice lovable gal." She smiled and rubbed her cheek against his. "You're so adorable! All of you are! But I can only hold one, so I pick you~" Piggy smiled and further relaxed in her embrace, nudging slightly towards her chest.

Monkey blinked at this. "Wait a moment...she's not a fan of wearing her wrap...that's means..." he blinked slightly, then softly pounded one fist into his palm. "That lucky little jerk-" SLAP! "Gah!" Viper hissed slightly after tail slapping Monkey upside the head. "Oh come on! I was kidding!" He laughed nervously, then his eyes mischievously veered to the side. _Mostly..._

Viper muttered a couple things about Monkey, then tended to the little goose named Ho, and his twin Chang. She coiled around them as gently as she could, then kissed them both on top of the head. Keeping them very close to her was something she desired, as it seems these children might still have difficulty sleeping. They needed to feel safe and secure if they were to fall asleep.

Five of the six children were now asleep, and most of the others nodded off alongside them. The only one left was Yue Yue, who has once again rested on top of Po's soft, jiggly, furry belly. "Po...your tummy is so soft...fluffy..."

"Hehe, yeah. I get that a lot." Po smiled, his paw reaching up to pet her head. "Now Yue Yue, it's time we call it a day. Gotta go to sleep now."

The small rabbit yawned and complied with Po's request. She curled up on his belly and slowly falls asleep, clutching her doll. The panda smiles as Mr. Ping hands him his hat, placed it on top of his face, and also succumbs to sleep, very quickly.

Tigress pets Liang's head while easing him to sleep, her eyes gazing over to Po. She smiled that he found slumber easily, then she stared at the rabbit resting happily on his belly. The feline found the sight very pleasant. The little one in her arms wasn't so bad to look at either, so she hugged him gently, lying back and falling asleep alongside the others.

Taotie folded his arms at the sight. "Hm...these kids you took up. They're not bad at all, Shifu."

The red panda shook his head. "They are a handful sometimes, but I do enjoy their company."

"I just wish that my son can take an example from these guys, they seem like good people. Who knows? Maybe they can actually rub off on him and make him just a bit more open with others. Then maybe I can get more work done without worrying about him."

Mr. Ping widened his eyes at this. This scenario was far too familiar ro him in order to not be real...but he couldn't put it to notice until he was absolutely sure. So for the time being, he stayed quiet.

"Huah...anyway, I'm gonna hit the hay. Goodnight Shifu, I guess." Taotie walked backwards into his own room, and slid the doors shut.

"Indeed...goodnight." Shifu said quietly. He then sat in the middle of the group of younger adults, and tried to take a position of meditation. He realized that Fenghuang ,as gone for a pretty long time, though that may be her just being lazy...again. Or it's just incredibly difficult to find a map. Either way, he wasn't worried about her, she could take care of herself. What he was really taking note of, however..."Bian Zao, is it?"

The young teen flinched at the sound of his name being called, and he stopped hiding in the shadow's of the stairs. "You could hear me?"

"My ears are not here just for show, you know. Now do you mind telling me what brings you down here after your father went to sleep?"

The teen sighs as he rubbed his neck. "I just...didn't want to get involved with the personal biz he has with you. I'm not interested in that stuff at all, so I don't really appreciate it when he tries to drag me into them. Though I have nothing against the rest of these guys. I just find it lame that he was making such a fuss about seeing you after such a long time, he says. To be honest...I really do wish that he would just drop that grudge of his with you. But you guys said your home was wiped out, right? That should be enough to get my dad moving...somewhat."

Shifu raised an eyebrow. "How strange. He wishes the same for you. To leave the house and actually do something. Spend time with friends, perhaps?"

"And there is where a big part of my problems lie." Bian Zao mumbled. "My dad is 'that guy'. The crazy mechanic who keeps making junk that can seriously hurt someone, so people stay away from him. Sure, the son of a person like that will have plenty of friends to hang out with." He said all of this bitterly, as he left the room while heading back upstairs to his own room. Shifu sighs as he slips back into meditation.

...Po smiles. He had his hat just slightly lifted off of his face without being noticed, so he was able to get a good look at Bian Zao. He also now knew what kind of issue Bian Zao has. But he has to get him to admit it first, before he can actually move in and do anything about it. Because he already knew how to solve it. After all, he used to have the same problem. So with a reassured mind, he let his hat cover his face again and slipped back into slumber, all without disturbing the little rabbit sleeping on top of him.

 **(The Next Day)**

"I've come back, fools! Celebrate my return!" Fenghuang landed in front of the shop and spread her wings gloriously. An awkward silence took over for a minute, before she tucked her wings and sighed. "Damn that was lame..."

"Hey, you beat me to it." Bian Zao stepped out of the house, yawning. This must have meant he had seen Fenghuang's attempt at a cool entrance. And that she kinda failed at it. "Maybe you should...never do that again? Because I was enjoying my sleep, then you go an wake me up at such an inappropriate time..."

She blinked. "Morning time is almost over."

"I know. This is when people are at their loudest, and I don't want to deal with an environment like that. It's so lame..."

The owl blinked again, gears turning in her head as she was thinking about something important, well...important to her. She then gasped, and pointed a feather at the teen Warthog. "Lazy-Ass!"

"W-Wha?!" He was obviously taken aback by the sudden nickname she had come up for him. Both the sudden decision, and the name itself, caught him off guard.

"Deadpan is your default nature, you like to sleep a lot, and you label a lot of things as 'lame'. Therefore, I have officially decided that your nickname is Lazy-Ass."

He rubbed his neck tiredly. "That name...doesn't sound very promising."

"Whatever do you mean, Lazy-Ass?"

"Dude, don't bother." Monkey rubbed his eyes while coming outside with the others. "She has one for all of us so far, except for Song and Taotie."

"Oh, they're easy." The owl shrugged off. "Cat-Burglar and Nerdy Warthog."

"Cat...Burglar?" Song repeated.

"I am NOT a nerd!" Taotie shouted. He then looked at his son. "Am I...?" Bian Zao chose not to answer.

"And yet those names aren't very creative either." Monkey pointed out.

The owl turned her head towards him, with a small glare. "Got something against my creativity...Shithead?"

The primate turned around and curled into a depressed ball, slowly rocking. He had really, _really_ hoped that she would eventually forget about that nickname she had given him because he didn't keep his mouth shut. He had brought that on himself, and now he was cursed with a very distasteful nickname...

Po walked out with a yawn. "The kids are under Shifu's watchful eyes so they should be safe...huh? Monkey, what's the matter?"

"I'm cursing the nickname that will forever prevent me from getting a girlfriend..." Monkey sobbed comically, a river of tears streaming from his eyes.

"...Oooookaaaayy...I have no idea what that's about." Mantis stated bluntly. He hopped onto Po's shoulder. "So Big Guy, we know what issue the kids are dealing with. So how do we draw the Lao Shu out?"

Po rubbed his paws together. "By giving the town something these jerks made sure they were scarce in...more food."

"Uh...Po?" Tigress was slightly confused.

"These Lao Shu guys are responsible for the food shortage...so Song and Fung will have the job of finding that hidden food stash. When they bring it back here, we'll give it out to all of Mosho Town, then we may be able to end this food shortage! And get those kids into proper hokes. Or at the very least, give them an actual caring caretaker. Then we'll be set!"

 _Darn it Po! Of course the first thing you do for her is set her up with me on this objective!_ Fung shouted in his head, fighting off his blush. _My mind is telling me NOT to be left alone with her, I'm not ready! I might make a total fool of myself! I need someone to come with me. Not Tigress, she obviously doesn't like her already. Not Monkey or Mantis. Especially not Mantis. Po is busy handling the food. Think, who's more awkward than I am...Ahah!_ "Hey Crane! You should come with us, ya know? Strength in numbers!...and other important stuff."

"Uh...okay then..."

Fenghuang shrugged. "I already have the map to the Kung Fu Express Headquarters, so you lot can do what you wish. We're not in any hurry."

"Alright, good times up ahead. Get moving, guys." Po nodded. He see's Song, Fung, and Crane off in their search for the lost food stash. For him, he turned to Bian Zao. "As for you, B.Z., you're coming with me and my Dad."

Bian Zao blinked. "Uh...B.Z.?"

"Yeah! B.Z.! Ya know, abbreviation for Bian Zao! I think it's pretty sweet, don't you think? Hehehehe!"

Fenghuang placed a wing on her beak. "Hm...not bad at all, Panda. I'm still gonna call him Lazy-Ass, though."

"I'm cool with that. Now then, B.Z. Walk with us." Po gestured, patting his back and moving him along. He made a little attempt to break away, but it was ultimate useless when Tigress also placed a paw behind him, while adjusting her scarf.

"I forgot to mention, this isn't a choice for you." Tigress said with a bit of an apologetic tone in her voice. "Sorry, but you'll be coming with us for today until further notice."

"Ugh...lame..."

"You won't think so for long. Not after what we have to talk about." He raised an eyebrow at this, but really did have no say in it, as the two adults dragged him away from his house, leaving the others to do as they please.

After a short distance away, Bian Zao sits down on Po's request, and sighs. "Alright...what do you want?"

"Let's answer that question with a question." Tigress folded her arms. "What do _you_ want, Bian Zao?" He was caught off guard by the question, she could tell by his slightly widened eyes. "You must have something to do that you like. And we're here to help you see it through."

The warthog tried to avoid eye contact, but Tigress gently grabbed him by the horn and made him face her. "Bian Zao...look at me. I know what may be bothering you, and I think both me and Po can help you with it, as we've both been in the situation before in our lives. It's not the whole 'lame' thing, that I know. That's just you being a teenager."

He sighed, now fully realizing there was no way out of this. "Alright...what do you think my main issue is?"

Tigress nodded and proceeded by sitting next to him. "Bian Zao...does your father pay much attention to you?" She guessed correctly, as she could feel him stiffen up. "As we suspected."

"Suspected what?"

"Dude, you're even gloomier than a regular non-caring teen tends to be because your Dad rarely pays attention to you." Po took over for a bit. "He's always busy with work, and he's incredibly sore about his past. He has the fused problems from both of our fathers back then."

"Father had a sore heart when my brother ran away from us." Tigress continued, being careful not to reveal _who_ her brother was to him. "So during his depression, he neglected me for a while as I was growing up and he was training me. But I didn't blame him for feeling that way, because I cared about my brother too." She pawed at her scarf for a bit. "But I got really sick one day from pushing myself too hard. I was afflicted with River Fever, and I passed out. When I woke up again, Shifu was right next to me, patiently but worriedly waiting for my recovery. He refused to leave my side until the day was over. And ever since day, he's been doing his best to be a good father regardless of our trauma." She saw the warthog had really began listening to them, meaning that they we're getting through to him.

"As for my own Dad, it was due to being incredibly busy with the Noodle Shop back home. Of course he didn't mean it, but I sometimes disappeared into the crowd without him ever noticing." Po said, talking about Mr. Ping. "But then I had...quite an uncomfortable experience."

Bian Zao raised an eyebrow. "Uncomfortable how?"

"I wandered too far away from my house...and I got kidnapped." Po noticed the warthog's eyes widen. "Yep. I don't know why they were there, but poachers kidnapped me and I was being dragged off over a faraway distance. If it wasn't for Master Fenghuang coming to my rescue, I would have been sold off...or dead from the freezing cold mountains." Po sighed. "You get taken from your home under the impression that you'll never see your loved ones again...that can be a bit traumatizing to some children."

"There have been cases of children being snatched from their homes and never being seen again. I am glad Po didn't become one of them." Tigress stated.

Po nodded. "So when I got back home, I found my Dad bawling hysterically because I was no where to be found. So when he saw me, he was so relieved that he cried even more. Heh...my Dad's a goofball sometimes. Sometime's even more than myself, and I'm a goofy guy. Ever since then, he cut down hours on his shop time so he could get even more time with me. That was pretty nice of him to do so."

Tigress nodded. "What we're trying to say is that if you want your father's attention when he's in this kind of state, you need to reach out and grab it. You don't need anything dangerous or hurtful happening to you or anything like that. Just do something that will catch his interest, because once you do, you'll keep it for quite a long time."

"But you can't change your relationship with him if neither of you take the first step, and he seems pretty persistent about not bringing up the subject about you in too many conversations. Because he doesn't know too much about you." Po rubbed his neck. "It's a bit understandable, as he's a widower who has to raise his son by himself while maintaining his grudge against a friend and has no idea how."

"However, the destruction of the Valley of Peace, a home to both of them, seems to have softened their relationship just a bit. We can't waste this chance." Tigress stated. "So I ask again...what do you like to do, Bian Zao?"

The warthog kept looking down at the ground. Po reached out and patted his head. "Come on, B.Z. We want to help you, but you gotta give us a place to start."

"...Cakes."

"What?" Po heard him mumble, though he didn't catch it.

"When my Dad isn't around...and when I have the ingredients...I like to bake cakes. Then I pass them out to the villagers for free." Bian Zao admitted. "It's the only thing I genuinely enjoy doing..."

"Cake...did you just say...cake?" Po asked mysteriously, his belly grumbling just from the mere mention. "B.Z...you can cook...?"

"I'm not a pro like you or your Dad...but yeah, I can cook. I kinda taught myself to cook since I had plenty of spare time."

"And you say you give cakes out for free? You don't do it for profit?" Tigress asked.

"No. I just...find it...I dunno. It feels kinda weird...a good kinda weird...to just give people the cakes I bake for free...and they have these big idiotic grins on their faces because they enjoy them so much...it's one of those times I don't consider being around people...lame. They really enjoy what I do for them. Now if my Dad could just notice them...then _maybe_ that would amount to a pretty decent day."

Po's mouth was agape for a couole moments, before he fist-pumped. "This is just what we were looking for! We have an edge!" He paused for a bit, turning over to Tigress. "Heeeeeyyyy Tigress! Wanna bake cakes with us?"

"I...don't think you want me cooking, Po." She said nervously.

"Awww...why not?"

Tigress rubbed her neck nervously as her mind recalled a certain event: _'The kitchen is on fire! Good heavens THE KITCHEN IS ON FIRE!' 'I didn't know! I didn't know it could spark like that!' The voices of Zeng and poor teenage Tigress said with shock and disbelief, along with Shifu and Mrs. Yoon's frantic cries of 'PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!' in the background._ Her mind then returned to reality. "Er...you'll just have to take my word for it." Thinking back, she was glad she didn't have her scarf on during that rather embarrassing attempt at managing the kitchen by herself. It...did not end well at all.

Bian Zao instantly recognized her discmfort, and decided to be blunt. "She has that 'I'm A Terrible Cook' face."

Tigress's eyes turned to pure white dinner plates, her jaw dropped, her arms hung limply on her sides, she seemed a bit tense. Her entire body comically turned white and her fur stood up straight. She was NOT prepared for one of her weaknesses to be revealed so casually. Bian Zao sweatdropped. Maybe that wasn't the best idea...this reaction wasn't foreseen. _I...don't think she's used to admitting her failures..._

Po was also surprised by her reaction. He was then confused as she then just knelt on the ground and shyly began drawing in the dirt with her claw. "I have become a warrior so that I learn new skills and overcome any challenge that's thrown my way..." she mumbled, her voice filled with shame. "...but _cooking_...has always been one of my weakest skills. I have accepted that...yet it persists to frustrate me..."

Po shrugged. "That's fine, Tigress. Everyone has a flaw, or something they're bad at."

"Oh yeah? What's your most obvious flaws, Po?"

"I'm still pretty clumsy, I'm a pretty bad liar, tend to get lazy once in a while..." Po's belly grumbled again. "And then there's that."

"And you're okay with those flaws?"

"Trust me Tigress, having flaws isn't nearly as bad as you might think it is." Po tilted his hat down. "Accepting them will prevent you from becoming something you won't be proud of..." She was thrown off by how insightful his voice sounded at this moment, then she saw his grin. "So anyway! B.Z.! Ready to bake some cakes!"

"Uh...I'm still not completely-"

"Great!" Po grabbed his arm and pulled the surprised Bian Zao along, back to the others. Tigress shook her head in amusement, and followed them during Po's excitement boost."

The others see them coming, and that Po was excited about something. Viper took up interest. "What are you so excited about?"

"We're gonna go cake baking! It brings smiles to a lot of people! This may _juuuuussssst_ be the thing we need to raise their spirits! They don't expect actual volunteer work." Po grinned, Bian Zao rubbing his arm awkwardly.

"Did he say cake? We heard the word cake. We're gonna be baking cake?" Monkey and Mantis said in unison. Then they, along with Po, all shouted: "CAAAAAAAAAKE!"

Mei Ling folded her arms, grinning. "I do agree that cake can be pretty persuasive. Giving them out will be pretty cool." She placed a paw on her cheek. "I wonder how Crane, Fung and Song are faring in their own objective?"

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Nothing yet. We'll just have to keep searching, regardless of how long it might take." Crane stated as he stood in the middle between Song and Fung. "And I do suspect it might take a while..."

"Haha...how great." Fung sighed to himself. He definitely didn't think he could get into a scenario like this so quickly. Crane was the only thing standing between him and Song, and he hoped it would stay that way. He felt being alone with Song would only lead to trouble on his part. So he wanted to do his best to avoid it. "Where would they keep a large food stash anyway?"

"Probably somewhere they don't think anyone would look. And even if they did, they'd intimidate the citizens into backing out." Song guessed. "Luckily, I may know where they might be. During my night trolls, I spotted a couple warehouse just barely outside Mosho Town than no one really notices. We should check them all out and see if my hunch is right. Besides...stolen goods are a rarely NOT kept in a hidden warehouse."

"Well, I did find Fu-Xi's fear venom containment in a warehouse far away from Viper's Village...maybe Song is onto something." Crane shrugged. "Anyhow, we won't know unless we take a look."

It was a matter of time before they reached the hidden warehouses. Song was cautious, so she first leapt on the side and looked through any space such as cracks, windows, and holes in the walls. To her extreme luck, she had already found the food stash, and it wasn't being guarded at all. "Well well, ain't I lucky?" Song turned to Crane. "Can you be a dear and let the villagers know about this discovery?" Fung widened his eyes, and tried to mentally will his avian comrade to decline the request.

"Sure thing."

 _Of course._ Fung mentally facepalmed as Crane took flight back towards Moshou Town. This was exactly what he was afraid of. He fussed that he and Song would have to guard the goods in case somebody tries to move them, or something else of that nature. But that didn't change the fact that they we're alone together.

He. Was. Not. Ready. For this. They just met and something about her just makes his heart pound faster, and he doesn't have the foggiest idea why. Maybe it's because she's a thief, that may be what's putting him on edge. But he could usually handle the usual thieves with a steady heartbeat...which means that Song is no ordinary thief.

"Soooo...anything you'd like to talk about while we wait?" Song spoke up after the sioence passed, and Fung went stiff. What was he supposed to do now?!

"Um-"

"Hey! You two! What are you doing here?!" They paused and turned to see a rat where Crane used to be. "You know what, it doesn't matter, because you're leaving...unless you'd like to be beaten within an ich of your lives."

Fung was slightly relieved by the interruption, as he straightened himself out. "You think you can manage something like that?"

With a simple whistle, Fung immediately regrets jinxing himself. Large suits of armor a couple inches taller than himself surrounded both himself and Song, all in certain combat stances. He could see even more rats in the suits of armor. It looked like they we're all working together to control these armors. Its highly likely that these were stolen.

"Um...Fung? I think you kinda jinxed us." Song said, holding tightly onto her parasol.

"Yep..." he mumbled without emotion on his face. He then grabbed his helmet and threw it to the ground. "DARN IT!"


	24. No Cake For The Lao Shu!

"This is...this is...um..." Fung mumbled. "This is...what is this exactly? I seriously cannot comprehend what I'm seeing right now. How are they doing this? I mean, they're rats, and they're pretty small...even if they're pretty strong, one shouldn't be able to control one entire suit of armor."

"That's some impressive teamwork they got going on." Song observed, with one paw on her hip, and the other holding her parasol. "A dozen of them are operating these suits a piece. It tales some pretty high leveled cooperation to be able to move it as if it we're any other normal person wearing it. Very impressive indeed, I gotta admit."

"I don't think that this is the time for us to be impressed by their surprisingly accurate coordination." Fund said blankly.

"Still, it's not if I expected less from the Lao Shu. We're just lucky there are three of these suits. Because the entire renegade group number surpasses a thousand. THEN we'd be in serious trouble."

Fung's mind went blank for a second. The Lao Shu consist of more thsn a thousand rats...that's a pretty large number. And those armors they inhabit look pretty tough, so it was unknown whether or not they could take them down with a lot of effort, or unable to do it at all. All he knew for sure was that they we're in serious danger with no clear escape in sight. They had no to fight their way through...

"And now!" Their sudden shout brought his attention back to them. "Now that you face such poor odds on your part, what will you do next?"

Song knew the answer. No one else expected it though. "I'm gonna grab something to eat back from this warehouse. I feel peckish."

"W-What?! You can't do that! We're being threatening here, you can't just grab a snack whenever you please!"

"Already did." Song said lazily, as she bit into an apple.

It took a couple seconds for the action to fully sink in. Even Fung was caught off-guard. _How did she do that?! Didn't even see her move!_

The Lao Shu rats saw her with the apple in her paws, and gaped at the sight. "How the hell did she do that?!"

"Oh it's quite simple really. I just took the apple while you weren't paying any attention. And now I'm munching on it." Song said casually, her tail swishing in amusement of their reactions. She finished her apple and tossed it to the side. "Now I'm finished with my apple, which was my snack. Now maybe I can focus by helping return all of those crates of food you jerks stole from the villagers back in Moshou Town. So...can you do us a favor and back off? I'd really appreciate it."

 _Is she being serious right now? She's just as bad as Po when it comes to acknowledging a minor enemy. The disrespect is real..._ Fung sighed, his mind already partially exhausted from thinking too hard. "Hey, I don't think you should-"

"Relax. The two of us are more than enough to handle them." Song waved off, much to Fung's surprise. "You just have to hit the armor really hard in one spot, and it'll do major damage."

"How do you know...?"

"No matter how many rats occupy a suit, they can't occupy every single part of it. So if we strike a point that they're least likely to be, then they'll lose their balance."

"Um..."

"HEY! YA MIGHT WANNA FOCUS ON US AT THE MOMENT!" Their conversation ended with the rat's frustrated shout, as one of the armored suits rushed forth to strike Song. But to their disbelief, she avoided this by stepping to the side.

"Oh boy. Look at that. Ya kinda missed me there, guys." She said it as if it were the most obvious thing around right now. She twirled her parasol as she gracefully spins sideways to avoid a kick. "Dear me, you missed again. This just isn't your day, is it?"

 _Yep. The disrespect is definitely real._ Fung inwardly sighed. It only ended when he noticed two of them approaching him, and he had to roll out of the way of their combined charge. "Okay, numbers is still a serious problem right now. Whether we know their weakness or not, they'll be sure to ovverun us before we get the chance to exploit it."

Song thought about this. "In that case...let's just avoid. There ought to be someone on their way by now. Crane went off to get help for these boxes, after all."

"We don't know how long that will take, and these guys won't be willing to wait." Fung blinked. "...Did I just rhyme? I think I just rhymed. How did that happen? I seriously have no idea." He rambled a little, and was once again thrown out of the loop as one of the armors raised their fists above him and tried to slam him with them, thought he narrowly avoid that one as well. "Hey, I was having a reflection-DAGH!" He was then punched straight in the snout as he slid into the the wall, hitting his head as his helmet fell off his head. He groaned and placed his helmet back on his head. "That was a cheap shot. Do you rats hear me? CHEAP! SHOT!"

"That's an argument only a wimp would make."

"...Ooooohhh no. No. You rodents did NOT just call me a wimp! That tears it! I know I just put my helmet back on...but now I'm taking it back off!" Fung snarled, taking off his helmet and letting it fall to the ground. "Get ready you filthy rodents! I'm gonna seriously kick every one of your tails!"

"Hah! As if you could ever..." their eyes widened when the croc pounded his chest twice and made a full-on charge.

"GRAAAAAAH!" Fung growled as he raised both of his paws and slammed them both into the centers of the armors. His momentum allowed him to keep going without restraint, then his claws dug slightly into the armor which freaked out the rats inside, then he bashed them through the wall of the warehouse, smashing the entrance down with ease. At the very least, the place was no longer locked down. And their armors were partially smashed in due to his strength, it forced them to run off in different directions after escaping their crushed armor. "You guys are so lucky that i'm not Tigress, then your day would have been so much worse compared to dealing with me. Now to help out...Song?"

Song was standing casually in front of the armor, which had been completely abandoned due to the smell of smoke and it hindered their sight. It caused them to retreat early. Except she was able to catch one of them by the tail with her paw, and she held him up with a smile. "Well what do we have here? A captive? A bargaining chip? A hostage? Nah, not a hostage. Your 'friends' couldn't care less if you were captured or not. Maybe...you'll serve as our informant?"

"Gah! Our boss never informed us of people like you snooping around here! We barely had a chance!"

Song shurgged at their complaining, not caring much for it. "You guys are the ones who ticked off Fung and gave him a bit of a anger-fueled strength boost. As for me...well...i'm just smarter than you. And you...you're just rat bandits. Together you're actually pretty strong but once you get scared you scatter. And then you're threat level drops significantly. Which leads you to being a bunch of whining cowards because they didn't win." She turned to Fung. "I believe we'll have to take this one with us, Fung. He might provide us with more info when we get to the others." She looked up towards the skies and saw Crane making their way back to them. "Oh! He's back already, how fortunate for us."

Crane landed in front of them. "Alright guys, I've informed the villagers of the food stash, they'll be here in a matter of moments. It seems you two we're able to take care not to let anyone steal any of it." His eyes gazed towards the rat in Song's grasp. "Annnnnnd apparently with a captive. Lao Shu?" Song nodded. "I thought so. Well, the villagers have this under control, we can go back and enjoy a couple of cakes."

Fung heard the word 'cake' and grinned. "Oh yes. Cake! If someone's baking cake back in town, then I want some of it!"

"Oh...we have cake lovers?" Song smiled. "I have a bit of a sweet tooth myself, so this will be quite an experience...as long as Tigress doesn't loom over me."

"She's spending time with Po and the others. Trust me, she won't do any looming. Now...shall we go?"

"Hm...yes, I guess we shall."

"I wouldn't get too comfortable." Song's eyes glared at the rodent in her paws that said this. "There's way more of us out here than you think there is...and they might be deciding at this mokent to cut their losses and just ransack the village entirely!"

"Don't bandits have anything better to do than be bandits?" Crane sighed. "Now I have to fly all the way back again, right when I gave good news...great. Wonderful." Crane was oushed aside as Fung began to run towards Moshou Town. "Fung hold on, we have plenty of time!"

"If those jerks so much as try to even _look_ at my cake, they're dead!" Fung shouted whike pushing past the trees.

Crane sighed in exasperation, tilting his hat downward. _THAT'S what he's worried about? Good grief, we all really need to work on our priority organization..._

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Hehehehe! Alrighty then, it's time we get a bit busy!" Po smiled as Mr. Ping was going through his Noodle Cart. Mr. Ping didn't just make noodles, dumplings, and tofu. Hr had a bit of knowledge in cake construction as well. Those seasonal festivals had improved his skills in making sweets, most of them went to Po, of course. He never minded one bit.

"I know I have it in here somewhere...I just need to...ahah! I knew I wasn't going bonkers! Here it is!" Mr. Ping took out a book, lifting it and placing it on the counter. "I've finally found it! My Cake book!"

"You...keep a cake book?" Bian Zao asked in confusion.

"Of course! I keep a separate record of most foods and desserts within my skill set! It's quite handy when you memorize all of them appropriately." He confirmed with a grin. "I have memorized every single page. Po...memorized half of it."

"I'm pretty sure I memorized the entire book at the same time you did." Po said with a pout. "I was reading it a lot since we set out. I know every cake in your book. And we both already know that I did it, so you can't say I didn't."

"Ah Po. This goose is just messing around, is all. I know how eager you are to see these cakes in action. By action I mean you want to eat them."

"Of course I do! But we gotta pass em' out to the townspeople first. Although...there's always gotta be a tester, righr?"

"Figure's you'd find a way to sneak your eating habits into your genuine good deeds." Monkey stated with a straight face. "You are quite the clever panda, Po."

"Nah. At this moment my gut's doing the thinking. Weird, huh?" He then turned to Bian Zao. "Hey there, B.Z. Which cake do ya wanna make?"

The warthog didn't expect to be abpe to pick which cake to make, since it was Po's idea to bgin with. But he shifted his face into one of the smallest smiles Po has ever seen. "If I really gotta pick...I'd say Red Bean Cake. Can make plenty of those."

"Excellent choice! We should get to work right away!"

Mantis looked outside the house, sighing with slight irritation. "You guys might wanna hurry up with that. I think the Lao Shu caught on to our location, and they don't look happy. That's a good thing, obviously. But still, it can be quite a problem if they decide to come in and make a mess of the place."

Mr. Ping sighed, shaking his head. "Those guys don't matter right now. My son and Bian Zao are busy cooking the cakes. So the rest of you have to do something to hold those rude rats off or get rid of them entirely. Make them go away or something."

"How are they supposed to do that, exactly?" Zeng asked, hesitantly.

"Beat the stuffing out of them, of course! They're really good at that."

Mei Ling yawned a bit, stretching her arms and tail. She then stood up and grabbed her staff, heading out the door with an eager look on her face. Tigress saw the look she had, and found it best that they not try to stop her. Though she didn't prevent Monkey and Mantis from following her, deciding not to take too many chances. Po then grabbed her by the paw, directing her attention towards him.

"Come on, Tigress! You're gonna be a taster too!"

"W-Wha...?"

"You're not gonna get anything on your shirt, you're just tasting with me as I help Bian Zao make the cakes. You don't have to cook at all. Let me take care of that."

Tigress felt compelled to heed his request, even if she also felt like she had to assist the others in beating down the Lao Shu. Placing confidence in her friends outside, she gave up resisting and allowed Po to drag her into the kitchen, where Bian Zao and Mr. Ping had already begun their baking, and planned to join them.

 **(Outside)**

Mei Ling had her arms crossed as she stood beside both Monkey and Mantis. They stared out in the open, where the Lao Shu rats occupied the multiple armors they someone managed to obtain. Again, theft is a high possibility for these armors. Mei Ling honestly didn't care that much. Monkey and Mantis cared even less. They only cared that these guys we're jerks that needed to be taught a lesson.

Plus, their precious cake was in danger. There was no way they would allow the cakes to be ruined.

"You rats shall not pass!" Mantis chanted loudly.

"We will not allow you to defile our sacred cakes!" Monkey chanted just as loudly, puffing out his chest while his tail lashed strongly.

Mei Ling just laughed at how random that was. She then turned her attention to the armor wielding rats. "They work together as a large team to use these armors...they're clever ones. But...those are pretty heavy looking. You won't be able to move very fast."

"And we're currently one of the most agile fighters in our group, plus Viper. Well the younger agile fighters, but you get the big picture. Overall, it kinda sucks to be you guys!" Monkey beamed with confidence.

The rats all scoffed at his cocky attitude. "Tch...you may be faster but you all look pretty weak when it comes to actually hitting something."

"Care to test that?" Mei Ling growled playfully. "I've been waiting this smack things around with my staff again. That armor can't protect you."

"And what makes you think that-" Mei Ling swiftly moved forth and spun her staff in an unseeable blur of speed, which sent one flying through a wall behind them, part picking up dust where they fell.

Monkey laughed. "Hahaha! Serves you rodents right!" He paused when one stood over him, and he turned around. "Eh?"

"Gotcha, ape!"

"Hm...nah, pretty sure I'm a Monkey. That _is_ my name after all." Monkey grinned. The armor attempted to strike Monkey upside the head, but he swiftly dodged the strike and hopped onto the head of the armor, gripping the helmet. "Ya guys don't really need this, so I'll just take it off your rodents paws, is that okay with you? Thanks." Monkey took the helmet off, revaling the culprits inside. "Hey. How's it going?"

"BAH! Get off of us right now!"

"Thanks!" Monkey grinned and took off the helmet, then knocked over the armor completely, as the rats panicked and scurried out in a hurry. He then placed it on his head, waited for a couple moments, and sighed. "Ha...it just doesn't feel as cool as Po's hat...here. You can have it back." Monkey took off the helmet and tossed the helmet onto them, crushing a couple of them and making them cry out in pain. "Oh come on, it's not THAT heavy!"

Mantis swiftly moved forth and kicked multiple armors aside, making them land on their sides and the rats pour out. Not missing a beat, he then zoomed again and knocked them all out with precise kicks to the face on every single one of them. "You tried to go in and ruin our cake fest! I'm more pissed off about you picking on little kids, but now you try to interefere with the cake makers! I'm kicking every single one of your tails outta here! Those armors do nothing but slow you down even when working together. So we're taking you all down before you built up your momentum."

"Like so." Mei Ling jumped in the middle and swung her staff in an arc, knocking the armors down and watched them fall apart. No longer willing to stay behind, they all scurried off and retreated away from the danger they possessed. "And now they're gone. They were a bit of a nuisance, but nothing out of our control. So, shall we go back inside? They might be done with those cakes by now."

"Oh you're right! We need to find ourselves the cakes!" Monkey and Mantis shouted together. They were soon comically knocked aside as Fung rushed in trying to catch his breath. Both Monkey and Mantis recovered and glared at hom from both sides. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

"Never mind that! Is the cake alright?!"

"We truly do need to properly organize our priorities..." Crane sighed as he caught up to Fung with Song right next to him, with her rodent captive in tow. "We have someone who might have information we need. We should bring him inside and ask him a couple things, ya know?"

They all stared at the rather helpess rat in Song's grasp, nodding silently, and going back inside Taotie's house. They had a couple things to do at the moment.

 **(Back Inside)**

"Hahahaha! All done!"

It had taken then quite a while, and the only things that truly got dirty were Po's apron and paws, and the same went for Mr. Ping. But they finally got it done...Red Bean Cakes. With combined skill from Po, Mr. Ping, and Bian Zao leading, they were able to make quite a lot of them. Tigress was rather impressed with how much they were able to make with the amount of time they had.

Bian Zao sighed. "Okay...I gotta admit it. That was so...not lame. No, that was actually pretty fun."

"Ha! I agree!" Mr. Ping grinned.

"Now that's outta the way, time for some...'experimenting'...Ya know..." Po elbowed Bian Zao softly, who rolled his eyes.

"Just take one."

"Oh goodie!" Po clapped and eagerly takes one, also making sure to give one to Tigress. He places it in his mouth, widened his eyes and placed his paws on his cheeks. "This...is...awesome...cake! Tigress?"

"It's amazing, Po."

"Yay!" He smiled widely. "Now we just gotta deal with that interrogation in the next room. Bian Zao and Dad, pass this out to the kids and townsfolk. I have a feeling that they'll be very happy!" Po takes off his apron, washes his paws and went into the next room. Tigress followed after him. Bian Zao and Mr. Ping nod as they began their small operation.

"Now little rat fiend...you have a chance to cooperate without any problems." Fung growled...slowly taking a bite out of a red bean cake in his left paw. "Lao Whu rat, tell us-wow this is really good-where your boss and tell us whoever it is!"

"Forget all of you! I don't wanna talk!"

"He truly does know how to make things difficult..." Viper mumbled, also eating cake. It seems the entire group had taken at least one, as well as the children. The rest are currently being passed out to the townspeople.

Fenghuang swallpwed her cake and cleared her throat to gain attention. "Alright, we've tried asking nicely, he ain't budging. So now what will you lot do?"

Monkey tapped his cheek a couple times...then snspped his fingers. "I have an idea. Po, Crane, you two follow my lead." The two were initially confused by his eagerness, but nonetheless nodded to him. Now having their support, Monkey turned to the rat, balancing on his tail and stroking his chin. "Are you sure ya don't wanna talk while you still have the chance?"

"No way."

Monkey clicked his tongue. "Really...? That's too bad. We didn't want to subject you to your painful fate...but that's what you chose." He looked to see the rat suddenly getting nervous.

"W...What do you mean?"

"Bro...can't you see? You're surrounded by animals who should have a taste for rodents...but they don't do such a thing. But they _could._ " he nodded towards Crane. He got the message, smirked a bit, and tilted his hat so that his eyes were covered.

"He's right you know. My friend Mei Ling here is a feline. Ya know, with sharp teeth, her tendency to act predatory...she could easily completely turn." Mei Ling blinked a little, before grinning and extending her claws towards the rat with a silent growl that sent shivers up his spine.

"What about Tigress?" Po piped up, holding said friend by the shoulders. "She's able to do even more damage since she's quite a powerful...Ya know...Tigress. Also a fellow feline that could prey upon rats such as yourself...but she doesn't do that either." She just raised an eyebrow, before shrugging and turning her glare towards the rat, who's heart almost felt like stopping.

"Check out Fung though." Monkey hopped up and partially open the croc's jaws, exposing his sharp teeth. "Look at these powerful jaws...they could snap someone like you in two...or more pieces."

"T-They can...?"

"Oh yes, indeed they can." Monkey nodded with wide eyes. He had to turn around for a couple moments to stifle his snickering. He cleared his throat and turned back around. "But I do believe the worst cases for someone like you would be Fenghuang and Viper."

"H-Huh?" Viper blinked, not understanding.

Crane patted her head, silently telling her to roll with it. "She's a serpent. And of course if she feels like it, she can suffocate you by coiling around you and slowly squeezing the life out of you..." Crane said this in a monotone voice. "...She also has the capability to swallow you whole. And you know where that leads."

"WHAT?!"

"Not saying she _will,_ because she doesn't do that kind of thing to small people, because she's very kind herself...but even she has a limit of patience at some point. We all do. And when that omit is reached, we become unpredictable." Monkey nods. "Don't believe me, just ask Tigress. Her limit is pretty short sometimes."

"What was that?" A low growl was heard.

"Ehehehe...I'm acting, Tigress. Acting." Monkey whispered nervously to her so their captive couldn't hear them. "Anyway, as for Fenghuang, she'll be the most brutal. Because-"

"My talons can penetrate your skin and stab into your vitals." Fenghuang cut off Monkey, as she leaned into the rats face, wearing a crooked smile that scared him out of his wits. "Then I can just use my beak to _geeeeeeeently_ tear the skin off your flesh, and feast on your still beating heart...and leave the remains for some passing vulture bandits or something." She noticed that the young adults were staring at her in shock, as she blinked in confusion. "...What? I thought we were all going through with this."

"I'm glad I sent the kids outside before this officially started." Tigress shook her head.

Monkey cleared his throat again before turning back to the rat, who's fur suddenly went from black to white, something Po found awkward. "Yes...that. Now I'm trying to save you, bro. Do you want to go through any of those treatments?"

"I'll tell you what the Lao Shu knows! Just get the owl away from me! I can't breathe right under her cold merciless eyes!"

Fenghuang rolled her eyes. "Tch, if this is the kind of rats the Lao Shu consists of, they all lack spines just like this one."

"Uh...can I have some of that Red Bean Cake?"

"Nope." Po rejected. "This is for good people only, and you sir, are not a good person, plus you tried tried to steal food from everyone with the rest of your gang. Nope, you don't get anything from us right now."

Viper waved her tail in front of him. "No cake for you."

"I didn't think so..."

 **(Later)**

"So that is what he's been doing down there, huh?" Taotie mumbled, eating some Red Bean Cake for himself. "Bian Zao made this many cakes just so I would notice him...? I seriously let my obsessive hatred take my mind off my own son...I'm almost as bad as you."

"Haha, very amusing, Taotie." Shifu rolled his eyes. "So what will it be? Bian Zao managed to quickly warm up to Mr. Ping and Po because they're fellow cooks. He's agreed to join us, by us wants to know what your input is on the entire thing."

"My input, huh? He still wants to know how I feel. Well in that case...I'll have to let him go with you. I'be been filling his head with my own problems and I paid no attention to it...and I plan to make up for that as soon as I possibly can. So...I'll be coming with you as well."

"What?!"

"Shifu, Bian Zao is fifteen. Do you truly think that I'm just gonna _leave_ with you folks without my own assurance on his safety? No. I'm coming with you, and that'll be the end of that."

Shifu stood up a bit. "I just can't seem to understand how you feel so strongly about this even with your son as a factor. You've never put so much effort into something that isn't your inventions."

"And you had a similar mindset when it came to Kung Fu." The red panda's eyes widened. "We are both very different, Shifu. But in a way that makes us similar, somewhat. We are passionate about different things, and both of us have our fit of suffering for when we took it too far. Now we're both gonna have to work together once again in order two fix our little mishaps to we can make he on from it, even if not completely. Whaddya say, Shifu? For our sake, for Bian Zao's sake, and for the sake of those children...well...children compared to us."

"I get it."

"Right. Do you think we can...I don't know...start over? Since the Valley Is pretty much gone...still trying to process that by the way...we can start with a clean slate. As clean as we can get, anyway." Taotie shrugged. He held out his hand. "What say you, Shifu?"

Shifu looked towards Taotie with a contemplating look, trying to figure out if he should accept or not...

But then he saw memories...

 **(Flashback)**

 _Younger Shifu was sitting calmly outside the Jade Palace, his eyes closed, legs crossed, and breathing very steady. He had bested the Training Hall that Taotie created once again, which slight frustrated said warthog. But he was however proud that his creation was such a success. He merely wished that he was able to do the same thing._

 _"Ow...Ow..." His ears flickered and he turned to see Taotie limping with an arm cast and a patched up eye. "It is quite humiliating that I can't pass through my own Training Hall...what a load of crap I gotta go through for this Kung Fu stuff."_

 _"Everyone has their trials, Taotie. You are merely making an effort to get through your own. I have so far passed all the ones that are of importance."_

 _"Your meaning of important is sometimes pretty crappy too." Taotie shrugged. He then elbowed him. "So...how's the thieving girlfriend? She come by today?" His mouth was immediately covered by a paw, followed by a shushing motion from a brightly blushing Shifu._

 _"Shhhh! Oogway doesn't know about her yet! I don't need him to know that my girlfriend is a thief. I'm still trying to work that out..."_

 _"You still haven't introduced her to him? You can't hide her from him forever, you know. He's OOGWAY."_

 _"I know, I know. It's just that...she's very..." Shifu's blush deepened. "...Distracting."_

 _"Yeah...your mind does tend to wonder to her once in a while." Taotie sighed. "Look, I'm sure you'll work something out with her sooner or later. You have the ability."_

 _"I know..."_

 _Taotie looked down towards the Valley. "Shifu...I'm not sure I'm cut out for this Kung Fu thing. It may just be out of my ability..."_

 _Shifu patted his friend's back. "It isn't for all to know, Taotie. If you cannot learn Kung Fu, then maybe you should stick to your most practiced skill. Your inventing skills are superb. Maybe you should just stick to them and see where things go?"_

 _Taotie looked at Shifu, and nodded. "Yeah...that may be what's best for me. Thanks for being supportive, Shifu."_

 _The red panda smiled, patting his shoulder.. "It's not a problem."_

 **(Present)**

Shifu blinked. While he was reminiscing, he died realize that he took Taotie's hand. Shifu lowered his eyes. "I made a promise to you...and my devotion to Kung Fu broke that promise..."

"We were young, and we were kinda stupid. You grew a bit _too_ devoted to Kung Fu...and I was kicked out for trying to use my inventions as a substitute...when I should have never strayed from those skills in the first place...we both made mistakes, Shifu. Many mistakes. Now that we're older, we somewhat know better."

Shifu sighed. "Indeed. With Master Oogway gone, and the Jade Palace and Valley of piece utterly destroyed...my own title will officially be dropped for my failures. I can't even be called Master Shifu anymore...I can only be known as Shifu at this point..." Shifu thought over this...and his eyes widened, he also stood up in realization. "Of course..."

 _"It doesn't matter what trouble comes your way. I know that you'll be fine, as well as the others. I have full confidence in you."_

"Oogway sent me off with a smile...then he passed on days later. Which means after that point, all choices would be my own...Fenghuang was right. I can't lean on him anymore...or I won't advance..And in a time such as this, advancement is a necessity. My title of a Master is now rendered useless...so now I can make my own choices and not worry about my reputation. Indeed...my reputation means nothing to me now. I have something more important to preserve..." Shifu walked towards the door and opened it slightly.

He calmly took in the scene before him. Tigress, Po, Monkey, Crane, Mei Ling, Viper, Mantis, and the new additions, Song and Bian Zao all wearing cheerful smiles...well...the closet Bian Zao can get to a cheerful smile. Mr. Ping, Mrs. Yoon, and even Fenghuang looked like they were having fun. The orphans would have a fine home to be a much better orphanage, and hopefully they'll be put into a proper home, so they will be happy too, soon enough. They'll be on the move again soon enough.

"I'm sure that more will be added to this group...and I can't wait." He turned to Taotie and smiled. "I'm glad I ran into you here."

"Eh? But all we did was talk, shout at each other, then talk some more..."

"I didn't have anyone to talk to about my problems...but seeing you being in a situation very similar to my own and trying your hardest to do better on your own terms, you've inspired me to do the same...on MY terms, and not Oogway's. I think that may be what he was secretly telling me in his farewell to me..." He reached into the bag he brought along with him, and pulled out a peach sapling. Taotie...can I trust you to keep this sapling safe for me? I feel as if it will play an important role later on in our journies..."

"You're trusting me with a Peach Tree Sapling...? Um...sure Shifu. You can trust me."

"I'm glad to hear it." He sat cross legged again, ad the two old frends sat in silence. "...Do you want some more Red Bean Cake?"

"Sure thing. And another thing. Since you're learning to fully embrace the deep sensation of your freedom...what will you do next?"

"Well first, I'm going to assist these young ones in getting all of their recruits. And along the way..." Shifu clenched his fists. He never thought it would come to this, but he doesn't regret it at all. "I want to ask Mei Ling...to take me back."

"Woah, really? Because I heard from rumors that your break up was pretty ugly. How do you know she wants you back?"

Shifu thought about this question, then carefully rubbed his staff. "I guess I'll just have to look for her while on our journey, and find out for myself...but for now, I must oversee the young ones. And we still have to get to the Kung Fu Express Headquarters and spread our message."

"I hear ya." Taotie yawned. Shifu smiled at him as he sat down and gently cut a piece of Red Bean Cake, then gave it to him. The warthog smiled as he takes the plate of cake, and the two of them began eating their cake together.

A friendship that was intensely damaged by their devotions to two different things they thought could never go together...has finally begun to repair itself.

* * *

 **Well, I'm ending this chapter right here. Seemed about right at the moment. With Mosho Town's situation now straightened out, the group will be moving on. With Bian Zao, Taotie, and Song as new additions. Wonder where they'll be going next?**

 **Taotie's significance will be revealed much later on. He's been a busy warthog and made decisions that will have _heavy_** **consequences on everybody else...**

 **Well, see Ya~**


	25. Po's Special Friend

"Ah jeez...sure am gonna miss those little buddies..." Po yawned a bit. Everyone was already well packed and leaving Mosho Town, as the orphans waved goodbye to them as they moved onward. "I had so much fun eating cake with them."

"Well, at least now we have some ground covered. We did pretty well here, to tell you guys the truth." Fung said with his arms behind his neck. "What those Lao Shu rats told us before...they have more than one boss. Like...three of them. Is that right?"

"Indeed, three bosses. All three of them are said to be quite vicious in some way or another." Tigress noted. "Both in ability, and personality in general."

Po pounded his left fist into his right palm. "Snjnnnnjjo we just gotta kck their butts! It's all so simple!" He rubbed his neck. "Er...of course we have to find them first..."

"That might be difficult, considering they didn't really disclose where they might be hiding, or even their names. Just what they're like."

"They also said that I may recognize one of them." Shifu stroked his beard whioe walking aside Fenghuang. "Who could it be? A fellow master? Probably not..."

"Jong Sung definitely isn't one of them. He didn't fit the descriptions they did make about any of the three. Although that won't stop us from tackling him head-on anyway." Monkey grumbled. "He still needs to pay for what he did."

"And he will. Right now, we should focus on out next destination, the Kung Fu Express." Fenghuang groaned while saying the name. "We're pretty halfway there. We can make a couple stops, but we have a sure path towards it, for sure."

"I've always forgot how seriously they take their mail services so seriously. They're a pretty crazy bunch, if you ask me." Taotie grumbled.

Mrs. Yoon waved her hoof. "I don't think so at all! After all, how would we receive all of our mail in such an orderly and timely fashion? I highly appreciate all the hard work they do in passing these messages around with so much skill. Actually going to the headquarters may actually prove to be a very interesting experience for me."

"Pfft, if your meaning of interesting is petty junk mail, then maybe." Fenghuang rolled her eyes.

Shifu glared at her. "Must you be so rude?"

"Must you be so short?"

"How many times must you go to that?!"

"As many times as I want to, Midget!"

"Ugh, you're impossible!"

"And you're a big crybaby about your wittle ears and rather short stature." Fenghuang huffed. "It must have been quite the awkward relationship to be shorter than your own girlfriend..."

Taotie gulped. She's done it now. She got Shifu started and now he might not stop.

Shifu jabbed his staff into the ground and hopped on too if it so he could meet the owls eyes with his own raging ones. "I have a right mind to put you in a birdcage and let you rot in it so that no one will have to put up with all of your obsessive squawking! A crow's tongue is cleaner than yours!"

"What was that?!" Fenghuang glared right back. Pretty soon, Shifu was surrounded in a coat of white Chi, and Fenghuang was coated in purple Chi. Both felt incredibly intense, and were forcefully grinding against one another, the pressure was powerful enough to make a crater beneath them. "You wanna fight me, Big Ears?! Because I'll pick your bushy-tailed ass over the sunset!"

BONK! BONK!

"AGH!"

"BAH! What the hell?!"

Shifu and Fenghuang sported bumps on their heads, they winced at the newfound pain as the Chi coating them slowly disappeared. Mr. Ping held a frying pan in his wings, and he looked irritated. "Both of you, can you please calm yourselves? Good grief. I know you're not fond of one another, but this time that was far too intense."

"But I-"

"Midget-"

BONK! BONK!

"OW!"

"GAH, DAMMIT!"

"I won't say it again... **CALM. DOWN.** " The Masters were now silent, not wanting to face the wrath of Mr. Ping and his frying pan. When he was reassured that they wouldn't argue for the moment, his positive attitude came back faster than one can blink, and so did his bright smile."Glad that's settled! Now we can move on again!"

Tigress blinked in utter amazement..She adjusted her tiger scarf and turned to Po. "I am quite surprised that your father is easily able to intimidate mine."

"No one wants my Dad angry when he has a frying pan within reach. Or a rolling pin. Or just about any kitchen utensil that can cause bodily harm." Po laughed while rubbing the back of his neck. "So being on Dad's good side is probably one of the smartest ideas one could ever have. Take it from the guy that lives with him as a son, I've come to learn this lesson well just by watching him."

"Oh dear Po, I can't even begin to imagine having Mr. Ping as a Dad. It would be SO much more interesting to have a Dad like him around." Viper smiled. "It's probably a big adventure on it's own, every day, isn't it?"

"You can call it adventure. I...just call it a regular day with a goose and panda."

"Oh come now Po! You know you always enjoy our father-son time together!" Mr. Ping grinned lightly, as he gave Po a fatherly hug. Po grinned and return the hug, lifting him slightly.

Fenghuang rolled her eyes. "You two and your hugs. Well...Po is a hugger, after all."

"A really fluffy hugger!"

"Yes Po...yes you are."

Mantis hopped on Po's shoulder and pointed forward. "Hey, Big Guy. Check out what's up ahead. I think I can see a bit of smoke, in that weird creepy looking forest place."

Po and Mr. Ping stopped right in their tracks. This did not go unnoticed by Tigress, Fung, Crane, and Mei Ling. They both blinked a little before they nervously gazed at the insect on Po's shoulder. "Ya don't say...? Creepy Looking Forest Place...um...what does it say on the map...?"

Shifu raised an eyebrow, but gazed at the map. "That forest should be..Xin Xao Forest. Why?"

Po clasped his paws, and Mr. Ping whistled a little. "Nothing important..." They both smiled. But inside they're saying: _Crapbaskets!This is not good! NOT! GOOD! AT! ALL! This is everything bad and nothing of the good!_ "Yep, nothing important at all!"

Shifu hopped in front of the two, narrowing his eyes. "You're not lying to me, are you? Because both of you are quite poor at lying. Are you two hiding something from us?"

"Nnnnnnnnoooope! Nope, uh-uh. Not at all. No ma'am." They both said while looking away awkwardly in different directions. Everyone deadpanned at their performance. Po groaned. "Okay, we _might_ have something to hide. But we can't tell you anything about it!"

"Why not?" Fung folded his arms in suspicion.

"Because it would break my promise, and this panda is NOT a fan of breaking promises!"

Everyone sighed at this. It was true that breaking promises would cramp Po's genuine nice guy style, and he'd give it his all to keep that from happening. He was stubborn like that.

...and so was Tigress.

 _I've never seen Po look so nervous...what is he and Mr. Ping hiding from us...?_

"Ahem. We should see what that smoke is, and who's making it." Mr. Ping suggested. His eyes veered to the side. _This is bad! Who could be lurking around there?! They'd better not be who we think they are, otherwise we are in for a deep DEEP mishap!_

"I guess we can do that." Crane shrugged. "Do you want me to fly ahead and see what's up?"

Mr. Ping and Po rapidly shook their heads, and the former answered for the both of them. "That won't be necessary. We should all check it out at the same time. It never hurts to be cautious, after all!" They both folded their arms, nodding to this statement and sticking to it.

"Um...alright. But we should still be at least a bit careful. Taotie, Mr. Ping, Bian Zao. And Mrs. Yoon are not fighters. If it comes to that, we need to be able to secure a safe place to hide.'

"Hey!" Mr. Ping shouted. He looked down nervously and kicked the ground. "I...I can fight a little...but I see your point."

"You do know how to fight, but it's not enough to be a threat for something bigger than you. And we don't want to ruin your frying pans and rolling pins." Fenghuang told him. The goose sighed. The owl then turned to Po. "Alright Panda, your move. We're heading to Xin Xao Forest and seeing what's got you two so freaked out." Po also sighed. He could feel Shifu's ears listening closely on them, he was highly unlikely to let this go. But it doesn't matter. He made a promise and he was not going to break it for anything. Not even food. And he really loves food, so this was no small feat.

Po lead them all downwards towards Xin Xao Forest, where the source of the smoke was coming from. His footsteps and Mr. Ping's footsteps were highly cautious, as if the forest itself was in danger. But they tried not to break their straight faces under the gazes of their friends. They were constantly gazing at the two, trying to see what could be bothering them so much.

Tigress was the one who kept her gaze on Po the longest. She was definitely aware that Po was keeping something from them. But she would wait for her chance to confront him about it. He seemed really intent on keeping whatever secret he was hiding in this forest. Fung was just as suspicious of his intentions, but wasn't as mentally active about it as Tigress was. Po must have had his reasons. But considering the curiosity of felines...Tigress was unlikely to let it go.

Pretty soon they begin to here voices, and they all hid behind different trees in the area in order to hear what might be going on.

' _Why are we out here looking for some creature that supposedly doesn't exist?'_

 _'Hey, we were sent on this job to either confirm or deny the existence of this thing. Whether we run into it or not doesn't matter to me, because I still get paid either way.'_

 _'I still think this is a major waste of our valuable time.'_

 _'Your so called *valuable time* involves nothing but hitting on women in some bar and getting drunk off your ass.'_

 _'...Okay a waste of MY valuable time then!'_

 _'Just shut up and keep looking around.'_

Po and Mr. Ping's eyes widened. Yes, this was immediately defined as an incredibly bad was only and they mean ONLY one creature that could possibly be out here and be speculated as nonexistent. And it was a creature they encountered a long time ago. If this turns out to be the case, then they needed to deal with the issue immediately. It was then that Fenghuang could now understand why they felt extremely tense, because she was informed about the event when it happened. So she, unlike the others a couple moments later, did not react in surprise when the two suddenly disappeared from view.

It took only a couple seconds to realize that Po and Mr. Ping had clearly vanished, and the first to react was Mantis. "What the...where did Po go?! And Mr. Ping?!"

"W-Wha? They we're just here a moment ago!" Crane exclaimed, flapping his wings. "How can they just vanish like that?"

"Fenghuang, did you teach Po how to Flash Step?" Shifu questioned her.

She rolled her eyes. "No way did I teach him that. As cool as he thinks it is, he's not really nimble enough to control a Flash Step properly. Unlike your daughter."

"Huh?" Shifu looked around to see that Tigress has also vanished without his knowing. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I didn't sense her leave...either I'm a better teacher than I thought, or I'm losing my touch."

"The latter does go with old age." Fenghuang shrugged. Shifu glared at her before shifting his gaze back to where he just saw Tigress...

 **(Meanwhile)**

"This is bad. Truly horribly bad to the bone kind of bad!" Po said while gripping his stressed head as he walked alongside his father. "Somebody is hunting for our friend! We have to worn him before it's too late!"

"I agree, son. I don't know who those guys were, and we couldn't even see them. But that hardly matters at the moment. We must make haste!" Mr. Ping keeps leading the way as Po constantly looked around them to make sure they were not being followed by anyone. They would eventually stopped in front of a normal-lookng boulder, and they approached it slowly, raising their arms to it...

"What are you two doing?"

"CHEE HOO WAH!" Po jumped and turned around to see Tigress right behind them. She wore a face that demanded an explanation for the panda-goose duo's actions. Po slowly lifted a nervously shaking arm and pointed at her, his eyes blank and white with surprise. "Wha...what...what are you doing here...?"

"I could ask the both of you the same thing." Tigress said with folded arms. "What are you both doing here? Why did you separate from the group to come here?"

Po began to sweat nervously. "Uh...nothing."

"Po...you're lying to me. We both know you're horrible at it."

The panda pulled his lips to the side, averted his eyes and waved off the request. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Tigress . No clue at all."

"Po."

"Um...it's...kinda a secret that I can't reveal because it would break my promise!"

"The promise is that important to you?"

"Look, we just can't, okay?! Tigress, haven't you heard the phrase 'Curiosity Killed The Cat?'"

"I'm no ordinary cat, though."

"...Dammit that's right." Po rubbed his neck. "Okay. We'll tell you what's going on. Better yet...we'll show you. _But_...it's important to keep this a secret until we deem it safe to talk about. Do you understand?" Tigress nods in confirmatiom. "Okay...I'm trusting you. Now me and Dad will be back in a moment. Just wait there for a second."

Tigress showed confusion as they Po and Mr. Ping turned around towards the boulder, raised their arms and tapped it multiple times in an assorted pattern:

 _Knock, tap, knock, tap...knock, tap, tap, knock..._

This did nothing for a couple moments...then she showed surprise when a large scaly green hand reached out and grabbed Mr. Ping, and he _phased_ through the rock in an outline of blue light. It reached out again to grab Po and he phased through as well, getting his entire body inside...

...Except for his rear, which got a bit stuck mid-entry. His small ball like tail wiggled slightly as he struggled to get through.

 _You've got to be kidding. The magic entrance thinks my butt's too big?!_ Po thought angrily and also embarrassingly to himself. He finally got unstuck, and he made it inside the boulder...leaving behind a terribly confused Tigress.

"Po? Mr. Ping?! What's going on?!" Tigress shouted at the boulder, becoming extremely worried that she received no answer. She then yelped in surprise as the same hand reached out and dragged her inside. Her tail was the last thing to pass through as she disappears into the boulder.

Inside the boulder, she landed on her side, rubbing her elbow to get the dust off, and did her best to stand up...

Only to come face to face with a creature she hasn't seen before.

She was met faced with a pair of green eyes. As the creature stands up, she could see him entirely. Green scales, black fingers, antlers on his head, a lighter green chest/underbelly. He also wore a apron like garment around his waist, creatively colored blue, had a red outline and it was sided green with yellow flower patterns. But the only thing that didn't set her off...

Was his smile.

"Well lookie here! It's Po's bestest buddy I've been hearin' so much about!~" He smiled as he turned around and roamed his cave in a boulder. "Now don't get shy on me. You're a guest, and I always want my guests to be comfortable. Please, come on in!" She blinked at the turn of events just dumped on her, but nonetheless followed the creature into the next room.

She was honestly surprised when she saw the inside behind the door. The place had plenty of paintings hung on the walls, a couple incense placed on different tables, a cabinet in the far back, a drawer on the side with more paintings, and a portrait on the top of the wall...

A portrait of this creature, Mr. Ping, and Po.

"Hey Tigress!" She blinked to regain her focus as she could see Po and Mr. Ping sitting at the larger table, waiting on her. "Come sit with us!"

"Er...okay." She said awkwardly as she slid over a chair and took a seat near Po. "Po...I believe now is a better time to ask than ever...who is this?" She pointed to the creature currently rummaging through his cabinet.

Po turned around. "Oh, that's one of my friends! Qilin."

Her eyes widened at this. She's heard so much about the Qilin growing up. And most of them were many negative ways...and a couple of them were a bit too vulgar for her to hear. However seeing the creature for herself, up close...those rumors may have been incredibly exaggerated. Especially if Po managed to befriend him. What really confused her was when and how this happened.

"That's right. Po and his Daddy right here are pretty close friends of mine. They kept my existence a secret like I asked them to. But I can understand if they let you in. They said you tend to be the stubborn type, and you do have the aura of a stubborn person. Not that that's a bad thing, not one bit." He paused, and held a tea cup out to her. "Green Tea?"

She took the moment to pause, and take the cup from him like he offered her too. She knew that Green Tea was one of Shifu's favorite teas to drink. So she gained a favorite for it too. She took a quiet sip from the cup, then expressed surprise when she set it back down. "This...this is amazing."

"I know, right? Such amazing tea." Mr. Ping smiled, sipping his own cup.

Qilin smiled as he walked over to the table, taking a seat of his own. "Like I was sayin', I know these two pretty well by now. Po also told me a lot about you."

"He...he did?" Tigress gazed at Po for a moment, who nodded to confirm this.

"Indeed he did. Despite only knowing you for a week before you and the croc separated from one another, he learned a lot about you. He admires how strong you are, as well as your dedication to building that strength. But you were in desparate need of a friend, a role he said he gladly accepted. I wish I could have seen you as a cub, but there isn't any use worrying about that. Looking at you from my point of view, you have indeed given yourself the image of a powerful warrior." He reached out and stroked her cheek. "As well as a pretty young woman."

Tigress felt her cheeks heat up from the compliment. "P-Pretty...? M...M...Me...?"

"Hahaha! I think I get it now! On the battlefield you're a force to be reckoned with. But in a normal conversation you don't know what to do sometimes!" Qilin chuckled a bit, before calming down and staring her in the eyes. "You're definitely a strong person physically. But on the inside ya have a bit of a shy side due to not havin' any friends around for a while. Am I right?"

Tigress looked downward, covering her muzzle with her scarf. "...Probably..."

"It ain't nothin' to be ashamed of. Pretty natural for your case." He waved away. He then grabbed a bowl and handed it to Po. "Mooncake?"

"Eh? Aren't those saved for the Mid-Autumn Festivals?"

"They're very much available during that time, but it don't hurt to eat them at any time."

"Oh...in that case..."

There is something very amusing about seeing Po's cheeks being stuffed with Mooncakes. Mr. Ping and Tigress clearly thought that it was hilarious to see. When he was done with those, he reached for more.

"So tell me somethin' Po." Qilin continued, stopping Po in his tracks. "Why aren't you three in the Valley Of Peace? Shouldn't you be there?"

"..." Po, Tigress, and Mr. Ping all turned silent when these questions were asked. Qilin noticed he had touched a sensitive subject, and was about to attempt to change it, but it had already sunk in to them. "The Valley...is gone."

"...what?" He asked quietly, hoping he had misheard. Unfortunately, it seems that he did not.

"The Valley Of Peace...it's basically gone. Jade Palace destroyed. Everyone there has been killed. The only one who could have stopped it was Master Oogway...but he passed away at the worst of times..." Tigress explained quietly while staring blankly into her tea. "Our home is nothing but charred remains...now we are just wanderers, having no clear destination in sight. We just know that we have to keep moving..."

"Ohh dear." Qilin gasped, his paws on his mouth to keep it in. He then made his way over to Po, Tigress, and Mr. Ping, then he wrapped his arms around all three of them in a group hug. "That's terribly tragic...I'm sorry for your loss. It must have been incredibly hard for you to leave your home behind like that..."

"We didn't have a choice...there was barely anything left to salvage. And with no one surviving except for Mrs. Yoon...Shifu's Master status is most likely revoked due to his failure to protect the Valley. All of us...we're merely wanderers, as said before. We have no permanent home anymore. We only travel to where we think would be best to go next. We're nomadic...in a way."

Po nodded quietly, as Qilin patted his back. "There's no need to feel sorry, Qilin. We're still going through a bit of a recovery. We already knew it wouldn't be that easy. Anyway...that's not what we're here to tell you. We we're just passing by your home on our way to our next stop, when we come across the forest. We think there may be hunters out there that know you're here. And they don't seem to be leaving anytime soon."

"There's no doubt that they're dangerous, so we just wanted to warn you to be extremely careful. Just to be sure of it, we're volunteering to chase them out of the forest so you can continue on with your business." Mr. Ping explained.

Qilin sighed, sitting down and pouring some tea into another cup. "It ain't like I'm doing anything out here...I've been hiding out here for years in peace and quiet. It ain't that I don't like it, it ain't that at all. Just that...it's not as welcoming as it used to be. I just wish people would stop coming after me. They don't even try to tolerate my presence. Being mean, calling me names, just because I may look a bit different than them...or a lot different."

Tigress's ears flattened against her ears. "We know how that feels..."

"Po told me about that too. Told me that people were mean to the both of you when you both were merely cubs. And I say that's mighty ridiculous." Qilin said strongly. "Po's physique is a natural part of his body, that ain't somethin' to pick on him for. He didn't bother anybody, but they insisted to bother him regardless. And Tigress. The little lady is gifted with enhanced strength, what about it?" He folded his arms. "She didn't learn how to restrain her claws and fangs at the time. That ain't no reason to lock a sad little girl behind a cage because she _looked_ dangerous. I mean, look at me. Sure I _look_ dangerous, but spending enough time with me, Mr. Ping called me one of the nicest guys he's ever met. My looks were never an issue to these two. Being a nice guy was all it took to be their friend."

"Wow..so you know what it feels like to be an outsider...and outcast." Tigress said quietly, in which Qilin nodded. "But wait...how do you know Po and Mr. Ping?"

He was about to explain, but his ear twitched suddenly, and he stood up abruptly. "I hear someone outside. Did somebody follow you?"

"No, it couldn't be. Sure we kinda ditched our friends for a little while to come see you, but they didn't follow us. We couldn't have possibly led them here." Mr. Ping shook his head, but he couldn't deny the fact that something was going on outside. "But...that does sound like somebody is outside..."

"No choice. We'll have to go out and see what it is." Tigress stated, getting up from her chair. "If this presence is hostile, it's best that Mr. Ping stays in here."

"Yeah, good call." Po agreed as he also got up. "Qilin, we need you to get us outside."

"Done and done." Their friend got up and led them back to the entrance. He held both of their arms and walked through the boulder together. They completely phased through in a blue shine of light. Only to see that no one was out there, at least as their eyes can see. "Well that's strange. I could have sworn I've heard somebody out here..."

Po looked around cautiously. "That's weird...I thought for sure there was-"

Tigress thrusted her paw in front of Po out of reflex. She felt her paw hold onto something, so she gripped it tightly and heard something that was similiar to a wolf's whine. Her first act was to quickly let go and sent a kick to the air, seemingly. Po could her her kick impact something, and hit the tree in front of them, then call back to the ground, picking up dust. They were both surprised to see that a wolf suddenly became visible, now unconscious from the force of her blow.

"What the heck?! That guy just appeared out of nowhere!" Po exclaimed.

"Take a good look at his shoulder, Po." Tigress focused her gaze on the wolf's shoulder. Po was able to see it as well. "It's a Lin Kuei Mark...they're the ones looking for Qilin, I bet."

"Lin Kuei...?" Qilin said quietly. He then heard something, and suddenly disappeared from sight without the other two noticing.

"But how were they able to follow us here, is what I don't get...wait, what is that?" Tigress narrowed her eyes at the wolf's head. She takes it off his head and gives it a quick look. "I feel a faint dark Chi emitting off of this headgear...it surely has to be a magical artifact. It seems to be the reason why he was able to become invisible. Hm...maybe Shifu will know what it is when we get back to him and the others."

"There is no need for that, Tigress."

Po and Tigress stiffened up from this. The former began to sweat nervously as he began to think about how the situation will turn out next. "Tigress..."

"Yes Po?"

"Um...is that the sound of your Dad I hear...?"

"...Yes Po. That sounds like Father."

"Oh...joyous joy..." Po turned around and waved nervously at the others. "Hey guys...how's it going...?"

Monkey clicked his tongue, folded his arms and shook his head. "Po my panda man...Tigress my feline maiden...if you two wanted to spend some quality alone time with one another, you should have just said so."

"...Huh?" They both tilted their heads.

Song knew just from look king at them that it wasn't what Monkey thought it was...but that wouldn't stop her entertainment. Po was still a bit innocent and naive. Tigress was obviously the more mature one. This lead to a rather interesting idea. She took on an innocent facade and placed her paws on her cheeks. "My my, Tigress...I knew you and Po were close...but this is an entirely new level."

Tigress narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

The snow leopardess placed one paw on her hip and wiggled her finger. "You don't have to pretend, Tigress. You know what kinds of things can happen when a man and a woman alone in a forest, don't you?"

Tigress froze up and blushed brightly, while Viper jawdropped. "Tigress! You didn't!...Did you?"

"N-No!"

"I'm not so sure about that answer, Stripes. Despite your closed in nature, you seem to be the dominant type." Fenghuang rubbed her beak. "The 'interactions' between the two of you could be quite...interesting."

Tigress groaned and pawed her face. "You're not helping, Master Fenghuang."

"I'm stating an opinion. Wasn't trying to help you or obstruct you."

Tigress sighed. She should have known better. Po looked around and raised his paw. "I...don't understand what's going on...what is everyone talking about?"

Monkey tilted his head. "You don't know? What we're implying is-"

"You'd be wise to abandon that statement, Monkey. Unless you want to become nothing but a bloody pulp twitching on the ground...in a fraction of a second." Shifu said with a twitch in his eye. Monkey paled considerably at this. "Now before any of you make any other preposterous assumptions..." Po and Tigress turned to him. "Mind telling us why you _really_ came out here?" They both looked nervous, so Tigress hid her face with her scarf, and Po with his hat. Shifu sighed. "I can still see you."

"...How do you know it's really us?"

"PO!"

"Okay! Look, we did come out here for a reason, but not one we can tell you!"

Shifu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why not?"

"Because...uuuummm...because..."

"And where is Mr. Ping?" Crane asked.

"Well he's...I...uh..."

"And why are you at a loss for words?" Taotie asked.

"APPLES! IT'S BECAUSE OF APPLES!" everyone backed up a bit at Po's outburst. He then sighed and rubbed his neck. "Sorry...I'm kinda hungry."

 _Didn't we JUST have snacks, though?_ Tigress mentally sighed.

Another voice sigher, causing most of them to jump. "I just can't stand by and watch this."

Po flinched and turned to the source of the voice. "Don't do it...I can figure this out, really!"

Everyone looked in all as Qilin came out of hiding, rubbing his neck with a guilty look on his face. "I can't do that, Po. I don't want you gettin' into trouble for my sake, Po. Not again."

 _Again...? Has this happened before?_ Tigress wondered mentally again. It was then that Tigress noticed that everyone had stayed perfectly still when they noticed Qilin walk out next to Po and Tigress. There was no denying that their faces demanded an explanation.

"I'm sure you're all wonderin' who I am...or _what_ I am, for that matter. So I'm just gonna tell ya and get it over with." He breathed in deeply, then sighed. "I...am the Qilin. It's also my name, don't wear it out."

There. Qilin has made his decision and was going to stand by it no matter the cost. But he made sure he stayed close to Po and Tigress. Now they just had to wait for their reactions in order to decide their next move...


	26. A Panda, A Goose, And A Qilin

"...Ooookay...this is weird..." Mantis said quietly. "Okay...it's more awkward than weird, actually. Because no one has said anything for three minutes..."

"It's actually been two minutes and forty-seven seconds." Shifu said without turning to him.

Mantis rolled his eyes. "I was close enough."

"It still doesn't describe the situation we now have before us. Luckily Po and Tigress are more than willing to give us information on this matter. Isn't that right?" Shifu was still facing Po and Tigress, his face completely blank.

Their current predicament was unexpected at best and unfortunate at worst. Po and Mr. Ping were planning to sneak off to meet Qilin and not keave any traces behind. But Tigresd caught onto Po and followed the both of them to the benevolent creature's cave. After his alarmingly warm hospitality, it was pretty clear that he was not an enemy in the slightest. And after hearing that he has met Po and Mr. Ping at some point in the last, she wanted to hear more about it. However, a Lin Kuei managed to catch on and spot his hideout by turning invisible with the artifact on his head. Tigress apprehended him before he could harm Po, which brought the attention of Shifu and the others to their location.

Which now leads to this current predicament, as said before. One conversation passed after another, before Qilin finally decided to show himself so that Po and Tigress aren't seen as the guilty ones. Since Mr. Ping was still in the cave and only he could let him out, it was down to the three of them to persuade Po and Tigress's allies to not attack him.

...Fun times.

"Okay...guys...don't freak out." Po pleaded, his paws waving downward in a 'calm down' gesture, and it matched his concerned face. "This guy here...is a friend of mine me and Dad met during my training journey. He's not a danger to us, he's a really nice guy."

"He speaks the truth, I've spent a couple moments with him when I followed Po." Tigress added. "He's just lonely. Despite the surprise and him being unprepared, he really appreciated my company. Contrary to popular beliefs, the Qilin is definitely _not_ a malevolent creature. He wasn't even given a chance, and therefore he's been cast out, and treated like an outsider. A good handful of us knows what that feels like."

Everyone seemed to relax, and others were pondering what Tigress had just said to them. It was then that they noticed Fenghuang was the only one who remained unsurprised. Which prompted suspicion from Shifu...not very surprising.

"Fenghuang...do you know anything about this?" He asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

The owl blinked innocently as she raised her wing to her beak, halfway covering her face and snickering. "Midget. I assure you that I have no idea what you coulr mean by that, nor would I know anything about it."

"...Do you truly wish for me to believe that?"

"Nah, not really." She shrugged, dropping her charade. "I'm gonna be honest."

"That's surprising..."

"As I was saying." Fenghuang rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I've already known about the Qilin guy for a long time. I've seen him for myself, from a distance. I've never actually made contact with him until today, really."

"What?! Wait, hold on...what?!" Po jawdropped. "Master Fenghuang...you knew about Qilin this entire time? But how?!"

"You and your Dad tend to wonder off without telling because you both tend to be big dummies." The owl said as she began gently caressing Po's cheek with her wing, much to the surprise of Shifu and Taotie. "So naturally I have to keep an eye on you two and keep you out of trouble. Well...your kind of trouble. My kind of troubles I was able to deal with on my own. I saw that Mr. Qilin here wasn't doing either of you harm, so I chose to let you two mind your own business." She stopped caressing Po's cheek and tucked her wings back in. "You really worried me during that time, but I chose not to say anything."

"You were worried about Po and Mr. Ping being alone with the Qilin?" Shifu asked.

The owl shook her head. "No. What concerned me was what extremes the panda would go to to keep this secret safe." She sighed as she recalled the events that made her extremely concerned for Po. "For a couple moments, I thought I was going to have to step in and keep the situation from getting worse."

Tigress grew worried...Fenghuang was saying this as if Po has been in terrible danger again. Of course she knew that being on a journey with a Kung Fu Master like Fenghuang was bound to have dangers...she didn't think it'd be so dangerous that Fenhuang would actually have to interfere at some point. Just what was Po facing during that journey of his...? Po was not saying anything to deny any of this, so she had to take it as a form of truth.

"Now I had no idea that this owl lady knew about me for so long, but she seems pretty trustworthy if she's kept my existence a secret for so long." Qilin said, rubbing his neck. "But it's actually true that Po had to suffer a little in order to keep his promise to me. He went farther than that...he wanted to protect me. Though I didn't think he would go to such extremes to do so..."

"Hold on...what kind of extremes did Po have to go through?" Tigress said cautiously.

"Well...it's best that we start from the beginning, with how we met. Everything else will make sense that way." Qilin nodded. "We should get into my cave and reassure Po's father that our meeting went well." He clasped his paws. "You all can have some of my home-made Hazelnut Wafers!"

"No...freaking...way...you're still making them?!" Po shouted anxiously.

"Course I do, Po. I'm guessing you want some?"

"No way! Don't let him eat any first! If he eats first there won't be any there for the rest of us!" Monkey protested. "Come to think of it, the same goes for Mantis!"

"Hey!"

"Alright boys, settle down, you'll each get some treats that'll be...well...my treat." Qilin smiled widely. "Dingaloo dingladee! I just can't contain myself any longer! I've never had so many visitors before, and all of you are friendly! Please, do follow me to my home. Oh, and ya might wanna make sure this guy here is tied up good." He gestured to the unconscious Lin Kuei spy on the ground.

Fenghuang gave a raised eyebrow towards him. "Oh. That guy. Well tie him up and leave him here. Someone will come for him. Eventually. Maybe. Probably...I dunno."

"If you say so, Master." Po shrugged. "Now about those Hazelnut Wafers..."

"Focus Po! We wanna know what you and your Dad's history is with Qilin!" Mei Ling said with anticipation.

Po blinked. "...Can I have Hazelnut Wafers while we're telling the story?"

"Of course."

"SWEET!"

"Not until each of us gets one first!" Fung shouted. "There is no way we're leaving you alone with snacks again!"

"Oh come on, Fung! I can control myself!"

"We both know that we can't trust that!"

"Both of you calm down. I have plenty." Qilin placed a paw on both of their shoulders. "Now as I said before, come into my cave. I have enough room, and plenty to eat, with the assistance of Mr. Ping. I think we'll be alright."

Fung sighed, rubbing his snout. "I think we can deal with that."

With the present subject of their conversation now finished, Qilin took each of them and slowly phased him through his boulder camouflage in order to gain entrance to his cave. It was weird because they didn't have a lot of experience when it came to the magical arts. When they got inside though, they could easily see that Qilin really was just trying to live a casual life. He wasn't asking for anything special, just to be left alone. It was becoming clear that h was currently losing that mindset, and really wanted some company that wouldn't try to harm him for being different.

Monkey snickered at something, gaining Po's attention. "I can't believe your butt got stuck in the entrance. A _magic_ entrance. Thats ridiculously funny." The panda groaned.

"Don't start."

Crane got to see the painting of Qilin, Mr. Ping, and Po that was mentioned earlier. He takes the painting and looked over it. "This is pretty unexpected. How old are you in this portrait, Po?" Po had Hazelnut Wafers in his mouth, so he couldn't immediately respond to him. Crane sighed. "And of course, he's already stuffing his face with snacks..."

"Po was around 12 years old at the time. Five years of Kung Fu Training from Fenghuang, he was still having a bit of a hard time keeping up. Then again, who wouldn't? He isn't much of a prodigy like Tigress and Mei Ling are. Also, we did a lot of traveling, but not too much of it. Fenghuang still isn't a face that people tend to trust. And I was still having a bit of a hard time earning some money. I didn't have a noodle cart at the time, so it was a bit harder to cook for both Fenghuang and Po. Because the both of them always manage to come hungry."

"Yeah, that's really great." Mantis said as he turned towards Po and Mr. Ping. "Now tell us the story!" He was immediately slapped upside the head by Viper's tail, making him recoil from the pain.

"Don't rush them!" Viper hissed.

"It's alright, Viper. This isn't exactly something I was against keeping secret, but I promised that I wouldn't. Since you all have met Qilin now, I guess I can speak without feeling guilty." Po finished eating his Hazelnut Wafers, and wiped his mouth. "Alright. So here's what happened. Me and my Dad were just passing by this place to a nearby village. We camped here in the forest while Fenghuang was taking a week off from training me..."

 **(Flashback)**

 _Mr. Ping and Po had set up a small fire in the middle of_ _Xin Xao Forest, where they decided to camp for the day. Fenghuang and Po took a break from training, the former taking a little fly around to relax. Fenghuang just soaring through the sky, that was her way to relax while at the same time having a bit of excitement. It was a strange yet effective balance for her. Mr. Ping just took this time to spend more time with Po._

 _The poor panda was totally exhausted._

 _"Uuuuuuggggghhhh...I'm so tired...and even more hungry..." Po sighed as he fell onto his back. Being twelve-years old at this point, he was now beginning to outgrow his father by a large margin. It was expected, of course. "Master Fenghuang is really working me over with all of that training..."_

 _"At least she means well...even if her methods are sometimes questionable. But as long as you're safe in the end, I'm sure it'll be alright." Mr. Ping said calmly, as he handed a bowl of dumplings to Po. Eager as usual, the panda grabs the bowl and began plucking dumplings into his mouth. "She did notice that she was being a bit tough on you, which is why she's giving you the week off."_

 _"It's a lucky break alright. I wonder if this is how Tigress feels when she trains with Master Shifu..." Po sighed as he took his hat off and gazed at it slightly. "I miss Tigress. Fung too. I only spent a week with them and they've already become my best friends. We won't be seeing each other for another ten years..."_

 _"There's no need to be sad, Po. You'll see them again soon enough. You and Fung will see one another again, but you'll be strong young men. And Tigress will grow to be a beautiful and powerful warrior. It will be quite interesting to see how much she will grow. And when I'm sure enough that you three can take care of yourselves, I'll be very much content and I'll be able to worry less. We'll still be very much able to spend quality father-son time together, though. And in my spare time...I might just try my luck at dating again. At least feel a bit young again."_

 _Po wondered about the last statements. "Dad...you said you used to date a lot when you were younger?"_

 _"Indeed I did, son. Unfortunately it was filled with much embarrassment on my part. I was young, I was stupid, and I was crazy. As a result, my attention wasn't on noodles at the time, it was-" Mr. Ping stopped himself before he got too deep into that. "Er...anyway, why do you ask?"_

 _"Because Master Fenghuang said there was a word for someone who does stuff like that."_

 _"...What did she say...?" Mr. Ping asked cautiously._

 _Po blinked as he placed a paw on his chin. "Uhhhh..." He then beamed when he remembered. "Oh! A pervert! She called you a pervert!"_

 _WHAM!_

 _Mr. Ping fell over in a state of shock. His eyes were completely white and comically bugged out as his legs and tongue twitched slightly. The innocent panda in front of him blinked again wondering if he had said something wrong. When he got over the shock, the goose managed to sit up and dust himself off._

 _"Alright...I'm pretty sure that she told you that specific word just to mess with me and know my reaction to it later. Just put it out of your mind, son. It's better that way."_

 _"Uuuummmm...okay Dad." Po nodded, which allowed Mr. Ping to relax a little. He already knew that Fenghuang was the mischievous type when she wanted to be, and he had no problems with that. However, what just happened was a little too close for comfort. He would have hidden himself in a giant dumpling out of embarrassment._

 _...There was a loud growl that sounded out in the area around them, and it caused Mr. Ping to shoot up. "Po...was that your stomach?"_

 _Po shook his head. "Not this time."_

 _The growl sounded out again, and they began looking around in confusion. "If it wasn't you...and it wasn't me...then what's making that noise?"_

 _Po listened carefully in order to find out what was spying on him. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the noise as best as he could. He heard the growl yet again, and his head shifted quickly to the left. "It's coming from over there." I_ _t seemed that whatever was watching them realized it was now close to being discovered, and quickly began to hide. "Hey! Mr. or Mrs. Whoever you are! Please don't run away, we're nice people!"_

 _"Indeed, we are friendly! So please show yourself!" Mr. Ping also encouraged. The both of them being very naive in their own right, they didn't even think that the mystery person could possibly be a bandit or a thug. Nope, they just wanted to know who this person was without any sense of real caution. And...it seemed to be working. They could see green eyes peering at them from the darkness. Also, they could make out just a silhouette of this creature. "We can see your eyes, now can we see all of you? Or are you one of the shy ones?" They heard the growl again, thinking it was one of hostility. Then they could see the silhouette bring paws to it's belly, and now immediately understood. "Oh my goodness, you're hungry!"_

 _"Hungry?! We can fix that in a jiff! Its a good thing we cooked beforehand!" Po exclaimed._

 _"Yep. When it comes to food, we prepare as much as possible!" Mr. Ping grinned._

 _Po smiled and walked a couple paces back to grab a bowl of bean buns from their satchel. He walked back to the silhouette and held out the bowl. "Here ya go! Eat up!" The smell of the food managed to reach the creature's nose, and they could tell how eager it was. But it did not budge. "What is it, you don't trust us? Weeellll...okay, how about this?" Po set the bean buns down and stepped back with his arms raised. "We won't do anything. Just go ahead and eat." Mr. Ping also raised his wings up in support of his actions._

 _The green eyes stared at them for a couple moments longer. When they finally gazed back at the bowl of dumplings, the creature slowly came out of the shadows. Mr. Ping gasped in excitement as said creature picks up the bowl and began eating the bean buns. 'Oh my gosh...it's the Qilin! He's real, he's really real! AND he's eating my food! Oh this is a very good day!' He thought in his head. He didn't want to cause a panic by doing a major outburst. When the Qilin finished his food, he sets the bowl back down and stayed in his spot. Po could see that he had gained some of his trust._

 _"Alright...now can you tell us who you are?" Po asked._

 _The Qilin sits down with a tired sigh. "I can tell in your father's eyes that he knows that I'm the Qilin, so that part of me I don't think I should repeat."_

 _"Oh...well okay Mr. Qilin, did you like the bean buns?"_

 _"Oh, I enjoyed them very much, thank you!" Qilin nodded with a smile. "You see, I've lacked the proper magic to get back inside my cave because I was so hungry and my Chi was drained. It was very generous of you both to offer me some of your food."_

 _"Why of course! It's our pleasure!" Mr. Ping clasped his wings with a wide smile. "I'm just so unbelievably happy about this...you actually exist. People have been calling me a wacky old goose for believing in you, but I knew I was right all along!"_

 _Qilin laughed softly. "Yes...I am indeed real." He then stared a bit strongly. "However...you can't ever let anyone else know that."_

 _"Of course not! Never!" The immediate cooperation surprised Qilin enough for him to step back. "I don't care that people don't believe me. I now know for myself that you're real, and that is really all that I need. As a bonus, now my son knows about you too!"_

 _"And I don't plan on telling anyone about you, Mr. Qilin! No sir!" Po shook his head, holding his straw hat in place._

 _Qilin was amused and warmed by Po's brave declaration, as he turned to Mr. Ping. "Your boy seems sincere. Can I truly trust you both to keep my existence a secret?"_

 _""You can count on us! In fact...I want to make something for you to prove that I'm sincere about keeping this promise. All I need is a couple days. And...uh..." Po bent down and picked up a chunk of wood. "This small chunk of wood! And some paint! And more food! That's all I'll need!"_

 _Qilin raised an eyebrow. "Hm? How will that prove anything?"_

 _Po put on a confident smile. "You'll see it when I'm done. Meet me at this exact spot a couple days from now. I'll have something that will prove that you can trust me. And you'll be glad to have me as your friend!" Po marched off in a determined pace. Mr. Ping packed all of their things and began to leave..Qilin sees the panda off, wondering if he was really going through with what he was saying. He definitely did not seem to be very skilled at lying..._

 ** _(Four Days Later...)_**

 _"Hehehehehehe! I'm totally done!" Po laughed with glee somewhat satisfied with his work._

 _What he was workng on was a carving. A wooden carving that looked a lot like the Qilin. There were wooden shavings on the floor, he had paint all over his paws, and he looked like he had been working for quite a while. Then one would look closely at the carving. The detail applied to it was astounding. Everything was very well done, down to the scales of his skin and the flowers on his apron. Even the gentleness of the eyes was somehow applied to it._

 _"I managed to finish with enough time to go out there and see Qilin." Po said with a grin. "Though...I might have to bring a lantern. Not me and my Dad's lantern, of course. Just a regular lantern will do. It's getting dark out." He placed a finger on his chin. "Dad might get worried if I'm gone for too long, so I'd better make this fast."_

 _Po grabbed his own bag and hoisted it over his arm before heading out with a lantern in tow. He headed into the darkness of Xin Xao Forest, the lantern in his paw lighting the way. He figured that he wouldn't be treading away far enough that he had a chance of actually being attacked._

 _He was unfortunately wrong..._

 _When he passed by one of the clearer paths, he could see that there a couple of rhinos along the paths. They surely looked like thugs. Po did as best he could to cover his face as he tried to pass by them without incident. But those hopes we're dashed as he felt one of them grip his shoulder. Once again, he's been put in a rather unfortunate situation._

 _"What do we have here? A little kid who's just passing by himself?" One of the rhinos said smugly. Po didn't answer him, as he tried to keep on moving. "What do you have in that bag of yours? Is it something good?"_

 _"It doesn't matter if it's good or not. It isn't for you." Po said blankly._

 _Another rhino grinned. "Is that right...?"_

 _"AGH!"_

 _With no hesitation, the rhino kicked the panda in the back, laughing as Po rolled on his side, clutching his side in pain. "That's no way to speak to an adult. You should know better." Po tried his best to stand as he glared at the hostile rhinos. "You honestly expect us to be easy on you because you're a panda? Don't be ridiculous. Now tell us what you're really doing here."_

 _Po shook his head. He was not going to betray a friend he just met. "I'm just going for a walk..."_

 _"Quit lying!" Po was kicked again, this time he crashed against a tree. "No children in their right minds would just wonder into a forest like this by themselves just to go for walks! You're here for some other reason...you're going to tell us what it is."_

 _"I told you I was just going for a walk! You guys are crazy!" Po shouted in frustration. Sometime's these kinds of guys were far too persistent. He was having much of his valuable time wasted bcause of some stupid thugs who just find it funny to mess with him on such a bad time._

 _The Qilin was nearby, walking out of his cave and sighing. He was wondering if the panda child he saw a couple days ago was ever going to show up...or maybe he's already begun to tell people about his existence. But that couldn't be. He didn't seem to be the kind of person to do something like that._

 _He was snapped out of his thoughts when he caught wind of a scuffle going on nearby. He pushed through bushes and trees as he kept listening for what was causing all of the ruckus. And when he finally found a decent spot to see, he was shocked at the display._

 _Po was being held against a tree by the throat, and now his right eye was swollen while his left one was still beaming with pure utter defiance. The sight was incredibly difficult to look at. Why was this even happening?_

 _"I was just passing by. I have no other reason to be here. Can you jerks just leave me alone?" Po repeated. Qilin's eyes widened. Po knew full why he was here and who he came to see, but he would rather suffer physical abuse than give away anything that even mentions Qilin. He could see it in his eyes that Po was going to sit there and take this until they got tired and went away. But he didn't know how long that would be. Rhinos(except Thundering Rhino) tend to be very difficult to deal with, be it violence or just a regular conversation. Nevertheless, he had to do something._

 _So with no hesitation, he got on all fours and ran towards all of the rhinos. His superior strength heavily outclassing theirs, he knocked them all aside with nothing but his head. He then stood protectively in front of Po, and growled viciously at the rhinos._

 _"Do you all feel strong picking on someone who can't fight back?" He snarled. They fortunately had no idea what was even before them, so he didn't even have to reveal his name. "Leave here, never return. **Or I'll chew your head off.** " With another snarl and series of growls, the rhinos lost whether nerve that they had left, and fled the forest in a fit of panic._

 _Po dusted himself off with a relieved sigh. "You totally scared the pants out of him with that bluff of yours. Nice!" Of course Qilin was bluffing about the chewing heads off thing. That was just a legend used to get resistant children to finish their dinner. It works, AND gives them nightmares._

 _"How are you complimenting me when you're the one who's hurt?!" Qilin said in concern. "I know I said to keep my existence a secret, but you didn't have to let yourseof get pummeled just to prve yourself! That's not what I meant at all! And now you're...blah!" He covered his face. "Dagnabbit! I went and flubbergated again! Bad things happen when I flubbergate..."_

 _"...What's flubbergating?" Po asked in confusion._

 _'Flubbergating means what it means. Flubbergate." Qilin said this as if were a simple concept. Po was still confused. "Look, we gotta get that eye of yours patched up." He placed his laws on his hips. "Did you go and run off to meet me without tellin' your Daddy! He might be worried sick about you!"_

 _"Which is why I'll be back there before he even wakes up. But first, I have to give you this." Po dug into his bag and pulled out the Qilin figurine. "I made this for you to prove that you can trust me to keep your secret. It only took me FOUR days to finish! Pretty cool, huh?"_

 _"...Po..." the panda smiles as the mythical being before him takes the figurine into his paws, looking it over. "This...this is amazing. How can you do this in only four days?"_

 _"I have plenty of free time before I get back to training. So...I did this for you!"_

 _"Why Po...this is...this is a very nice thing you did. I don't think I would be the one receiving gifts from someone."_

 _"Then maybe you should get gifts more often." Po shrugged. He walked over to his hat and dusted it off before placing it back on his head. "Anyway, I did what I have to do. Now I'm hungry. So I guess I'll see you later!" Po waved before turning talk and running off._

 _Qilin could only stare after him with a prolonged silence, before gazing at the figurine of himself with a smile..._

 **(Flashback End)**

"...There you have it. We're pretty tight now, as you can see." Po smiled, gesturing to the smiling Qilin.

"I still have that figurine, you know. It was the first present I've ever received in a long while."

"And as I said before, you should receive gifts more often.

Monkey scratched the top of his head. "Good grief, Po. You and Crane may be the only ones here who can take a beating from a couple of jerks in your younger days and not act hostile towards them."

Po nodded. "Yeah...though it's irritating when they try to irk you by messing with friends..."

"Because THAT'S when Mr. Nice Guy truly vanishes." Crane finishes.

Qilin smiled. "Well, it was good of you to visit me, Po. I trust that soon you'll have to keep moving onward?"

"Yeah...somewhat." Po's arms folded and his eyes squinted, as his head tilts to the side. His eyes then reopened. "Qilin, I really think that you need to go out and leave this cave. And this forest."

"W-What?!" Qilin gasped. "Po, I appreciate the kind thought...but I don't belong out there with the rest of you."

"Says who?" Po replied coolly. This caused his friend to eye him in confusion. "Who says you can't go out there and prove them wrong? There isn't anything keeping you here but yourself. And I know that living here alone is not very enjoyable. You can do so much good for others, Qilin. I just want you to know that you don't _have_ to stay here."

"I share his feelings." Tigress stated. "If you feel alone out here by yourself, then leave this place. Take all of your valuables and go somewhere. If there is anywhere you wish to go, then go there. It's what you want to do, so do it." She stared calmly at Qilin. "Don't allow negative influence to keep you in one place forever. That almost happened to Master Fenghuang, and she admitted that would have been one of her biggest regrets if she and Po never crossed paths."

Qilin gazed in surprise at the both of them. Then he eyes slowly closed as he lets out a deep calm breath. _The world really needs more people like these two._ He then reopened his eyes, and nodded. "Okay. The two of you are definitely right. Staying here won't make my problems go away. I have to go out and change my situation voluntarily. I can't wait for things to get better." Qilin smiled. "I do wish you the best when you do leave. I wish I could come with you so I can observe your growth for myself. But that's for a later time. I can join up with you when I have a better grip on other things."

Po's grin grew. "Of course! That'll be so cool!"

"We're a large group as it is, Po..." Zeng sighed, shaking his head in exhaustion at Po's hopes. "Anyhow...our next destination is obviously the closest village from here while we're still making our way towards Kung Fu Express Headquarters. I wonder what that one will be like. Hopefully there isn't as much trouble there..."

"Doubt it." Mantis said with a blank face.

"You don't have to be so casual about it. That kinda depressed me a bit..."

"Sorry man, I'm just callin' it how I see it. Not trying to kill your hopes."

While Zeng was trying to pick up his somewhat shattered hopes, Qilin was able to let everyone out of the cave and told them he would meet them all again. Tigress looked out towards the distance. She had no idea why, but she felt as if looking out there would bring her an answer to an unknown question. Po gazed at her. "Hey Tigress...you good?"

"I'm fine, Po." Tigress sighed. "I just felt...something strange..."

 **(Valley Of Peace-Ruins)**

The person had just given a very saddened and exhausted sigh. He then set down a flower in front of the graves that were made by the others that used to be there. The cloaked person turned around and began walking away.

Tai Lung couldn't believe that this happened. He left his home and family a decade ago. He was just passing by, and he discovers that neither is even here anymore.

 _So this is how the universe chooses to play, huh...?_ He closed his eyes and reopened them, as they represented a new question. _Tigress...little sister. I know under Shifu's tutelage that you're able to take care of yourself. I don't even care where you are. I desperately need to know._ He thought as he did a mighty jump into the air, so far that it might be mistaken as flying.

 _Are you safe...?_


	27. Passing By Muchang Township

**I edited the last part of the previous chapter just slightly. Tai Lung was the brother in the cloak, but I wasn't too detailed with that. I admit it that was my fault, no one else's, if someone made the mistake of a biological brother being involved before I made the edit. Again, my bad, no one else's. Sorry if I got any hopes up for that and disappointed you...I'm slightly ashamed...**

 **Now let's start this chapter up.**

* * *

Tigress still didn't understand the feeling she had before, but she had chosen to ignore it for the time being. Right now, she was leading the group instead of Po this time, a little while after they had promised to meet Qilin again soon. The panda of course had no problem with having her do this, she was the Co-Leader after all.

...this did however, bring up some commentary from Fenghuang.

"My my, Stripes is taking the lead for the time being." Fenghuang huffed. "What brought this sudden change on, Stripes? Hm? Was it that 'feeling' you had earlier? What kind of feeling was it?"

The feline folded her arms and thought about it. "I'm...not sure. It felt like someone was talking about me. I don't know who, though."

"Huh. When someone talks about you from a long distance, you sneeze. I guess you didn't sneeze." At this, Tigress let out a quiet sneeze, which earned a surprised sweatdrop from the owl. "Nice reaction time."

"We might be able ot figure it out later. But for now, we must focus on the objectives ahead. The next town." Taotie had the map in his hands. "Hm...on the current path we're on...we should be pretty close to Muchang Township. Nice place. Good people. Well mostly good people, but it's not a bad village."

"Not at all. It's just not well-recognized like most other villages are. They don't always share news about events that happen here." Shifu stroked his beard. "I do wonder why, though..."

"I don't think they would prevent news from spreading around I f it wasn't what other people wanted to hear. I'm guessing something about this village doesn't want certain things to get outside their village." Mrs. Yoon said, gazing forward. "Though just as well, I may be wrong."

"No no no, you have every right to be suspicious!" Mei Ling supported. "Remember that we're constantly traveling. And we've already learned that not every encounter will be very positive, since it's obvious that not everyone will be nice. It's best to be careful."

"Extra careful, since we're not really well recognized ourselves, so people will have a bit of lack of trust in us like we do them." Crane said. "Though we're not against trying to help out people who need it. Not at all."

"It's the matter of what the problem was, and _how_ we plan to deal with it. We can't just get involved in conflicts that we can't understand and expect everything to go smoothly." Song added. "We'll need a bit more information on how to move onward. Maybe we can talk to the villagers about some of this?"

Fenghuang yawned. "You all can deal with this in your own while I find a place to hide out, can you?"

"Eh? You're not coming with us, Master Fenghuang?" Mei Ling asked.

"No way, Golden Cat. If memory serves me correctly, this place has some Duke who runs it. What was his name...?"

Shifu stared towards her. "Do you mean Duke Pingjun?"

"Yeah, that ugly dog-faced asshole."

"Now why would you say that?"

"Are you kidding me?" She asked in disbelief. "Midget, this is why you need to get out more. Out of all of us, I'm pretty sure Primate here knows what I mean." She gestured to Monkey, who's eyes widened in realization at what she was implying. "That's right. That stupid pug is a complete jerkass like Jong. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the both of them here enjoying tea and sharing a few laughs as they talk about how successful they've gotten by trampling on other people's lives." She sighed. "I definitely can't be seen here. If that dog sniffs me out, he's gonna tell authorities and give them the wrong idea, then we'll have a lot more problems on our heads."

Shifu rethought her words, and began stroking his beard again. "Okay...I can consider this factor. But that doesn't mean we can directly act on it."

"Exactly. _We_ won't try anything. As for _them..._ " She gestured to the younger group members. "I'm not so sure."

"Are yoi saying that they could cause a ruckus if left unchecked?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Guess we'll just have to watch them and find out."

Po and Monkey turned towards one another and thought about what Fenghuang had just told them. If what she was saying was true, then they would have to keep their heads down until they were able to act accordingly. Because out of the guys, Monkey would be the first one ready to strike out against a higher authority abusing their power. He didn't care _who_ it was. Slowly and surely, everyone else would begin to have this sentiment, then things might get a bit rowdy if it rises to that kind of level..

With enough confidence in themselves to continue, they finally made their way into Muchang Township. Fenghuang stayed hidden from view by staying back where she won't be found, which was the skies. Regular citizens rarely look up. They took note that the people here were looking in a rather cheery mood. They appeared to be cheery, at least. It was a bit hard to tell, except that they definitely weren't depressed. However it did feel like they were...how can they put this? They looked like they were anxiously waiting on something. It was almost like a sort of desperation.

Tigress clutched onto her scarf and wondered what was with the villagers herself. Something about this just tugged at her thoughts. The air around her just seemed familiar to her. Not the air belonging to Muchang Township, but the air on it's own. It didn't seem like she was able to identify this mystery feeling herself. She would need to dig deeper.

Mr. Ping stopped everyone for the moment. "Alright everyone. Mrs. Yoon and I will be somewhere around the market. Try not to get into too much trouble."

"Uh...alright?" Crane said uneasily. "How do you know that we'll get into some kind of trouble?"

"Because you're young. The craziest decisions are often made during one's youth. Trust me, I've been through that phase, and so has Mrs. Yoon, Taotie, and Shifu. In fact...the latter two are coming with me as well." Taotie and Shifu blinked in surprise. "You two should be spending time with the fellow elders. The young ones have this handled."

Taotie stared in disbelief as Mr. Ping and Mrs. Yoon didn't even give enough time for their to respond. Instead they just grabbed them and pulled them along against their will. Shifu was a bit more compliant, if only to get a closer look at the state of the village. Plus he doubted that Mr. Ping would let go of his paw with his decision. Mantis watched them disappear into a crowd before turning around and rubbing his forelegs.

"Alright guys, we've been let off of our leashes for the moment. What will we do first?"

"Something about that leash comment just doesn't seem right." Bian Zao yawned. "You all do what you want. I'm gonna find something else to do..."

"I don't think so, Mister. Someone has to keep watch over you." Viper insisted. Judging by the look in her eye, this decision was absolute. "And Tigress will come with me. The two of us should be enough to keep an eye on you as well as protect you."

"Ugh...if you say so."

"That's a good boy~" Viper beamed. "Alright Tigress, shall we get going?"

She looked up and folded her arms. "I guess we should. Bian Zao, you'll lead the way. You wanted to go somewhere, we're going to follow and make sure nothing bad happens to you. Of course nothing could happen, but there are times when we don't wish to take too many risks."

Crane tilted his head. "Well...I guess they're going their own way then. What are the rest of us supposed to do?"

Po placed his paws behind his neck. "...You wanna go looking around elsewhere? Looks like we can learn something important if we just look around for a bit. I dunno, maybe even get something good to eat."

"Hey, I have no problems with that." Mantis shrugged, hopping on top of Po's hat. "Someone is bound to know something important. Lets get going and see what we can find out. Because these people look like they're waiting for something to go down."

Fung nodded. "You're right about that...and I want in!"

"Somebody's very eager to learn some secrets. You may just had the right girl for a job like that." Song smirked. Fung's eyes widened slightly as he once again blushed under her gaze. "Well we shouldn't just sit here. Let's ask around. Starting with...here's one!" Song pointed with her parasol. They all shifted their eyes over to a pig who was just passing by, and she looked like she just woke up from an extended nap. She was also carrying quite a lot of groceries by herself, just barely dragging them across the ground. "Excuse me, Miss? Are...are you gonna be alright with all of that?"

"Hm? Oh hello there, youngins. I don't believe I've seen you around these parts. Yes, I'll be quite fine." She sighed. "Just a bit exhausted, is all. A bit hard to lift these bags, but it's fine."

Po's 'let me help, tendencies activated instinctively. He had quite easily lifted two bags for the kind elder, while Monkey and Crane helped with the rest of them. They then asked for her to lead them to her house. She was surprised but readily agreed to their assistance. It didn't take long for them to reach her house. On the contrary, it's quite easy.

"There ya go. Less work for you~" Po grinned.

"And what a relief, too. I thought my back was going to give out..." she sighed in exhuastion. "Thank you for the help."

"Not even a problem, ma'am." Fung told her. "So, do you think you can tell us what's with the people of this town? They all look like they're... I dunno. Are they waiting for something to happen?"

She sighed. "Of course, since you're new here you wouldn't know what's going on here. We've been in a rather worried mood ever since the events of last year."

Po sits down with her permission, and placed his hat on the side. "What happened last year?"

 **(Meanwhile)**

"...You realize how unnecessary this is...right?" Bian Zao sighed, as Viper slithered alongside him.

"Your father entrusted us with your safety. So I am going to do my absolute best to watch over you and keep you out of trouble." Viper said positively, keeping her eyes forward. "Am I wrong, Tigress?"

"Not really. We both volunteered to accompany him. Its only fair that we follow through with it." Tigress said, walking behind them. "Of course if we didn't keep an eye on him, he might lie down right on the path and just take a nap right then and there." Bian Zao shrugged lazily, which made her sigh. Its made more sad(or humorous) that he wasn't even denying that claim on him.

Tigress kept her eyes and ears open, keeping watch for anything that may be worth noticing. The citizens looked like they had mixed feelings, and she was having a difficult time trying to figure them out. Something was keeping their moods cautious, and she was growing more and more curious to find out what it could be.

...she stopped. She turned her head to the side. And she found what she saw has completely taken up her attention. Soon after, Viper and Bian Zao have also stopped to see what has caught her interest. What grabbed her attention also sparked concern.

Tigress was looking towards a house across from her, which was occupied by a water buffalo who was looking like she's having a rather warm day. Her eyes were hazel, her fur color was brown and white, she wore a pink and silver dress, and her aura was surely giving off a positive attitude. As soon as she caught sight of them, she seemed surprised.

"Oh! Hello~" She waved happily. "I haven't seen you three around here before. Are you new residents in this village?"

Tigress was a bit caught off-guard by her cheerfulness, but answered her anyway. "No, we're just passing by and stocking up on supplies for our next destination. We're travelers you see." She explained. "We have many more friends than just the three of us. My name is Tigress. These are my friends, Viper and Bian Zao. Are you by any chance able to introduce yourself as well?"

"Why of course! My name is Xiao Niao. Great to meet you!" She smiled. "Would you like to come inside my home?"

"No, that's alright. We don't want to impose on you when we just got here." Viper raised her tail and swayed it impolite denial of Xiao Niao's request. "If it's not too much to ask, is there anything important you can tell us about this town?"

She tilted her head to the right. "Something important? Well...you already know that there is a Duke that is in charge of this village, right?"

"Yes, we were told about that earlier today. Is there anything else about the Duke that we might find useful?" Tigress sensed the water buffalo's mood drop just a little bit, and it was enough to ignite her concern. "Is it too much to ask? You're more than welcome to tell us to stop."

She shook her head softly. "No...it isn't that. It's just that...I used to be to be a servant girl for the Duke. Needless to say, due to being a total clutz sometimes, that didn't go so well...in fact it went horribly..." Now she had their attention. Bian Zao made sure he listened closely, Viper's head lifted up more, and Tigress's eyes narrowed just slightly. "I was very clumsy one day during the Winter Festival...and I got my father arrested because of it."

"...What?" Tigress asked.

Xiao Niao clasped her hands slightly. "Well...me and my fellow servant girls we're in charge of delivering a large Mooncake to Duke PingJun...but I slipped on a taller piece of the carpet and fell face first into the cake. It infuriated the Duke since he was embarrassed in front of all of his rich friends, and he raised his arm to slap me..." Both Viper and Tigress, ESPECIALLY Tigress, stiffened up in anger of hearing this part of her tale. "But...my father stopped him before he could strike me. He then fell into the cake, further humiliating him in front of his friends. That didn't help his mood one bit. In response, he had my father imprisoned because of my own mistake. I had to spend the rest of Winter Festival by myself..."

"But it was only an accident!" Viper exclaimed with disbelief. "They can't just lock your father up for defending his daughter! On top of that, that Duke sounds pretty harsh to his servants anyway! Neither of you should be going through that!" Viper sighed. "Do you know where your Dad is now...?"

Xiao Niao slowly shook her head as she wiped her face from any tears that began to leak from her face. "They have him in the local jail...but I'm not allowed to see him, or else they'll hurt him some more..." She held up a necklace that looked like it was broken. "This is my half...my father has the other half. It was the only thing that gave me comfort, it gives me hope that some day I may see him again. Until then...I'll have to out up with the Duke's cruelty for just a bit longer."

"Seriously? He already put your dad in jail, what more can he do to you?" Bian Zao asked, now genuinely worried..

"I messed up, and my father defied him. Of course he will find a way to punish the both of us unfairly. As you can see...my home is in quite a poor state. I don't earn too much money...and he even punishes those who try to stand up for me. It's getting more difficult to bear by the day."

Tigress didn't say anything at first. She took in the details of the story and replayed it in her mind a couple times. Viper and Xiao Niao were gazing worriedly at her, whioe Bian Zao laid back. He didn't have any idea what she was thinking, but he was sure he knew what it might lead to. The feline took a deep breath.

"Your father was imprisoned...because he was protecting you?' She asked for confirmation. The water buffalo nods quietly, as Tigress hung her head for a couple moments. "So...it's one of those situations, huh? I see." She stood up and began walking away from the house.

"Tigress?! W-Wait up!" Viper exclaimed, slithering after her. Bian Zao yawned a little befire getting up and following her. "Don't do something you're going to regret!"

"You needn't worry about that, Viper." Tigress said coolly, not turning around from her path. "Because I'm not going to regret what I'm about to do. And if my guess is correct, Po won't regret his next actions either."

"You're both gonna do something that'll attract attention, will you?" Bian Zao sighed. "Man...this is gonna be a drag..."

Xiao Niao watched with surprise as Tigress got up and calmly walked away from her house. Her mind racked trying to figure out what might be going on in her mind. _She was obviously upset that I'm going through a tough time...but why did she walk away...?_ She gasped and covered her mouth. _No...she wouldn't!_ Though to be fair, she didn't really know Tigress too well anyway. But just to be safe, she followed after them anyway, anxious to see what they might do.

Tigress made sure her scarf was on tight enough to not fall off, and located Po and the others walking down the same path as she was. Each of them looked mildly angry.

"What kind of Duke does that kind of thing to a father for defending his daughter? Fenghuang was right, he sounds like a total asshole." Mantis grumbled.

"That guy needs to be removed from his position." Crane also grumbled.

"This is exactly why people like him get on my nerves. They think they're so high abive everyone else due to their status, that they think they can't be touched." Monkey narrowed his eyes. He wasn't saying that ALL higher classes tend to abuse their power, but he has yet to meet a decently nice one that actually cares about other people than himself or people just as bad as he is.

Po was actually pretty calm about the issue. He even sported a smile as he saw Tigress, Viper, and Bian Zao approach him. "Hey guys! What's going on?"

"Po, I need tour help with something." Tigress stated, pointed at Xiao Niao behind her. "I also wanted to decide our next action in this village.

Po smiled and placed his oaws behind his neck. "Sure, that's cool. What do you think we should do?"

Tigress said the following without any hint of hesitation. "Her father was wrongfully put in prison for defending his daughter. We're going to break him out." Xiao Niao gasped at her straightforward decision. What shocked her more was that Po didn't seem to have a problem with that.

"Yeah, sure. Let's get him out of there."

Crane beakdropped. "Wait...what? We'are just going to go and break Shengqi out of the local prison? Are we not going to think about the consequences of these action?"

"This man has been imprisoned for valuing his daughter over his job. I refuse to let that unfair judgement stand as long as I'm here." Tigress folded her arms. "Am I wrong to think so, Po?"

The panda shook his head. "Nah, I have no problems with it. Lets go get him out of there."

"But...but what if the Duke catches us?" Song interjected.

"I could care less." Tigress stated strongly. "If anything, I'm eager to run into him...so I can kick his face in. He abuses his servants and sends the one who defended his daughter to prison. No. If I see him, he's going down."

"No arguments there, Ma'am." Monkey said. "All of us aren't even needed for this. I'd say four is enough. Lets say...Po, Tigress, Crane, and myself?"

"That sounds good enough."

Viper raised her head. "Are you sure you want to go through this, Tigress? What if Shifu gets mad for causing too big a problem by attacking a Duke?"

"Then I shall make sure that no one but myself inherits the consequences. Because I'm the one who says that we instigate it."

Po placed his hat on his head. "See that, guys? Tigress is willing to take the risk no matter what happens. So let's say that we go get this girl's Dad back?" Po moved onward, followed by Tigress, Monkey, and Crane. Xiao Niao and Song stared off in surprise at what Tigress has strongly decided, and the others have accepted it quite easily.

 **(Meanwhile...)**

The Water Buffalo known as Shengqi sat in the cell of Muchang Jail. His sword was being kept in storage by the antelope warden, who was just sleeping in a chair very close to the cell. He sat down in the center of his cell, his large straw hat covering his eyes.

He had been put in here a year ago for defying his boss and defending his daughter. His only regret about that action is that he left his poor daughter to fend for herself in the process. The only thing he had to keep his mind on her was his half of the necklace that matched Xiao Niao's. He sighed quietly as he clutched it slightly. Why, on any day possible, did it have to be on Winter Feast that things went so wrong? That's her favorite holiday, where her positive attitude was at it's highest. And he ruined that day for her by defending her. The world was such an unfair jerk sometimes.

"...Dude. Wow. I mean...wow." His eyes opened as he lfted his head up to see who said that. Then his eyes widened considerably when he sees a panda standing before him with both of his paws up to his mouth, and he was bouncing around giddily. "That hat looks so flipping badass on you! I knew wearing a straw hat would add to someone's awesomeness!"

...Shengqi has never been so confused for such a long period of time like he was just now. He just stared, slackjawed at the panda before him. "...Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I kinda figured that you'd be confused to see me here. Ya know, breaking into the local jail and beating the crap out of the warden. Seriously that dude put up NO FIGHT WHATSOEVER when I got in here." Indeed, the warden was now fully unconscious when Po landed a good punch to the head. "Anyway, I'm here to break you out and reunite you with your daughter."

"But I've been out in here by Duke Pingjun. He'd never let me leave here."

"Pfft, you think I care about what a lame jerkish Duke thinks?" Po scoffed. "He put you in here for stupid reasons. We're busting you out for a good reason. You've done nothing wrong, so you shouldn't be rotting in prison. Thats all there is to it."

"Hm...you say that so easily. Is there anyone else here with you?" His eyes widened when Xiao Niao entered the room before Tigress. "Xiao Niao...?"

"Daddy..." she teared up a bit, reaching her paw out to him. He reached his own paw out to her, and they gently touched one another. "Did they hurt you while you were in here...?"

"Nothing that could actually hurt me, no." He assured her. "But I do wonder...how are you going to get me out of here? I don't know where the key might be."

"The key is too slow." Tigress said bluntly. She walked up to the bars, grabbed two of them, and forced them apart with her raw strength. Eventually she pulled the bars completely away from them, and threw them on the ground. "That's faster."

Shengqi stood impressed at her strength as he stepped out of his cell. He then disregarded those thoughts as he reached out to his daughter and embraced her in a warm hug. A warm hug she missed and returned gladly. He grabbed this sword from the unconscious warden and placed it in his sheathe. Then he turned to Tigress and Po. "You both have my thanks. But in order to avoid the anger of a overreacting Duke, we'll have to leave as soon as possible. Preferably when we properly organize our belongings and avoid detection by other possible security."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. That's why we brought Monkey and Crane. They completely floored those guys when we found out that you were wrongfully placed in jail." Po grinned. "Don't think about it. They can't catch what they can't see. Just grab your things and get out of here."

Shengqi nodded and began moving out, calling for Xiao Niao. She turned around and embraced Tigress in a brief hug. "Thank you so much. I hope we can meet again someday."

Tigress smiled and hugged her back. "I look forward to it. Get going." The female water buffalo nods and follows her father outside. She stretched her arms out and relaxed. "That wasn't too much of a challenge. Now all we have to do is regroup with the others and leave this Township. The villagers will be joyed that we helped out one of their own. We should speak with Shifu and Mr. Ping and see what they think."

"Good call. I'm hungry anyways." Po yawned as they both walked out of the jail to meet uo with their friends. Behind them they lesve a destroyed prison in their wake, because they imprisoned s good man.

The Duke was lucky not to have been present. But this is a message that will spread with time. Not everyone will tolerate the crap that people like him put people through. Not forever.

Unknown to them, the reason why the Duke wasn't there...

 **(At the same time...)**

"Y...you...!" The pained moan of Duke Pingjun sounded off in the room, as he grasped his bleeding stomach and looked up at his attacker.

Song.

"I'm sorry. Well...not really, because you seem like a pretty crappy person." Song said quietly. Her parasol had a small blade on the tip, and it looked like it cut deep into the pug by the amount of blood on it. "You'll fall unconscious due to blood loss soon. Then I'll out you in a little box and into the mail house, where you'll be sent somewhere far away. You'll also forget everything you know about Xiao Niao and Shengqi, because you don't have the right to separate them over something so trivial. If we're lucky, you'll never be seen again."

The canine clenched his teeth while glaring at her hatefully. "I know that parasol...you're a member of the Ladies of the Shade..." Song did not respond. "As I thought. I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised that you're doing this then. When you're from such a distrusted organization-" He said nothing else, as Song knocked him unconscious with the blunt side of her parasol. She closed it, no emotiom shown as she stared down at the unconscious Duke.

"So what if you know what group I'm orginally from. You can't tell anyone be ause I'm mailing you away in a little box that's just your size. No one will notice you're gone because you're not that important. No one will come looking for you because they won't care too much about it. Of course you won't be able to make your way back here because travel just isn't your style. But most importantly..." She picked up the oug and placed him in a crate, and moved placed him on a cart outside that began to drive away. She had a blank face the entire time.

"Everyone will be happier with you somewhere far away and not coming back. They'll find someone to run their town that's much kinder than you could ever get. Because you we're horrible to them. And as a direct result...no one will miss you." She said calmly as she turned around and walked away quietly.

She had done this while remaining completely unseen. Not that it will matter. No one will complain about an abusive Duke suddenly disappearing.

Now she had to reunite with her friends...


	28. Fenghuang's View On Flight

**Not gonna lie, mot much happens in this one. Don't worry too much about it, though. Progress will eventually be made...eventually.**

 **Lets begin.**

* * *

The group was reunited shortly after effectively dealing with the situation that was bugging their minds. Song was the last one to meet up with them, because of her secret deed. She would have go find an excuse to explain the blood on her clothes. Knowing Tigress, she'll get suspicious. Knowing Po, he'll be extremely worried. So she chose to purposefully cut her arm with one of her claws, and allowed it to bleed for a bit before she officially left to meet up with the others

Which of course began this confrontation.

"AAAAAAHHHH! Song, you're bleeding!" Po shouted in panic as he saw Song clutching her arm in pain. "Are you alright?! How did that happen?!"

"I got into a bit of a scuffle with one of the patrolling guards and he managed to knick me with his lance." Song explained, now getting used to her act. "I'll be alright though, no need to worry about me."

"I sure hope so. We managed to take care of business like we said we would. Tigress said that a friend of ours had her father unjustly imprisoned for defending her. So we broke him out and now they're both free. They're possibly long-gone by now, so I'm not too worried about them."

"Wait a minute...you broke someone out of jail? Who's idea was that?"

"Tigress's idea."

Song's eyes widened as she gazed at the tiger with the tiger scarf before her. She didn't seem to be the type of person who would suggest such an idea, so this was really surprising to her. "That was YOUR idea? You didn't strike me as the one who would break some rules."

"Unjust rules are rules I don't have to follow." Tigress folded her arms.

Monkey blinked a bit, before a smile slowly graced his like. "I think you just summed up how our group works. Just replace 'I' with 'we' and you got all of us in a nutshell."

"Hm...that does seem to fit us well, does it? At least for now. We did just start this entire thing, after all."

"Well now that's outta the way, we should probably get moving. I'm betting Fenghuang will still be watching us from above, and the older adults will be catching up with us soon." Mantis said.

"How'd you guess?" Fenghuang suddenly landed alongside them, pushing up a small gust of wind. She grinned as she tucked her wings in. "That sure was something. You broke someone out of jail, someone that you know is innocent. You sure that this action won't lead to long-term consequences?"

Tigress shrugged. "It won't be anything we can't handle."

"I'm beginning to like you more and more, Stripes." Fenghuang smirked, approving of her confidence. "Now then, we just have to wait for the Midget to come back from his spree with the other elders."

"We're baaaaaaaaaack!" Mr. Ping sounded out, waving out to then with a large grin. His noodle cart had yet another bag of money stored on it, and it seemed to please him. "It's unbelievable, son! I'm earning as much as I spend with the wandering noodle business!"

"That's awesome, Dad!" Po beamed. His father beamed right back.

"While it does shock me that we could do so well. But right now it seems that there are other things going on in the Township while we're leaving. It seems that Duke Pingjun suddenly went missing without a trace to be found." Song held her breath for a little bit. "It didn't seem like the citizens we're too concerned. If anything, they seemed _glad_ to hear that he suddenly disappeared."

"Hehehe, he just rhymed." Po snickered.

Shifu's ear twitched. "As I was saying, they seemed content that their Duke has gone missing. They're already deciding to elect a new one."

"Good move." Song said suddenly. Shifu's eyes shifted towards her and she looked away. "Its...it's just that they have to have a leader in their town, right. And if the Duke suddenly skips town, then he's not a very good leader, is he?" She shrugged.

She was trting to hide her secret, but Fenghuang had already figured it out just by catching the nervousness in her eye that flashed for just a couple seconds. "You are exactly right, Spots."

Song blinked in confusion. "I thought I was Cat Burglar?"

"I changed it."

"Uuuhhh...?"

"Never mind that." Fenghuang wrapped her wing around her and took her a short distance away from everyone else. "Listen to me, Spots. I know what you did." The snow leopardess panicked for a bit, before the owl quickly shushed her. "Calm down, I'm not gonna tell the others."

"You're...you're not?"

"Not at all. I would have done it myself if I had a perfect chance. Kick that dog off his high-chair then watch him stumble. Ya sent him away in a box. No one is gonna find him, and he won't find his way back. He's stupid."

"I don't disagree with you..."

"Just relax. I won't bust you."

"Okay." Song nodded. The women made their way back to the group, where they we're getting ready to move out.

"I have a couple of things I have to go over with you all, so please pay attention." Taotie stated...holding a bag of ice to his head. "Son, I bet you're wondering how I sustained this injury."

"Not really, no."

"Glad you asked." Bian Zao's face remained generally expressionless, showing that he had already seen this coming. "I was just minding my own business, you see. Just going around and shopping with my colleagues when I was blindly attacked by a rather cheeky bunny..."

"You knocked him over so you could be first in line for getting a construction hammer." Shifu deadpanned.

"I'M TELLING THE STORY!" Taotie shouted loudly, enough that Shifu's fur rustled just a bit and his mustache slightly blew to the side, but he still kept his deadpan face. "As I was saying before Shifu _rudely_ interrupted me, I was purchasing a new hammer because my older one got kinda smashed. Then that stupid rabbit had the gall to say that HE was the one who purchased it instead of me! I began telling the furball off, then he smacked me in the head with the hammer I bought! Mrs. Yoon had to take it upon herself to pry the little jerk off of me."

"I politely asked the bunny to stop beating Mr. Taotie with the hammer. When he refused, I calmly pulled him away and placed him on the ground, then shooed him away. It was not that difficult to do." Mrs. Yoon stated calmly.

"Way to go Mrs. Yoon. You just ruined my story by telling the truth!" Taotie groaned. "I was going to make myself look cool so that my son can finally acknowledge just how amazing I really am!"

Bian Zao yawned slightly. "Huaaah...it wouldn't have worked."

"How can you possibly know that?!"

"Because you don't get out much. Any story you could fabricate would to probably suck because you're always in the shop."

Taotie stood silently for a little bit. Fenghuang closed her eyes. "I know your son wants more of your attention, but at the same time, you're not always considerate about it. Because you're mostly focused on what _you_ wanna do instead of what he wants to try and do..." When she opened her eyes, she widened them at the sight of the warthog kneeling while staring at the ground in despair. "W-What the hell happened to you?!"

"Me not getting out enough is not good for my relationship with my son..." he mumbled, a raincloud forming over his head. "I am scum..."

"H-Hey! Easy now, you don't have to go that far!" Viper said in a bit of panic, rapidly waving her tail in front of him. "Don't think like that okay?! Stay positive!"

"His own son just shot him down. I'm guessing this is a normal thing that still hurts him on the inside." Fenghuang shrugged.

"Nothing about my Dad is normal." BZ yawned. "Now didn't you have more to say, Dad?"

Taotie grumbled slightly, as hse stood up and dusted himself off. "Ahem, yes of course. Just want to let everyone know that we're definitely getting close to the Kung Fu Express Headquarters. But we'll still have a high of obstacles trying to slow us down. We'll have to be cautious that we don't have an enemy on our backs. That could lead to serious trouble."

"Thanks for the info. Moving on from here shouldn't be difficult." Po said. "We don't have much to fear, because we've almost reached our target."

"U-Um...if I may interject. Lets try not to jinx our luck." Zeng asked. "Our rather brash acting could attract some attention. And it's not the good kind of attention that we would wish to have."

"Meh. Whatever." Po shrugged. "We'll be fine. Nothing could go wrong while we're on such a good roll."

"You'd be surprised at the amount of times that statement was proven false..." Crane mumbled. Fenghuang raised an eyebrow towards him curiously.

 _Wait a minute...NOW I know why I personally wanted him among? How could I forget...? Oh wait, I was being lazy. I hate it when the Midget is right._ "Hey, Long Legs." Crane jumped a bit when she called him by his unwanted nickname. She raised one wing and gestured for him to come towards her. "You're coming with me for a bit. You too, Palace Servant."

"Why am I being dragged into whatever you're plotting...?" Zeng said quietly.

"NOW." She stated more strongly, causing them to flinch and follow her without a second thought. "Panda, I'm leaving for a while and I'm putting you in charge. Don't get lost."

"You can count on me, Master!" Po saluted.

"What?! You're going to run off with Crane and Zeng with no explanation, then you leave Po in charge?!" Shifu shouted. "Who gave you that authority?! I don't approve at all!"

Fenghuang smirked. "Sorry, Shifu." He buffer a bit when she said his name correctly, but regretted it when she raised her wing and let it hover a couple feet above him. "But you must be at least this tall for me to actually care about what you think. Buh-bye!" She waved as she turned around and lead Crane and Zeng away, her tail feathers purposely hitting Shifu in the face when she turned, leaving him furious at her lack of respect.

"Her sass is overwhelming." Mrs. Yoon commented as if it were normal. Everyone else but the seething Shifu nodded in agreement...

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Master Fenghuang...where are we going?" Crane asked nervously. Sent liked just as uncomfortable when the owl suddenly called them out of the blue.

"I told you not to address me as Master. I'm perfectly content with you just using my name." Fenghuang said.

"But what about those other times you didn't call us out on this?"

"I was probably too lazy to care at the time."

 _That's a pretty tame reason, isn't it?_ Crane thought dryly. When Fenghuang stopped in place, Crane and Zeng stopped as well. "Fenghuang? Where are...HAH?!" Crane beakdropped as he noticed that she had lead the both of them to a very steep cliff with jagged rocks at the bottom. "Wha...? When did we get here?! I didn't even notice!"

"Me neither!" Zeng also shouted in surprise. "Why are we even here?!"

Fenghuang said nothing for a couple moments, letting the wind blow through her feathers, before she turned towards them with a small hint of strong emotion. "You two are gonna need my mentoring skills the most, since I've done a good enough job for Panda. I'll be working on the both of you for a while."

Crane blinked, before both he and Zeng tilted their heads in confusion. "What do you mean by that...?"

"Ya really wanna know what I mean?" She turned towards the both of them and held her wing out towards them. "Both of you are gonna need some flight lessons. Because by the way things are going, you won't be too good at it."

"What? What do you mean?" Crane asked. "I think I can fly pretty well..."

"The skill of flying isn't what I'm talking about. Well...on some level it is, but it's only a stage." Fenghuang sighed. "Ob forget that. Anyone can explain the concept of flying with logic. But since I usually don't follow logic's rules, I'm not explaining what I mean with logical terms. Instead, I'm gonna speak from what I believe is how flying works."

"Um...okay." Zeng nodded.

Fenghuang walked towards the duo. "You both have been 'caged' in some way or another. Crane with his mother ever since his father died, and Zeng with his Jade Palace duties. Thus, you're flying skills, while definitely not bad, still need a bit of work." She stepped back. "The main thing is the two of you worry far too much on so many things. Crane is constantly stressing about the journey, while Zeng tends to stress in how much work he'll have to do. While both of those are pretty reasonable in some way, it's not something to have your mind on them every second of the day. Somethings you just have to sit back and relax."

Crane and Zeng looked at one another as they listened to her reasoning, they actually sounded pretty intrigued by the way she was explaing her view was flying.

"There is that old saying or whatever. The real treasure is in the journey itself. YOu don't think about it constantly. Not saying that there aren't times that you have to get serious, but that can't be all the time. You enjoy it, not always think about it. The same goes for flying." She briefly removed Crane's hat and tapped him on the head. "All your flying is piloted by your brain. Not a bad pilot, but also not a true one." She placed his hat back on his head.

"Huh...? What do you mean?"

"Think about it like this. In battle, you can't constantly think about flying and fighting at the exact same time at all times. Or else your mind will get all cluttered and you'll get taken down _very_ quickly. So in order to prevent that..." She placed her wing on her chest, where her heart was. "Ya gotta fly with the heart. Your heart is the best pilot for any avian." Fenghuang's eyes shifted to see Zeng staring at her a bit more interestingly when she placed her wing on her chest. This was not lost on her. "Hey, Palace Servant. I honestly don't mind if you're in awe of my beauty, but you can admire it another time." Messing with this particular goose was amusing to her.

 _GAH! SHE BUSTED ME!_ Zeng gulped slightly. Her gaze indicated that she knew EXACTLY what he was thinking about. He honestly didn't mean to, but he couldn't help himself. He just hoped she'd move on and not give his lingering gaze a second thought. To his extreme relief, she did.

"As I was saying, the heart is the best pilot. Because it does all the flying for you."

Crane tilted his head. "How...?"

"I let my brain handle the destination, and my heart do the flying. Flying is an avian's ultimate freedom. They're not restrained to the earth, but can actually get far above it and see it's beauty from above." Fenghuang said. "I'm not always into that type of wise gunk, but Mr. Ping persuaded me to give it a try." She began stepping backwards. "Don't let the unknown ground keep you, don't let a persistent cage restrain you, don't let a cautious mind ground you. Just trust your heart...and _presto!_ You FLY!" She spread her wings joyfully and stepped backwards, falling off the cliff.

Crane was about to shout out her name, but she had flown back up in a matter of seconds, letting out an excited laugh as she simply soared through the air. He saw a side of her that only Po and Mr. Ping could have seen, her being completely cheerful. No signs of her faking this, her enjoyment of flight was very evident and very genuine. Zeng was also able to gaze at her, very envious that she was having so much fun flying so effortlessly, while he tends to struggle most of the time.

When she was done demonstrating, she landed in front of the duo, tucked in her wings, and genuinely smiled. Which was also rare. Crane was not clueless about this. "That flying...I've seen a lot of avian's like me fly high and far...but not as gracefully as you did. But what really got my attention...is how effortlessly you did it..."

"That's how you become a Flight Master like myself. Flying is in our blood, it isn't something to think about. You just do it." She said. "I flew through blizzards, heat waves, dense forests, closed off mountains, hell I even flew my way out of a typhoon over the seas, but I won't li and say that it was easy." Crane's beak dropped at this. "Soon I was flying like a pro and I wasn't even aware if it. I became a Flight Master back cause I do it constantly. With your mother constantly concerning about your safety and those heathens at Lee Da giving you crap every chance they get, you never got a chance to properly work out your wings. But now that both of those restraints are out of your way, you can get started on that. As for Palace Servant, I'll be giving him some extra practice. You fly far and wide, but you're only focused on giving and receiving messages. Now you're gonna focus fully on flying."

Zeng smiled. "Hehe, great!"

Fenghuang nodded. "Crane will be fine with enough time. You however...let's hope you don't break too easily."

"Hehe...great..." Zeng laughed nervously. _That look she's giving me is not offering me a sense of safety..._

"Hm. I've said what I had to say, so now let's go back with the others and see how they're faring without us." Fenghuang said as she began the trek back to their group.

Crane was left pondering on Fenghuang's verbal lesson. The hidden message, while a bit jumbled, was clear to him. _For avians...flight is freedom. And freedom is flight..._

 **(Back with the group)**

"...I may or may not have an idea on where we're supposed to go, since we're getting closer to the Kung Fu Express Headquarters." Po stated bluntly, causing the guys to groan and Mei King to snicker.

"Should I help with the map, Po?" She asked politely.

"...Probably. I'm doing pretty well, but if you insist..." Po handed her the map with no hesitation. Mei Ling snickered and takes the map for a quick look.

"Aha. We're getting close to Táoqì(Pottery) Village!"

"Pottery, huh? Sounds pretty good. Alright, that'll be where we stop next!" Po grinned.

"You got your wish early, Po. Because there it is, up ahead!" Monkey pointed onwards. The all looked forward to see the village they have just described, with medium sized buildings and a bit of a clear view of faraway mountains. And as the name suggest, displays of pottery can be seen as decorations, platforms, signs, even some of the buildings we're constructs of pottery. "Good grief, these people sure love their pottery skills."

"These are amazing!" Viper awed. "The buildings that are constructed from pottery are so well made that they resemble actual buildngs! The amount of work that they would put into these displays are unbelievably amazing!"

"Indeed. Such variety, and yet it's disgusted as everyday life. These people are passionate about their pottery." Shifu nodded. "Now let's stray far off-track. We need to make sure that our progress is steady."

"Yeah, we got it." Mantis waved his foreleg. "Hey...this one looks really good! It kinda looks like it was recently made." It was a construct of a small basket that looked like it could hold a ton of apples. "Wow, it sure is stable. It's basic looking, but also pretty nice."

"Thank you. I made it myself." A unknown voice called out to them. "Hello! You all don't look like you're around here." Tigress flicked her ears and turned around to properly greet whoever was speaking to them...

Then she felt her body completely freeze. What she saw before her was considered unbelievable in her mind. She thought she was hallucinating, but it's obviously not the case here. What she saw was completely real.

A young male snow leopard stood before her with a gentle smile on his face. His eyes we're golden, his fur was spotted gray, a tan vest along with purple sweat pants and an orangle belt. But Tigress was not focused on that. Neither was Shifu, when he turned around to see why she had frozen up, only to end up in the same status as his daughter. The sight was just that shocking to them.

The young man bowed respectfully to them, then looked up with a smile. "My name is Peng. Pleased to meet you."

 _Why does he look so much like my son/brother?!_ Both Shifu and Tigress shouted in their thoughts, which were furiously racing for an answer to their mental question.

"Mmm. You guys have GOT to try these almond cookies!" Po said cheerfully as he was walking back towards them. "They have a cookie stand over there and I bought like five jars! *Nom*" Po was so focused on his cookies that he almost didn't catch that Shifu and Tigress were still in shock at the young snow leopard before them. He looked at Peng, then back to them, then back to Peng, then the duo again. He finally blinked twice and tilted his head to the side.

"...Did I miss something?"

* * *

 **There we are. Peng has been introduced! And this is a pretty big thing for everyone, especially Shifu and Tigress. The former should be pretty obvious.**

 **Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Not much happened, but that's about to change really soon...**

 **See Ya then!**


	29. The Nephew

This was not how they expected their day to go. No one had expected this in the slightest. The only ones who were not too affected by it are Po and Fung, mostly because they have no idea what's going on. But as for the rest, they we're just worried that Shifu and Tigress wouldn't give a sign that they were going to move out of their statue-like positions.

Peng was just completely confused...and a bit worried. "Um...are your friends alright?"

"Lemme check." Mr. Ping stated as he walked behind Shifu with a wondering look in his eye. "Shifu, it's time to get out of shock mode, now." He raised his frying pan above his head...

PANG!

"AGH! WHAT IN BLAZING...GRRRR!" Shifu groaned as he nursed the new lump on his head, as he glared at Mr. Ping. "Was that really necessary?!"

"Maybe." The goose shrugged. The red panda continued to glare angrily, as well as nursing the bruise on his head.

With Shifu taken care of, Po was allowed to handle Tigress. He walked up to her and gripped her by the shoulder. "Tigress? TIGRESS!"

"H-Huh? What?" Tigress blinked and shook her head rapidly. When she reopened her eyes and gazed at Peng again, realizing that he was very much real. "Everyone...can we speak by ourselves for a little bit?" She gripped Po's paw and Fung's paw, leading them away and out of Peng's sight. The others also followed the tiger, curiously.

Viper was the last to leave, but at least turned to Peng for notification. "Er...excuse our rudeness. We're...uh...we have to group huddle for a little bit."

"Oh, no trouble at all." Peng waved. Viper nodded and slithered back to the others.

Tigress eventually stopped everyone at one spot, while they waited for Fenghuang, Crane, and Zeng to return to them. When the three avians came flying and landed right next to them, she nodded. "Okay...this is a very surprising turn of events for me. How could this boy possibly-"

Tigress was cut off by Po bring his paw back into his almond cookie stash. "Hm...they're definitely delicious. Not as good as Monkey's, though." The primate's face flashed with pride at this. When Tigress gave Po a blank stare, he stopped eating, closed the jar, and set it to the side. All in an awkward manner. "Eh...sorry. Go ahead."

Tigress nodded and returned her gaze to everyone. "That boy...looks a lot like my brother Tai Lung." She didn't want to have to reveal this sort of information so soon. But she was trusting her newfound friends to not be too harsh with their judgement. She got it out of the open, now she'll see the results for herself.

The younger adults were immensely shocked, while the ones who already knew(Mr. Ping, Shifu, Mrs. Yoon, Taotie, Fenghuang, Zeng)stayed quiet for the most part.

"Wait...you're Tai Lung's little sister?" Monkey pointed. He looked to the side slightly. "And I thought _my_ brother was well-known..."

"Wow...you're not kidding." Mantis gaped in surprise.

"On my gosh...Tigress I...I dunno what to say to this. Except...wow." Viper rambled slightly, trying to ease her head. Song was simply too surprised to say anything, as well as Crane, who's beak dropped when she announced the news. Bian Zao actually looked pretty surprised, which was a surprise in itself.

"Woah. Mind...blown." Fung stated, removing his helmet to scratch his head. "Guess she wasn't ready to tell us just yet when we were kids, huh Po?" The croc turned to Po, who was blank-faced the moment Tigress announced who her brother was. And to everyone's shock, he picked up his cookies and began eating them again, much to Fung's aggravation. "Are you even listening?!"

"Of course I am. I just don't have much to say about it. Well...I kinda do." He said while munching on his cookies. "Peng is on the friend list. Peng looks a lot like Tai Lung, who is Tigress's big bro. So in a sense, this is a very important encounter for her, so I'm gonna let her handle it on her own."

"No Po. Not on her own." Shifu shook his head. "I will have to play an active role in this. I don't know if this is just a coincidence, a twist of fate, or my hopes are being placed far too high. But regardless, I will take the risk and attempt to learn all about Peng. Its the only way to see if this really is a chance being presented to us."

Viper tilted her head. "So...how are you going to deal with this surprising turn of events?"

"With the truth." Tigress stated, straightforward and to the point. "We're going to tell Peng the truth about me and Father. We won't lead him on, we won't try to deceive, and we will not wait for someone else to try and dissuade our progress. I need to tell him why we reacted the way we did."

"You see? Tigress has this covered." Po said, munching on more of his cookies. "If she wants us to be a part of it, then we will. If she doesn't want us interfering, then we won't. Either way, I trust her to do what she needs to do."

The others we're astounded my the amount of trust that Po puts into Tigress. It's as if on instinct, he knew that this was extremely important to her, even before he knew why. And he was so casual about it too. Fung seem to share the same sentiment, as he had no problem with this whatsoever. Shifu seemed to approve of this and he nodded.

"Alright. Me and Tigress shall go and speak to Peng. Everyone else is free to do what they wish, just don't get into trouble you can't get yourself out of." Shifu stated. "Understand...Monkey?"

"Y-Yes, yes! I do!"

"Good. We'll see you soon."

"Alright then, Master!" Po waved. He then sniffed the air. "Ooooh...delectable smell incoming!"

Mr. Ping also sniffed. "It's...dumplings. And they smell so well-done! I must learn their techniques!"

"Must move towards the awesome smell..." they said at the exact same time as they followed the smell, as if they were in a trance. The others just watched them in fascination before fanning out.

"Hey, Big Ears. Try not to screw up this time." Fenghuang warned in Shifu's ear, before flying off. Shifu shivered in slight paranoia, before shaking it off and moving on.

Song was walking in her own path as she opened up her parasol and allowed its shadow to loom over her. Her eyes were glued to the ground as she thought over what Tigress said. "Tai-Lung...is her foster brother?" She said quietly. She clenched her parasol tightly when she says this. "Now I know a major reason why earning her trust is so difficult..."

 **(Meanwhile)**

Peng was still confused as he saw that Shifu and Tigress were coming back to meet him. Both of their faces have changed since they stepped away for a moment. He was a bit concerned, before Tigress broke their silence.

"Peng. Do you have a place to live?" Tigress said.

Peng nodded. "Yes. Well...I don't exactly live in my own home...I kinda share a house with someone."

"Who would that be?"

Peng rubbed his neck slightly, as well as spouting a small blush. "My...my girlfriend."

There was a small pause in their conversation, before both Tigress and Shifu gaped at the news, utterly shocked.

 _He's already in a relationship?!_

"I...I can see that you both are surprised by this. To be honest, I was pretty surprised myself at this kind of thing happening. It was just..." Peng rubbed his neck. "You'll just have to meet her to see what I mean. Then we can both tell the story."

Tigress was still a bit shocked that Peng was revealing something like this so easily. He didn't seem too against the fact that he was inviting strangers to his home. That is, unless he knows something they are not initially aware of, besides the whole girlfriend thing...

They approached a medium sized house that had two pots made from pottery, and they both carried a plant within them, along with the design of two dancing snow leopards on each one. Peng knocked on the front door, and then waited for a bit. After a bit of waiting, the door finally opened for them.

A female snow leopard was seen before them, wearing a blue spotted dress as well as gloves on her paws. She raised an eyebrow. "Eh...? Peng, I didn't know you'd be bringing guests over."

"Neither did I." Peng chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his neck. "I kinda just ran into them a couple moments ago when they visited this place. Said that they wanted to talk."

"You mean to tell me that a group of strangers randomly met you, said that they wanted to talk to you, and you just accepted them? Not only that, but you invite them into our house?"

Peng sweatdropped. "Uh...yes...?"

"Ugh...Peng. You're naivety knows no bounds." Said snow leopardess walks up to Peng and kissed his cheek. "You're lucky you're cute and that you're a very nice person. Otherwise I'd just smack you."

"You'd do it anyway if you truly felt like it."

"True." She shrugged. "Well, nothing we can do about it know. They might as well come in." She gestured for them as she walked back inside the house, with Peng following close behind. Shifu and Tigress eventually entered the house as well.

The house's insides was a bit more casual that it's depicted to be. There was nothing too extravagant about it, it was like any regular house. Many of the necessities, and doesn't stand out too much for a lot of people to notice.

"So then, new guests. My name is Lian, Peng's sweet, tough as nails...'company'. What do you wanna talk to Peng about?" She says as she sits down next to Peng and hugged his arm. His face ignited in a blush when he felt his arm pressed to her chest. The reason why was obvious. Like Mei Ling, she didn't look like she was a fan of wearing wraps. Tigress guessed that the both of them were around 17 years old.

"Uh...Lian. That's a bit close..."

"I don't know what you mean." She said with a bright smile. She totally knew what he meant, but she pretended to be oblivious. He was that easy and that fun to mess with..

"U-Um...anyway...what did you two want to talk about?" Peng asked while trying to keep his blushing under control. It was unbelievably difficult.

Shifu shook off his initial shock in order to stay focused. "This is extremely important. It's about a man known as Tai Lung."

Peng and Lian's eyes widened considerably at the statement, eyed one another for a couple moments, then nodded as they got a hit more serious. Even Lian's playful expression dropped and she released Peng's arms. With their minds now properly set, they turned their attention back to the duo in front of them.

"So...the time has come. Just like Master Oogway said." Peng said with utmost seriousness. He already caught on to Shifu's surprise the moment he said that. "Yes. Two years ago, Oogway approached me on his journey across China and told me everything. About Uncle Tai Lung, about you, and about my Aunt."

 _Aunt...?_ Tigress thought.

"Oogway mentioned that Tai Lung had a little tiger sister he left behind 17 years ago. So Tai Lung went rogue around the time Peng was born." Lian said. Tigress's eyes widened at this information. "Since there's a female tiger in front of me with the great Master Shifu, I can assume that you are that little sister? Which would also make you Peng's aunt. Or Foster Aunt, to be a bit more precise."

"Foster Aunt...?" Tigress blinked as she slowly turned her gaze to Peng. "Foster or not, it doesn't matter to me. I'm just so surprised...that I have a nephew. And he just had to look so much like my big brother..."

Peng rubbed his neck. "Yeah, well-"

 _GLOMP!_

Peng's eyes widened as Tigress suddenly catches him in a tight embrace. Her eyes were closed tightly as her arms pulled him closer to her. "It's so sudden...so random...I didn't even consider this a possibility." Tigress murmured, bring her head closer to his. "But...you have no idea...just how happy I am to meet you...Peng."

Lian blinked at the scene before her, and a smile slowly graced her lips. "Hmhmhm~"

 _Tigress..._ Shifu thought quietly as he watches Tigress hug Peng tightly. Whether she knew it or not, this was something she needed. When she finally released the teen from her grasp, he found it safe to continue. "If you know so much about us, how come you acted clueless?"

"Master Oogway never really said much about what either of you looked like...he was probably trying to be mysterious." Peng shrugged. "Hey...did he ever manage to get back to the Valley Of Peace?"

There it was again. The feeling of failure impacting Shifu's heart has returned with a vengeance. His eyes saddened considerably, and his ears pressed to his head. "Both Master Oogway and the Valley Of Peace are no more. It's been such a tragic turn of events for us..."

"Oh no..." Peng's face also saddened, as well as Lian's. "That was what he meant...when he came to meet me. He said he didn't have much time left, and that everything was going to change in response to a tragic event. The Valley's destruction must have been that event."

"But even he didn't realize exactly what it was until he passed away unexpectedly early, so it was far too late to prevent it." Lian stated. "Am I right...?"

"Somewhere around those lines...yes." Shifu sighed. "What exactly did Oogway do when he met you?"

"Like I said, he had explained to me who my uncle was and about his sister." Peng said, looking at Tigress. "But when you stopped Tai Lung's rampage and stopped him from further damaging Master Shifu, he said you've drastically changed everything that would happen afterwards. Just like Po drastically changed everything by meeting Master Fenghuang when he was a cub."

Tigress was now very interested. "He told you about Po?"

"You bet he did." Lian nodded. "Oogway was really specific about you and Po. That the two of you would be helping Peng grow just by being around him. Obviously, as his girlfriend, I needed to know for myself if this was true. But he did have a point. If you were able to stop Tai Lung fury as well as orevent him from killing his own father, and this 'Po' was able to befriend Fenghuang, who was said to be one of the most cynical Kung Fu Masters in history, in under a week, you two had to be serious business."

Shifu sighed. "Serious business? Tigress, maybe. Po...well..."

"Well what?"

"You see..." Shifu rubbed his neck. "How Po thinks...cannot be explained with words. You just have to be around him to even try to understand how he functions. Only his father seems to know the entire time on what Po nay be thinking. Food and friends are the only ones we can predict. Everything else is random chance."

"Wow. I...didn't expect an explanation like that." Lian's eyes shifted back to Tigress, as she gazed at the scarf around her neck. "You wear that scarf all the time?"

"Hm. Indeed I do. It's the first Winter Festival present I've ever gotten, and it was from Po. Then we've split apart for 15 years in order to be strong enough to defend myself and another friend of mine. When we met again just under a couple months ago, we recognized one another instantly."

 _INSTANTLY? They're that close?_ Lian thought, as she smiled. _That's so sweet..._

"So, um, Peng. If it isn't too much trouble to ask, how did you and Lian meet during your interactions with Oogway?"

Peng smiled. "It was because of Oogway that we even met at all. We both needed a bit of guidance. I was constantly thinking that there was something being kept from me, that I needed somebody's help to find my balance." Peng grasped onto Lian's paw, lightly squeezing. She smiled and returned the gentle squeeze. "I don't know if Oogway did it on purpose or not, but he's the reason why we met..."

 **(Flashback: 2 years ago)**

"Peng, this is amazing craftsmanship, like always!" One goose said cheerfully as the 15 year old snow leopard handed him a life black pot he created through his pottery skills.

"Thank you! It's always a pleasure to create these." Peng smiled.

Peng was well-known around the village for two reasons, and both of them were very related. First, he was raised here. Two cloaked figures left him in front of the village elder's house 15 years ago, and then ran off without any explanation. Soon after that, messenger scrolls revealed that those two we're assassinated for unknown reasons a couple hours after that.

Those were Peng's parents. But at the time, no one could have known that. No one but one person...

So during all these years, many people have done their share in taking care of the young Peng to the best of their ability. They helped him grow into the kind person he was now, a kind helpful teen with a natural prodigy in Kung Fu. It came as a shock to all of them, including Peng himself. But he didn't make a big deal about it. In fact, it helped him quite a bit with his pottery skills. Growing up around people who have a passion for pottery can do that to people. As he grew up, the villagers grew more and more fond of him with each passing day. Pretty soon, he became a very well-known figure around the village, despite not really doing anything special aside from his Kung-Fu skills. Overall, he's had a relatively peaceful life in the village of pottery.

Until he met one man...or tortoise...

Peng was cleaning up his space as he waved goodbye to the villagers. It was then that he noticed one pass right by, then lowered his straw hat a little as a bit of a breeze blew by them.. "Dear me, it's getting quite windy." The elderly voice said.

"Are you alright, sir?" Peng asked worriedly. He could tell that the person was a tortoise because he could see the shell. What he didn't know was _who_ that shell belonged to. Without his knowing, the tortoise put on a sneaky smile.

"Oh, I'll be quite alright, young one. I thank you for your concern, though." He bowed before walking by.

Peng felt a bit... _odd_ when the tortoise crossed his path. For a couple seconds, he could have sworn he sensed something so powerful that he shook violently in fear. And seconds after that, it instantly went away, and a sense of peace and friendliness replaced it without difficulty. _What...what the heck was that...? No. A better question...WHO the heck was that..?_ His eyes trailed over to wear the tortoise walked, and he narrowed his eyes in curiosity. _For some reason...I'm interested in finding out._ With his decision finalized, Peng got on all fours and leapt upwards to follow the mysterious figure.

The tortoise's smile widened under the shadow under his hat. _He_ _chooses to follow..._

Peng followed the person from the rooftops, keeping a close eye on him and where he was going. He didn't want to feel creepy, but his curiosity was pushing for him to figure out what he was doing here. He didn't know why he felt this way, but he felt like he needed to do this.

He had been first plowing the person silently for a long time, and he was close to just calling it a day. He noticed that he wasn't even in the village anymore. Whaterer had happened, he had barely noticed, and was beginning to regret his decision in doing this.

 _Wait a minute..._ Peng's focus sharpened when he noticed the figure stop in place, then his eyes widened when he sees rather hostile boars approaching him. _He's not moving. Why won't he run?! Gah, doesn't matter, I have to do something!_ Peng jumped down from the tree he was clinging to, and jumped down onto one of the boars heads and onto the ground.

"What the...where'd this little punk come from?!" One of them said.

"Sir, are you okay?" Peng said to the cloaked tortoise, who's smile only continued to widen.

 _Hmhmhmhmhm. I've found my answer pretty quickly._ "Oh, I'm fine. It's just that I was enjoying a rather leisurely walk, when it's suddenly interrupted by a group of bandits. But fortunately, it's not completely troublesome."

"You two are NOT going to just sit there and ignore us!" The boars continued. They began to the charge at them as Peng readied to defend them both. The tortoise's eyes began glowing golden, and a small shining shockwave impacted the entire area. After a moment, all of the bandits foamed in the mouth, their eyes whited out, and they fell to the ground, utterly unconscious.

"Well that was rude. I was still speaking." The tortoise said with a mischievous chuckle.

Peng was completely frozen in place as he tried to process what had just happened. A wave of Chi had covered the area and it knocked out those bandits with no issues at all. And yet somehow he was still standing, unlike the hostile boars. He eyed the tortoise cautiously, now realizing that he was not following someone who was helpless. This person was very powerful.

"Now if I may continue, it's not completely troublesome. Because now I have finally met you face-to-face. We have to talk..." The tortoise finally lifted his straw hat up, revealing his face to the turn. "Peng."

Peng's eyes widened. "Grand Master...Oogway?!" Peng almost felt like slapping himself for not figuring it out sooner. Unless Oogway was just that skilled at disgusing himself that he couldn't even guess his identity. Either was, this was a very big thing for him, since he wanted to speak to Peng privately. "What...what could you want to speak to me with...?"

"There is something private that I would like to discuss with you. We can do so at my little camp nearby." Oogway said casually as he turned and lead the way. Peng was utterly confused, but he followed him anyway.

Oogway's camp wasn't much, because he didn't carry around a lot of stuff. He had a small fire going on, as well as having tea having been prepared beforehand. Oogway took a seat on a log close by, and handed Peng a cup of tea. It was then and there they they've begun to chat in deeper details.

Oogway was no lier. He would not hold any information he was about to share back. It was a bit recklesa, he had to admit that for a fact. But there was no way he was going to risk allowing someone to twist the truth and corrupt Peng's judgement to suit their own selfish purposes. The moment he had gone into deep meditation and discovered Peng's existence, he knew that the teen would be labeled a target by unforeseen forces. He had to make sure the snow leopard knew exactly what could and could not happen.

When he had finished explaining, he patiently waited for Peng's response to it all. He wasn't surprised to see that the snow leopard was stunned by the entire explanation. Peng managed to get over his shock for the moment, and grasp his head.

"This...this is so much to take in. I mean..." Peng couldn't find the proper words in order to try and describe his feelings. His uncle was under intense corruption due to his need for power, but was partially brought to his senses by his little sister. After that specific turn of events, he went missing and hasn't been heard from ever since. It was quite an unfortunate time to be Peng's parents. Overly paranoid hostile bandits saw this as an opportunity to eliminate Tai Lung's bloodline. Like Tai Lung's parents before him, there was a high chance Peng's parents were eliminated simply for being related to him. Which was a major reason why they decided to simply leave Peng behind rather than have him die alongside him.

This unforunate pattern tended to repeat itself multiple times throughout history. He knows because he's witnessed most of them in his extended lifetime. He gave Peng most of the information he needed, but it was up to him to decide what he would do with it.

Peng finally found the strength to speak again. "And...all of this is true?"

"I have no reason to deceive you, Peng. Everything I said was the full truth. If you doubt my words, I have other ways to assure you that it's the truth."

"No. I believe you. It's just...hard to think about." Peng sighed while rubbing his head. "I mean...if it happened to Uncle...it can happen to me too."

"What Tai Lung did was his own choice. I'm here to make sure that you did not suffer from those choices. Because someone else already has." Oogway's eyes lowered, thinking back to Shifu and Tigress. "Tai Lung had a balance in order to try to sway him from his corruption...but it unfortunately didn't prevent what happened. But it would change the outcome of events years later." Oogway regards this description to Tigress's relationship with Tai Lung. She was able to curb his corruption so he still had goodness within him, but it wasn't enough to stop him from running away. "Peng. In order to prevent this same fate from afflicting you, you have to find your own balance. And it can be in the form of anything. Your own balance, a certain object, an activity of sorts, or even with a person."

"A...person?"

"Someone who can take your mind off things if you feel as if the world is too much for you to handle alone." Oogway elaborated a bit. He showed a bit of regret when he remembered that Shifu lost this type of balance when he drove Mei Ling away because she was a thief and he was honor-bound to be locked in conflict with her. It lead to quite a heart-wrenching breakup.

"Master Oogway...where am I supposed to find someone like that?"

Oogway paused, taking on a blank 'I'm lost' face. "...I dunno."

...

...

...

Peng blinked in surprise. "...You...you don't know?"

"I find that reaction amusing every time." Oogway chuckled, as he sipped his green tea. "Peng. I am a wise tortoise due to all my years of experience I have of the world. But even I do not know everything. Many make the mistake of thinking that I do." Once again, his mind shifted to Shifu. "I know you can find your sense of balance, Peng."

The teen stared at the ground, twiddling his thumbs. "Well...I have a pretty good knack for making pottery. And I have lots of fun doing it."

"See? You already have something."

"Yeah. I guess you're right." Peng smiled. His ears flicked for a moment when he hears something close by. "What...it sounds like...a fight?"

"Oh dear. I hope it wasn't those bandits from before. It seems like I haven't knocked them out for a long enough time."

"I'll take care of this. I won't forget what you told me!"

"I'm sure you won't." Oogway waved as Peng leapt from tree to tree towards the sounds of the scuffle. Oogway sipped his tea and smiled. "Such a nice boy..."

Peng kept rushing towards the sound, wondering what could be happening. He stopped when he realized that the bandits he saw from before were definitely standing back up...and were currently being beaten back down.

By a girl.

"What the heck? Is this just a really bad day for us, or something?!" They groaned as they fell one after another with little effort.

Said girl dusted off her paws. "You tell me. You're the ones who were trying to jump a girl. No shame at all..." She was just walking by, minding her own business. But then she sees a couple guys regaining consciousness and trying to attack her...you see how well that worked out for them.

Peng sees the events happen with a gaping mouth. She defeating them all with almost no care in the world. Looks like he didn't need to come here after all. He turned around and begun to leave-"

"Hold it." Peng froze up. "Don't think I didn't see you. Get back here." Peng sighed in slight defeat as he turned around and approached the girl before him. She placed her paws on her hips. He took the moment to realize that she was at least a couple centimeters taller than he was. "Alright, spill it. Why were you watching me just now." Peng didn't respond for the first couple of moments, which prompted her to lean in closer. "Well?"

Peng managed to get out of his trance, shaking his head. "I just got here because I thought that the bandits we're causing somebody trouble, and that someone needed help. But seeing you knock them back into the ground like this...I was worried for nothing."

"Oh." She backed up a bit. "Sorry, I got a bit too forward there. Anyway, the name's Lian."

"And I'm Peng. It's quite nice to meet you, Lian."

"Hm. Likewise. So Peng...what are you doing out here?" She asked curiously.

"To be honest...I don't really know. I was just following someone, and I ended up all the way out here. Master Oogway was the one I was following, and he said he wanted to speak with me."

"MASTER OOGWAY WANTED TO SPEAK WITH YOU?!" Lian shouted in surprise. "Whatever for?"

Peng rubbed his neck. "Um...it's quite a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere." Lian said simply.

The two of them sat on a log near the village, as Peng began explaining everything Oogway told him to Lian. It would seem that he had been holding in quite an amount of fear when he was told all of these details. Talking about it with someone seemed to significantly calm him down on a mental level. We he finished speaking, Peng waited for her response.

Lian was quite calm throughout the entire explanation, and she nodded. "Alright. So you're saying to me that you need something to keep you level-headed because you'are afraid of turning into your kinda crazy uncle?" Peng nodded awkwardly. Lian sighed as she stood up, stretching her arms. "Alright, I'm staying with you."

"W-What?! That easily?!"

"Seems to me that you could use a friend who's around your age. And how old are you? Fifteen?" Peng nodded shyly. "Thought so. I'm fifteen as well. So in order to help you work things out, I'm gonna stay by your side."

Peng blinked in surprise. "W-What...? Why would you do something like that for me?"

"Because someone has to." Lian grabbed his paw and smiled. "A problem like yours isn't gonna be solved just by sitting around. You have to be active, and I have plenty of that for the both of us. So let's get back to your home. I'm your new roommate!"

"H-Hey!" Peng blushed as Lian only laughed cheerfully, running off with him back towards his village. Oogway was watching the entire thing from a safe distance. He tilted his hat down as he turned around and walked to the village. He didn't really tel all he needed to know, so he would have to catch up and make sure that he does.

"Hooh...I wish these old bones would help me move faster in everyday life as well as battle. They're so picky sometimes." He chuckled silently.

 **(Flashback End)**

Tigress blinked. "Wow...so Lian served as your positive reinforcement?"

"He just needed an emotional crutch because the information was just a bit too much for him at the time." Lian nodded. "I didn't think it would get any farther than that...but then this happened." She pointed to them holding hands. "Through his natural talent in Kung Fu, his naivety, his kindness, and his adorableness...I kinda fell for him...a bunch."

"Is that so...?" Shifu raised an eyebrow.

"It's true! He's kind, he's a bit naive, he's BADASS, and he's ADORABLE! You don't find a lot of those types of guys."

"Come on, Lian. Cut it out." Peng smiled with a shy blush.

"Oh quit being so modest and take some credit for once." Lian pouted, hugging him close to her. "I almost forgot about him being humble. He has loads if that."Tigress blinked at what Lian said about Peng.

 _Kind...naive...humble...skilled...and adorable...Po is all four of those things in his own unique way._ Tigress blinked again. That kinda came out of nowhere...

"Welp, if we're all done with the whole explaining phase, I'm gonna go change into my gear." Lian said as she sat up and stretched a bit. "I'll follow you guys in a bit." She says before heading off to her own room.

"It's still weird that I've met my Foster Aunt today." Peng said, gazing at Tigress. "It's weird because you're not that much older than me. We're only like, five years apart. I could pass off as your little brother!"

Tigress had to admit, that is pretty strange. Strange enough to chuckle at. "Yeah. Little brother. That is a bit strange." She said a bit playfully. Shifu said nothing as he merely graced a small smile appreciating the bonding they were already going through.

 _Am I absolutely sure that this is not the work of the heavens? Because they seemed to be giving me another chance. A better chance than my son. Through his nephew..._ He nodded quietly to himself. _Right. Its like Fenghuang said. I don't want to mess this up like I did last time. I'm going to do this right..._

Unbeknownst to them, this won't be as easy as they thought it would be. Because of an honest mistake of a passing civilian. An innocent messenger who didn't know any better. A passing goat who wasn't trying to cause any trouble, but unintentionally did so anyway.

 _Tai Lung has a nephew...? This is highly important news!_ He took out a scroll and begun writing down the details. _I gotta get this to Master Kweng!_

 **(Meanwhile)**

Fenghuang raised an eyebrow and looked around for a couple moments. Crane and Zeng noticed this, and turned towards her. "Fenghuang...is there something wrong?"

"I dunno. But my bristling feathers are warning me of trouble. And cranky old people."

"...Ooookay...?"

Fenghuang shrugged. "Meh. It's probably nothing." She sighed. _At least I hope it is. We don't need serious trouble so close to our destination..._


	30. Point Of No Return

**Sorry if this is painfully long...my imagination took charge and I kinda...yeah. The chapter title name...just wait. You'll see why.**

 **Oh well. Lets see how it goes.**

* * *

"Hah...alright guys, I'm ready now." Lian said, now having a black vest and purple pants on after changing. "Did you all do a bit more of the talking?"

"We caught up a bit more, yes." Tigress nodded. There had been a bit of extra discussion about what everyone was constantly doing, as well as why they were doing it. Remembering that both Peng and Lian were on the friend list, and that it was a rather lucky break that they found the both of them. And as an even luckier turn of luck, they we' than willing to come with them.

Peng nodded. "Apparently Oogway had planned very far ahead for the both of us. He knew we would meet regardless of whether or not we would know about them."

"Oogway's habit of being mysterious has transcended even over his passing...why am I not shocked by this?" Shifu said while rubbing his ears with a smile. "Anyway, just to be certain...are the two of you completely sure that you want to go through with this?"

"Are you kidding? This is the opportunity we've been waiting for!" Lian cheered. "Don't get us wrong, we love our dear pottery village and it's people. They're all really good people. But we've always thinking of just getting out of here and traveling. And we don't have unreasonable rules to follow!" Lian cheered again as she draped her arms around Peng. "Plus he _really_ needed to get around more."

"Lian, come on..."

"I'm serious. It's about time we did a lot of moving around, what with all the stories from other villages and all. Cool stories from many faraway places, and others are not that far at all. Going from place to place, doing some good for many people...yeah. It sounds like quite a good time. And Peng could use some adventuring. He's a bit of a shy guy when I'm not around."

Peng folded his arms, pouting childishly. "I am not."

"Hm. Anyway, we're ready. What's our first major move?"

Shifu nodded. "We will be introducing you both for real to the rest of the party. Especially the strange man known as Po..."

 **(Moments Later)**

"*Slurrrrrrrrrp* Ah! Their food is as good as their pottery! Awesomeness points added!" Po cheered joyously, sipping his bowl of noodles while sitting on a stool.

Somewhere along the way, the guys(Po, Fung, Monkey, Mantis, and Mr. Ping) we're currently eating their fill in one of the closer restaurants in he village, with plenty of money to spare. Mr. Ping thought that it would be a great experience. While these noodles weren't as great as his own, that doesn't mean that they're bad. Far from it, he's enjoying it as much as the others. Mr. Ping was able to give credit to over chefs besides himself. He was just that kind of guy.

"Oh yeah! Awesomeness points are definitely added because of the good grub." Fung grinned, gobbling up all the noodles he sees.

"Total awesomeness!" Monkey grinned.

"Supreme awesomeness!" Mantis chuckled with joy in his eyes.

Po, Fung, Monkey, and Mantis. They are usually the ones that eat the most, especially Po and Mantis. The latter was truly impressive, given how small he is. Small form, large appetite. Combine those two terms, and you get Mantis in a nutshell.

Mr. Ping was watching them all casually, sitting near the restaurant owner who was sitting next to him agape for two different reasons. One: Those guys could eat so much without stopping for a break. And Two: The Goose could actually afford to pay for it all. Mr. Ping was a very well-prepared father when it came to compensating for Po's appetite in the past. He had a mouth to free, of course that mouth belonged to a panda. He would have to learn how to manage his money to pay accurately for Po's eating habits. Honestly, a couple more people won't freak him out too much.

"I believe this will pay off the food, good man." Mr. Ping casually raised one of his bags of Yuan and placed it in the counter. "It's not at all difficult to gain all that money back considering my area of business."

"You in the restaurant business too?"

"You could say that. I'm traveling place to place with my trustworthy insurmountable noodle cart. **"Ping's Noodle Cart: Special Edition!"** It's pretty awesome, isn't it?"

"Eh? What makes it a special edition?"

"It's special edition because it's the very first one! It's also special because me and my son named it together!"

"It's mostly because WE think it's special. We think it's special, then it's special." Po finished. He then held up his bowl. "Any more for me?"

"Oh no you don't! That's your 25th bowl from this place! Save some for us!" Monkey shouted in protest.

Po raised his arms in surrender. "Alright. I'll take a break for a little bit." He said, stepping off of his seat and walking away.

Monkey huffed a bit as he sat back down. He then reached out for the bowl of dumplings...which was completely empty. "What the-?!"

Po wore a sneaky smirk on his face as he had the remaining dumplings in his arms, and was casually eating them one by one. "Hehehe. Sneaky Paw. Easiest Food-Swiping trick in the scrolls." He chuckled as he was down to the last dumpling. He pawed his cheek a bit, grinning. He then faked a gasp. "Oh my...it looks like you're all by your lonesome, Mrs. Dumpling. But not to worry, Po The Panda is at your service!" He said in a exaggerated brave voice. Then he brought the dumpling close and did a female(as best as he could) voice. "Oh my goodness, you're so brave and strong, Po! But the enemy has tried to capture me, where will I go? Where will I hide?" Switch. "Why, in my belly of course!" He patted his gut slyly. "That rotten golden monkey wouldn't think to look for you in there. I already have your husband relaxing in there." Switch. "Oh Po, I knew you'd keep me safe somehow! Thank you so much for your awesome hospitality!" Switch. "No problem!" He dropped it in his mouth and promptly eats it, rubbing his belly. "You're in good hands, Mrs. Dumpling. Yes. Very good hands..."

"Are you done?"

"Hm?" Po turned around to see Tigress Shifu, Lian, and Peng staring blankly at him, having seen his performance. It didn't seem like he noticed, though. "Hi Tigress, Master Shifu! Then there's Peng and...uh...er..."

"Lian. I just got here."

"Oh. Wait...you're on the friend list! Excellent stroke of luck!"

Tigress folded her arms. "Was it so important for Mrs. Dumpling to hide in your stomach?" She asked playfully.

"Of course! My belly is a safe haven for many foods! The dumplings are very cooperative." Po grinned. He rubbed his belly and burped softly. "Though the noodles and I have been rivals for years. They don't give up as easily."

"I see. Hmhmhm~"

"So this is Po..." Lian said quietly. "I don't believe...that I'll ever get bored if I hang around him! He's awesome!"

"Already?" Shifu blinked in surprise. That was easier than her thought it would be.

Po smiled. "Well then. Peng and Lian. I think it goes without a doubt that-OW!" A thrown bowl had hit Po in the back of the head, causing slight pain to his skull. Not moments after that, Monkey caught up to Po, his eyes enraged. "Why'd you do that, Monkey?!"

"You ate the rest of the dumplings, Po! We didn't even GET any from that bowl!"

"That's no reason to hit me! I already claimed that bowl!" Po explained as if it were simple logic.

"Oh that's rich!" Monkey rolled his eyes. "I bet that's also your logical reason for chowing down on most of our prepaid food, you jerk!"

"...It was good prepaid food, though..."

"THAT BOWL OF DUMPLINGS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MINE!" Monkey summarized, eyes raging white and his teeth comically sharp.

"LIKE HECK IT WAS! I DIDN'T SEE YOUR NAME ON IT!" Po shouted back, his teeth also comically sharp.

Peng and Lian didn't know what to think, while Tigress just pinched the bridge of her nose. Po and Monkey were both in each other's faces, never retreating their furious gaze. "I can't believe that you two are fighting over food again."

"Food is sacred! I must defend my honor from this simpleton!" Po responded.

"HAH! I bet you don't even know what that word means!" Monkey shouted.

"...it means you are pretty simple to fool." Po stuck his tongue at him.

Monkey blinked. "Wow...that's actually pretty close. I didn't think you could get that."

Po smirked in victory...at least his version of a victory when it came to arguing about eating. "Ha! You underestimate how smart I really am! Nothing ever gets past me!"

 _He completely forgot our conversation..._ Shifu's ear twitched in irritation. "Po!"

"Huh, wha?" Po blinked. "Oh, hi guys! Did you need something?" Shifu facepalmed in exasperation.

"Peng and Lian, Po!"

"Oh yeah, that! I almost forgot!" Po walked up and wrapped an arm around Peng and Lian, getting them with a soft bear hug. "Initiation hug!"

"Initiation...Oh I see." Lian smiled as she wrapped her arms around the panda as much as she possibly could. "Come on Peng! He's so plushy!" Peng shrugged and also decided to give into Po's hug.

"That's right, new buddies. Embrace the fluffy panda." Po grinned happily, hugging them a bit closer. He then set them down with a smile. "Initiation complete! Now, for a snack!"

"YOU STILL DIDN'T APOLOGIZE FOR EATING THE DUMPLINGS!" Monkey shouted.

"APOLOGIZE FOR EATING?! YOU'RE CRAZY!" Po shouted back, and they returned to their glaring contest.

"Okay. Now we'll have to introduce you to the others." Tigress said casually to Peng and Lian.

"Um...what about them?" Peng asked, gesturing to Po and Monkey. Tigress waved carelessly.

"They'll work it out themselves."

"How do you know that?"

Po and Monkey have exhausted their breath shouting at one another, breathing a bit difficult because of it. Po fell back one more way, while Monkey fell on his face. "Wow...arguing about food sure makes me hungry."

"Me too." Monkey sighed. "Hey, ya wanna see what other good food they have here?"

"Ha...sure. Maybe they have super secret pottery techniques..." Po gasped as he quickly stood back up. "Or they can make pottery figures of all of us!"

"Woah...that would be AMAZING!"

"See. They're fine." Tigress gestured casually, once again. Peng and Lian we're surprised that they quickly forgot what they we're angry about. "Don't ask how that happened. Even they don't know how it happened."

"And that is what sometimes worries me..." Shifu sighed, stepping forward in his limp, leading the way for everyone. "We have two more recru...uh... _friends_ added to our party. Now we just have to regroup."

"Hahaha! You're finally saying it right, Master Shifu! I knew you'd get it eventually, it just takes a bit of time to get used to, is all." Po grinned happily. The red panda groaned a bit while he did his best to keep walking and not facepalm again. His head was hurting enough as it is. "Alrighty then, it's time to get with the others and introduce you to them!"

 **(Meanwhile)**

"You know what? I don't even care if I get called out on this. These are amazing." Crane said, gesturing to the many decorations placed on the assorted pottery. "Carefully crafted...beautifully designed...accurately detailed...isn't this great Mei Ling?" He blinked a bit before realizing she wasn't walking next to him anymore. "...Mei Ling?'

"Sorry Crane, I thought I heard something suspicious." Mei Ling said cautiously. "I just realized something...we really have to be delicate about the issue of Peng being Tai Lung's nephew. If that kind of information gets out of hand, we may be facing a pretty bad situation." Mei Ling was able to figure it out the second Tigress said that Tai Lung was her foster brother. It was the most sensible reason that she reacted as she did when she saw Peng for the first time.

Crane's eyes widened in concern and understanding. "Yeah, that makes sense. We'd better be careful. If Peng is put in danger just for being related to Tai Lung..." he gulped nervously. "Tigress won't take it too well."

"Exactly. So we should make sure that everything goes smoothly. For Peng's sake, and Tigress's." Mei Ling nodded. Her ears flicked a little to the right. "Wait a moment..."

 _...I'm totally going to get a promotion from this! Who would have thought that he had a nephew?!_

"...Oh no..." Mei Ling mumbled. "Crane...I think our problems have started without our consent..."

"Oh...that's fantastic." Crane groaned while he shook his head. "What will it be this time?"

Mei Ling narrowed her eyes and jumped up on the rooftops, with Crane flying beside her. She jumped across them a couple times as she pointed to a lone goat with an excited look on his face. "I'm sure that goat was the one that said what I heard. And that sash..."

Crane looked at the sash with her. 'Kung Fu Express' "Hey...he's in the Kung Fu Express! This is great! He can lead us to the headquarters and then we'll finally be able to send our message throughout China!"

"That is a good thing. But I can be pretty certain he said something about Peng and Tai Lung, which is much less good."

Crane paused for a moment...then facewinged. "Aaaahhhh crapbaskets...what do we do, Mei Ling?" He turned to her...only to see she had jumped down and confronted the goat herself. "Of course..."

"Hey, you! We gotta talk for a little bit." Mei Ling placed a paw on her hip. "I couldn't help but notice that you said something about a nephew and an uncle?" The goat recognized the subject right away.

"Oh yeah! Get this...Tai Lung has a nephew, and his name is Peng! This is such shocking news, I couldn't just keep it to myself! I already submitted the message to my boss, he going to take it to Headquarters personally." Mei Ling visibly paled at this, which did not go unnoticed. "Huh? Miss, are you okay?"

She reminded herself that this goat didn't mean to cause the approaching crisis, so she took a breath to calm herself down. "Okay...you know how Tai Lung did quite a lot of bad stuff before, right?"

"Yes..."

"And that some authorities are still working their tails off to find and arrest him, like a criminal."

"Uhuh."

"Peng is a nice boy. There's a high chance that he accepted that he's blood-related to Tai Lung and moved on. However a large portion of China isn't ready to accept news like this because they don't know he exists."

"...Is there a point to this?"

She sighed. "The point is that if word gets out that Tai Lung has a nephew, they won't sit around and wait for logic and reason to kick in. They'll immediately hunt Peng down and try to kill him, like they most likely did his biological parents. They'll do anything to prevent a second Tai Lung from being born, but they'll fail to realize that Peng isn't like his uncle in that kind of way. They'll kill him over extreme paranoia based on their own judgement and not hearing the word others have to say! I'm telling you right now, they will NOT take any chances!"

The goat blinked. "Let me get this straight...Tai Lung has a bad history, Peng is a good boy. If the fact that they're blood related is suddenly revealed without proper preparation, the resulting panic would be equivalent to paining a large target on him?"

"Thats the summarized version, yes."

"Ooooohhhh..." The goat nodded in understanding. An awkward silence passed by them, accompanied by a small gust of wind blowing a couple leaves past him. It took a full two minutes for him to realize how much he screwed up. "GAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" He grabbed both sides of his head as his eyes comically bulged out a bit. "I ACCIDENTLY CONVICTED AN INNOCENT CHILD BY GIVING INFORMATION CHINA ISN'T READY FOR!"

"IT TOOK YOU TWO MINUTES TO REALIZE THAT?!" Crane shouted.

The goat fell forward, his hoofs holding him up. "I feel like total scum...this Peng friend of yours is doomed...I've already given the scroll to Master Kweng...he's already on his way."

Both Mei Ling and Crane looked at one another in concern. This Master Kweng...what was he like? They already knew who to ask.

 **(Regroup)**

Mei Ling and Crane relayed the situation when everyone managed to get together in one place. Both their faces were in a state of slight panic. When they finished, Fenghuang waved her wing.

"Calm down, you two. I don't see what the big deal is. Just go stop the goat before he gets to headquarters."

Crane shook his head. "Did you miss that part, Fenghuang? They thought it was so important that the boss himself has to make sure that the message makes it there."

"...And?"

"Their boss is someone called Master Kweng."

Shifu and Fenghuang's eyes widened considerably at the name. Shifu's reaction to it was to grip his staff in concern. While Fenghuang's reaction was calmer, one could clearly tell that she was not happy.

"Well...shit."

"Why? What's the matter?" Viper asked worriedly.

"Okay. I blame myself for not paying attention when Oogway tells me about other legendary warriors." Shifu rolled his eyes. "But I just remembered the Leader of the Kung Fu Express. Kweng. Also known as Master Kweng. Also known as 'Kweng The Unstoppable'."

"...Did she just say... _Unstoppable?_ " Mantis croaked helplessly.

"Of course he's not actually unstoppable, no one is. But in terms of his job, he's never missed a delivery. He's always taken delivering the message as the main priority over everything else, including lives. This is a particular reason why I'm distasteful towards his organization jn the first place." Fenghuang sighed. "If you get in his way, you're in for a world of hurt. It doesn't matter who you are. The message in his hands is his only priority, and he's never failed. Not once jn his life has he failed to deliver."

Crane shook nervously. "Ah jeez..."

"Obstacles won't stop him for long, either. It doesn't matter what he has to do to get through or around said obstacles, he'll get past it one way or another. He'll push boulders out the way, he'll slash trees in half, and he'll jump chasms with a single jump. He has never been late to deliver a message, his organization is close to flawless. They never fail at their job, and they don't slack off. Kweng has many employees, members, and students who are completely loyal to him, and they're actually pretty tough. He has an army of his very own, ready to send out mass messaging for the really important documents."

"In other words...they take their mail far too seriously." Bian Zao deadpanned. "I'm pretty sure she warned us about this already."

"You see that? Even the Lazy-Ass knows how this works!" Fenghuang said to Shifu, who only sighed at her childish victory smirk at her being somewhat right about the Kung Fu Express. She then sighed as she rethought the situation. "Hah...hate to admit it, but Midget and I may have to step in for this one. Even I gotta admit that Master Kweng is not someone to be trifled with."

"That's right. Kweng is not someone you cross without knowing the possible consequences. We should be able to handle this." Shifu said, rubbing his beard.

"...No." Everyone turned towards the one who said that. Tigress. "No way. We'll have to go after him and destroy that scroll ourselves."

"What?! Tigress, don't you think we're being a bit hasty here?" Song asked, her paws lowered.

"Hasty is the exact thing we need to be right now."

"But Tigress, you're talking about resisting the will of the most determined messenger in all of China. Is that really a proper move to make?" Zeng asked nervously.

"His determinatiom will be no match for mine."

"As said by Fenghuang, Master Kweng can be merciless when it comes to those who stand in his way." Shifu said. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah Tigress, think about this for a second." Monkey told her. "There's plenty of reasons why his nickname has 'Unstoppable' in it. This guy has an untarnished record for being the best messenger there is, no matter what he goes through."

"That 'untarnished record' of his is about to be ruined." Tigress snarled. "I don't care who he is or what he does, or how he does it. His messenger status is about to put my neohew in danger. This is not something I will allow if I can help it."

"She has a bit of a point, guys." Po nodded. "WE know that Peng is a good person despite being related to Tai Lung...but the rest of China doesn't. They won't sit around and wait for him to orove himself. If that message gets out, he's done for." Peng's eyes widened when he heard this, while Lian's eyes were filled with rage.

"Like hell he is! No one is going to hurt him on my watch! Not for a stupid reason like that! I'll burn that place to the ground before I let them wrongfully dub him a public menace for someone else's actions!" Tigress smirked for half a second at Lian's reaction being slightly similar to her own. Seems that Peng was truly in very good hands even before she got here.

"So...what do we do?" Crane asked after a small period of silence had passed by. The question made Po fold his arms and smirk. The avian grew nervous at that smirk, it could only mean trouble when it's combined with his hat hiding his eyes.

"Welp, change of plans, guys. Instesd of just visiting the Kung Fu Express Headquarters...we'll be breaking into it."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" He knew he wouldn't like what he would say. "That's a bit much, don't you think?!"

"Doesn't sound much to me. I say we do it." Monkey shrugged.

Mantis sighed. "You know what...why not."

"Our friend is in trouble, we should help him out." Viper smiled.

Crane was the most reluctant of all, but he ultimately relented. "I suppose we can't just let this happen. I guess I'm in."

"That's the spirit, Crane!" Mei Ling wrapped and arm around him while laughing.

"We gotta get that scroll and destroy it. Peng is screwed if we don't." Fung agreed. One after another, the rest of them agreed to the bold actions they were about to take. "Alright. We're all in agreement about this. We'll be going immediately."

Mrs. Yoon smiled. "Well, they seem to have this under control. I think we'll be staying behind." Mrs. Yoon, Mr. Ping, Taotie, and Bian Zao won't be accompanying them to the headquarters, for their own safety.

Fenghuang smirked a bit madly. "You all are going to cause such a ruckus...it's gonna be GLORIOUS."

"For some reason I fear what your view on glorious is..." Shifu mumbled.

"Enough talk! I'll be leading you lot over to Kung Fu Express Headquarters, watch you do some damage to it, while the Midget and I will have a great view of it."

"What? We won't be assisting them? This seems like a large dangerous task for them..." Shifu stated. He was understandably worried. The organization they were about to defy were very strong. And with Tigress being the one to suggest it in the first place...it's within his right to worry about his daughter.

Fenghuang sighed. "I'll admit. This one might actually prove to be difficult. But that's fine by me."

"How so?"

"If they keep being a part of easy battles, they're not gonna get any stronger. Best let them take this one and see if they can do it. If it looks like it's too much, we'll step in." Fenghuang reasoned.

Shifu thought about what she said, and sighed in defeat. "You're right...this road we're on is not an easy one. And in order for them to handle it, they'll have to face challenges that will ready them for the path we chose...though that doesn't mean I don't worry..."

Mr. Ping smiled. Shifu was definitely warming up to them. He went from worrying about Tigress to worrying about everyone as a whole.

"Alright guys! We know what we gotta do, and we're gonna go do it! This is an objective for all of us!" Po punched his fist into his palm. "And it's codename: Shoot The Messenger!"

Peng was still a bit nervous but for a different reason than Crane. They were all willing to defy an entire organization head-on for someone they just met, without much hesitation. He wondered, was it because of the combined influences of Tigress and Po? It was very likely. There wasn't much he can guess right now because he literally just met them, and one of them was his aunt. It still felt strange even after its been confirmed by the both of them. And that was not the only thing he was worried about. What if something bad happens to them for his sake? It would take a while to get over that type of guilt.

He lifted his head when he felt Lian take his paw. He turned to look at her, seeing her smile. "Peng. We're gonna be fine. They're serious about defending you. And so am I." She clasped her other paw over his. "You know you're a good guy. It's just gonna take a while for everyone else to realize it too. But for now, they can't know who your uncle is. Is that fair?"

Peng smiled. "Yeah...it's just something we have to endure for the time being."

"There's the cute smile!" She grinned, lightly punching his arm.

Po snickered, then turn around and ran. "To Kung Fu Express Headquarters! THIS WAY!"

Fung sighed, pointing in the opposite direction. "He went that way, Po."

"OTHER WAY!" Po shouts again, changing directions. This earned a facewing from Crane.

"Ah jeez..."

 **(Hours Later...)**

The elder goat was moving at a leisurely pace than usual. If leisurely meant the strong, silent, and focused steps of a experienced hardened soldier...then yes. He was walking very leisurely. His hands were behind his back, eyes we're intensely focused, and he had the scroll that was meant to be delivered, in his hands.

It was rather strange. His latest disciple came to him and said that this message was pretty urgent, and ground-breaking. Saying that it might even change everything. But it didn't really matter to him, not at all.

A message sent must be delivered. No exceptions.

After a while of traveling, he stopped when he heard something trailing him. After a while he stopped, and noticed that he was indeed being followed. When he turned a bit, he could see three people come from the bushes.

"Um...hey bro. Master Kweng, I presume?" Fung asked nervously, Mantis on his shoulder and Monkey right beside him. They we're the first to confront him, because Tigress ordered them to. Defying Tigress when she's under stress wasn't a good idea.

"That is me." The goat responded, his expression completely blank.

"Dude...he's a master of the deadpan, just like Bian Zao. His danger levels has just increased." Mantis whispered.

"Shut up." Fung mumbled. "So...anyway...Master Kweng." The goat still stared blankly at them. "We kinda...um...er...that scroll of yours...we...kinda...need it...for stuff."

"Oh for crying out loud!" Monkey groaned. "Look here older guy, we need to take that scroll, it's not meant to be delivered."

"A message sent, _must_ be delivered." Kweng stated seriously. It unnevered all three of them.

Mantis felt the conflict coming, slowly feeling that it may or may not be avoidable. "Look man, one of our friends will be in serious trouble if you deliver that message!"

"Your friend...is not my concern."

"Wow. What an asshole..." Monkey mumbled. "Well...there's nothing we can do to convince you to give up that scroll, huh?"

"That is right. I sense a fit of trouble from the three of you...how old are you three? Around your twenties?"

"Yeah." Monkey rubbed his neck.

"Well then...I guess we have no choice but to just give up and lea-MANTIS!" In a swift blur at Fung's call, Mantis zipped past Fung and Monkey and kicked the scroll out of Kweng's hand, cuaght jt with his forelegs, and zipped back onto Fung's head.

"HA! Got it!" He cheered at his seemingly easy victory.

Then reality ensued faster than they could process.

Kweng rushed forward, jumped up, and kicked Mantis off of Fung's head. He landed behind Fung and stomped on his tail while making him yelp in pain. He then grabbed said tail and spun around in an at a fast pace, until he let go and let him slam into Monkey with all of the momentum. When Mantis attempted to get up, he grabbed Fung by the tail again, and pounded Mantis to the ground with the already injured croc. He swung him around again, making him crash again to the already downed Monkey.

He then dusted himself off and picked the scroll up. Walking over to Fung's groaning form, he narrowed his eyes. "No. Unauthorized. HANDLING!" He nodded. "Good day." With this, he jumped up to the trees, moving through the forest at a much faster pace now.

The three guys lied on the ground. In pain, and in shock. Monkey recovered first, rubbing his aching head. "Ugh...what just happened...?"

"I think he just kicked our butts...but I don't really know. That blow to my head really made me dizzy..." Fung moaned, dizzily picking up his helmet and placing it on his head. The others caught up to them and saw their condition. And they knew why this happened...

"Yep. That's Master Kweng for you." Fenghuang shrugged.

"You used us as an experiment?! What a jerk!" Mantis snarled.

She just shrugged carelessly. "Who said I was nice?"

"You're nice to Po and Mr. Ping!"

"They're special exceptions."

"So what do we do, guys?" Po asked, rubbing his neck. "I wanna keep Peng safe...but I don't wanna beat up an elderly dude to do so. Usually help them because it's a nice thing to do. I might feel bad later..."

"Po. Kweng is a experienced messenger-type ruthless super-soldier! You can't hold back against him!" Fenghuang reminded him.

"Right right, sorry. Anyway, we gotta catch up with him, he couldn't have gotten far!" Po got up and ran forward, followed by the others on his tail. Their rush was real and not exaggerated, because they had very limited time to stop Kweng from delivering the message. Peng and Lian were very worried about how many ways this could work out.

To their surprise, when they finally caught him, he was already off...in a blimp that he powers himself. Po jaw dropped. "He has a personal blimp...? That...is too cool!" He jumped giddily. "Fenghuang, can I have my own blimp?"

"No."

"Aw man! Why not?"

"Because you'd crash it, and then cry about it later. Dummy."

"I am NOT a dummy!" Po folded his arms, pouting adorably. "Well this is just great. How are we gonna catch up to him now?"

"Its easy." Fenghuang pointed blankly at Crane. "He's gonna carry you and Stripes up there."

"WHAT?!"

"Consider it an exercise. Focus on catching up to the blimp, not on how to fly there. Carry them both."

"Ugh...I guess I can't complain. We're low on time." Crane flapped his wings a bit and allowed Tigress to grip onto his left leg, and Po onto his right. The latter really made him gasp a little bit. "Gah! Po, how much to you weigh?! 300 pounds?!"

"NO!" Po denied. "...290, tops."

"And Tigress, what about-"

"I'd stop right there if I were you." Tigress growled. Crane fully realized the threat behind her words, and was wise enough to stop before he did more damage. While breathing heavily, Crane began to ascend up towards the skies to catch up with the blimp. "We have to catch up and down that blimp!"

Crane flew through the skies at a relatively slow pace, due to having to carry two people. He had a hard time seeing due to clouds slightly interfering with his vision. But he managed to stay on target for as long as he could. Clouds finally cleared out to his relief, and he could see the blimp up ahead of him.

"There it is!" Tigress shouted aloud. "Get us closer, Crane!" The avian nodded and strained to bring them closer to the blimp, as Po jumped up to grab onto the edge of the blimp, and was supported by Tigress when she jumped straight across and landed perfectly. They could see Kweng was the one choosing the directions, while one of his employees were driving the blimp. "Master Kweng!"

"Yeeeessss?"

"We're here to tell you...that this is a very cool blimp!" Po stated as if it were that serious.

"Po! Enough about the blimp!" Tigress shouted.

"Sorry, couldn't help it." Po turned towards Kweng, lightly tapping his cheek to regain focus. "Alright old goat guy! Since now I know that talking won't do much good, I'm just gonna get to the part where we start stopping you! It's a bit confusing since you're not actually a bad guy...but I still can't let you deliver that message!"

Kweng stared carelessly. "There's not much you can do about that. A message sent is a message delivered, Panda. Nothing less!"

"Fine. Have it your way. I'm gonna bring this blimp down. Cant get to your headquarters fast enough without this blimp. Tigress!"

"Right." Tigress didn't show much hesitation for the crazy idea. She jumped up and unsheathed her claws to tear through the balloon all at once.

Crane didn't know what he was seeing. Right when they got on the blimp, they immediately brought it down. Tigress tore at the balloon with her claws and brings the blimp down to earth in a very fast pace...matter of fact he's pretty sure he heard them crash into something. Not only was that extremely dangerous and reckless, it could get them seriously injured in the landing. They could have at least warned him!

"Those two are insane..." Crane sighed to himself, as he dive-bombed to catch up with the fallen blimp, and catch up to his friends.

After passing through multiple layers of clouds, he stopped airborne as he sees the crashed blimp placed next to a set of pillers, along with a hole in the center. He took his best guess and thinks that this was the Kung Fu Express Headquarters. With this in mind, he dive-bombed into the hole and into the base...

 **(Kung Fu Headquarters)**

Crane landed talons first onto the hard ground, and tucked in his wings. He looked around to see that he was surrounded by a plethora of scrolls stacked neatly in multiple shelves and baskets. Some of them had something written in them, and some were completely blank. There was no question, these were the headquarters they were looking for.

Now if only he could find his two reckless friends...

"Agh...okay...I'll admit it...I didn't think that through." Po groaned as he rubbed his head and coughed at the amount of dust picked up from the fall. "Tigress...are you alright?"

"I'm fine..." Tigress sighed, dusting herself off. "But we landed into the center of their operations...we'll be in more danger than before..."

"I have to say, you two are quite the reckless ones." They turned to see Kweng unharmed, unlike them. "Crashing my blimp in order to try and stop me? I will admit, that's definitely a new one."

"And it was CRAZY!" Crane took the chance to shout at Po and Tigress, but they weren't paying attention to him for the moment. He took an extra couple of seconds to realize that they were surrounded. There were goats. Goats everywhere. And they all dressed nesr identical to Kweng, and they all also had a scroll in their paws.

And they didn't look nice.

"...of course. Because why not?" Crane muttered.

All the goats took unexpected action. All of them jumped up high and right onto the three unsuspecting warriors, resulting in a mountain of goats in a strange dogpile. This may have been an attempt to pin them down.

It didn't last too long. In a furious roar, Tigress punched directly upwards, and the the goats went scattering everywhere, while some were still able to keep conscious. Po and Crane gasped when they were abke to breathe again.

"Those goats were suffocating us with all of their bodies...didn't like that at all..." Po sighed. "Don't wanna go through that-" WAM! Thoughts interrupted by one of the goats kicking him upisde the head, which made him roll and hit a pillar. He grasped his head with a pained groan. "Aaaowww...that was a cheap shot!"

Tigress wasn't focused on either of them, though. She was more focused on Master Kweng, who had placed the scroll between his sash, and looked like he was waiting on her to attack. With a frustrated growl, she pounced at him, which was easily avoided when he jumped up and hung from the ceiling with one sword. She realized he must have grabbed them when she, Po and Crane were distracted.

"You seem more determined than all the others when it comes to stopping me. I wonder why?" He asked a bit carelessly. Tigress didn't respond to him with words. She just got back up and unsheathed her claws, glaring at the scroll he now possessed. "You'll stop at nothing to destroy this scroll. Why?" The feline continued to glare, before she finally charged forth and tried to slash at the scroll with her claws, this he redirected him with his sword. He barely moved. "You're more focused on the scroll than you are on me? Youths today are so rude to your elders." He shot a swift kick at her, which she blocked by raising an arm and sliding back a bit. He sighed and adjusted his glasses. "I mean, who would try to pick on a weak frail old man like me?"

"AFTER WHAT WE SAW, YOU CALL YOURSELF WEAK AND FRAIL?! Po shouted irritably, while pushing goats off of Crane.

"Hm...I suppose you're right." Kweng shrugged as he kept his distance from Tigress. Her claw strikes were growing more and more fierce, and he couldn't block them forever. She seemed hell-bent on destroying the scroll he had within his possession. He was determined to send this message out, but now he was getting curious. He has had plenty of people try to keep him from delivering messages that could spell bad news for them. Of course, eventually they gave up, seeing that he was a very loyal man to his job, and that he couldn't be stopped.

However...this woman. He can see it in her fierce, fiery, crimson eyes. She'd choose _death_ over letting whatever was in that scroll get out. And it got him thinking about why she would possibly want that. He grunted a bit as he was pushed back by one of her harder punches, which he slightly repelled with the blunt of his blade. Then widened his eyes when she jump up and came down with a powerful axe kick he barely dodged. He saw that the kick was powerful enough to completely destroy the floor, almost making her fall through it. But she recovered by grabbing onto the pllar and swing back to safety on yet another platform.

She should have guessed. Many enemies she faced at this point were only decently threatening or not a threat at all. Fu-Xi was tough, but not enough to be considered an untenable threat. Kweng however, was a legit Kung Fu Master who defied _anybody and anything_ just to get a message to the receiver. It wasn't even surprising to her that she was getting exhausted while he barely broke a sweat.

"Dammit all..." Tigress growled. "I have to destroy that scroll...no matter what it takes!"

There was a small silence, aside from Po and Crane doing battle with the goat minions beside them. After a long while, Kweng broke the silence. "I can see it in your eyes. You'd risk everything in order to make sure that this scroll doesn't get out of this place, would you?" Tigress didn't return his gaze, only focusing on the scroll. "I haven't looked inside it, but it seems that you know it's content. Mind telling me why it bothers you so much? I'll even call a ceasefire."

Tigress sighed a bit, as everything stopped moving. Even Po and Crane gazed in confusion when the goats stopped attacking them and we're instead focused on Kweng and Tigress. The feline then found her voice.

"...I was wrong...to think that one scroll _couldn't_ drastically change someone's life. And it wasn't for the better..."

 **(Flashback)**

"Hey squirt! Come on over here!" Tai Lung called for young Tigress in the Hall Of Warriors inside the Jade Palace.

"I'm not a squirt! Stop being so mean!" Tigress pouted, as she ran towards her elder brother's side. It has been quite a couple months since Shifu took the tiger cub in. And it would be safe to say that Tai Lung has definitely formed a close connection with her. Their banter from time to time was mere sibling love...in a way. "What do you want, Tai Lung?"

He kneeled down to her, smiling softly. "You wanted to know what my goal is a couple months ago, and I didn't want to tell you because we weren't that close yet, right?"

"Yeah. You we're being a jerk like that." Tigress pouted adorably. He chuckled a bit and picked her up by the sides. "W-Woah!"

"Hold still...hah, there we go." He lifted her up and placed her on his shoulder, as she held on by gently wrapped her paws around his head. "There, now you can see it better."

"What do you mean? See what?" Tai Lung pointed up towards the ceiling, and her eyes followed his fingers. There she saw a sculpture of a dragon holding a scroll in it's maw. "Hmmm...what is that?"

Tai Lung smirked. "That, my little sister...is the Dragon's Scroll. There's gonna be a day where I claim that scroll as my own."

Tigress tilted her head, her tail swishing around gently. "What's so special about that scroll?"

"See Tigress...earning that scroll will complete my preparations of becoming the Dragon Warrior. I have done the most of everything else at this point. That's the only thing I'm missing. The key to my ultimate destiny." He grinned toothily. "Your bro is gonna become the coolest Kung Fu Master in all of China!"

"But...I thought that was Grandpa Oogway."

Tai Lung paused a bit. "...you KNOW that's not fair. He's had the title of coolest Kung Fu Master for more than a thousand years!"

"You're just upset that you can't be cooler than Grandpa. Blegh!" Tigress playfully mocked, sticking her tongue out from atop his head.

Tai Lung growled playfully. "Why you little snot!"

"I'm not a snot! I'm a tiger!" She said cheerfully as she climbed down his face and used it as a spring, hopping off and running away from him.

"Thats it! You're getting the most ruthless tickle assault of all the tickle...assaults. Damn I lost my train of thought! I'm gonna get you!" Tai Lung growled playfully as he chased after the currently laughing tiger.

 **(Flashback End)**

"At the time, I didn't truly understand how important that scroll was to Tai Lung until he rampaged out of control and left the Jade Palace..." Tigress sighed. "And how much pain he and Shifu felt that day. Tai Lung was too angry to see reason and ruthlessly attacked everyone, including father but not me. He saw what he's dine and knew that he couldn't undo it...so he ran away." Tigress closed her eyes. "I also know how much pain my father went through when Tai Lung beat him nearly to death, and I don't mean physical pain. I didn't know what was going on when I arrived on that scene, but now I do. Shifu lost to Tai Lung...because he couldn't bring himself to fight him with lethal intentions. Why would any father went to willingly harm their son seriously? Shifu was so caught in-between the loyalty to Master Oogway and to Tai Lung...that his mind shut down for a couple moments. And that short time was enough to provoke my brother into a rampage because he couldn't even answer him."

Kweng stood by with his arms crossed behind his back. He was listening closely at this point.

"Then imagine my surprise...when I find out that he has a nephew, Peng. As Tai Lung's foster sister, that would make him my nephew as well. And...he's very happy. A caring home, skills in Kung Fu and pottery, he's a great person in general. He even has a girlfriend! And then I think back. If anyone finds out that those two are related...they would completely freak out...and all of that could disappear. All of Peng's happiness could disappear...because of that scroll in your hand." She pointed. "It's a callback to what happened to my brother. With just one scroll...my brother's reputation has been turned upside down and into the shadows of a criminal. I...I just can't allow that same fate to befall Peng. That's why...I have to destroy that scroll!"

Kweng's eyes widened a couple times as the story went on, then lowered when it ended. Admittedly, he admired her fierce determination. He then made a decision. He adjusted his glasses, and glared. "I am sorry. A messsge sent, must be delivered." Tigress's eyes widened as she was ready to attack again. "But just to be sure I have it securely-whoopsie!" He took the scroll out, and dropped it. It rolled a bit and fell off the ledge. When it swung a little bit and it caught on fire. It burned up completely within seconds. Kweng pouted. "Oh my. Curse these old hands, they shake far too much. I'm always dropping things. Now I burned up the scroll no one will _ever_ know what was written on it."

Tigress's eyes widened again. She wasn't fooled like the other goats clearly were, judging by their despairing faces at the Legendary Master Kweng failing to deliver a message, because it's been destroyed by fire. "But...but why...?"

"I am very dedicated to my duty, young one. But you shouldn't mistake that for heartlessness." He smiled. "You are very strong and actually pretty insightful. Still, you and your friends have much to learn. Had I been really into my job, you wouldn't even be an issue. You're not at my level yet." Tigress blinked in complete disbelief.

 _He...he was going easy on us?! He put's Zeng's messaging skills to SHAME._

"Remember that the key word is _yet._ Because I can definitely see the potential." Kweng nodded upwards. "You get that, right Shifu?"

Tigress's eyes widened as shshe saw that Shifu and the others we're standing over the entrance, and it was likely that they heard Tigress's rant. Especially Peng. Being touched by Tigress's fierce protectiveness over him, despitr only knowing him for a short time, he forgot that he was supposed to jump in and help her. He felt a bit guilty because of that fact, but Lian patted his back to help him get over it. No one would blame him.

Though Fung was most obviously upset. "You mean to tell me that we missed out on the action...AGAIN?!" He grabbed his helmet and threw it to the ground. "Darn it all!"

 _Still...I gotten give Stripes credit for this one. Master Kweng is not an easy man to persuade when it came to his profession. And yet she..._ Fenghuang smirked. _Her potential is on equal grounds with Po's..._

Shifu was both relieved and proud that Tigress managed to stop Kweng from sending that message throughout China. However, now guilt weighed heavily on his heart when he heart her speaking. It was clear that even without meaning to do so, he had hurt her. But it never occurred to her just how much he hurt her through Tai Lung, and vice versa.

 _My_ _pride...my anger...my lack of forgiveness...and my closed off mind..._ Shifu clenched his staff. _When I tried to uphold my honor as a Kung Fu Master, it had caused much more suffering than I could have ever imagined. All of those things contributed to how I turned out afterwards. Tai Lung...Fenghuang...Taotie...Mei Ling...Tigress...and the entire Valley. My need to hold onto my honorable reputation has done much more harm than good. The way I upheld honor, it made sure I could never be fully happy again...well that might just change..._ Shifu opened his eyes. He has made a _very_ extreme decision.

"Master Kweng...I have made a decision. And it goes out to everyone in China." Shifu spoke up, getting everyone's attention.

"Hm? Sure, why not? My students will get right on it." All of his disciples had ink and scrolls at the ready. "What would you like the denizens of China to know...?"

Fenghuang shot a suspicious eye at Shifu. "What are you up to, Midget?"

"You'll see."

 **(Unknown)**

Mei Ling the fox sighed as she hauled up a bag over her shoulder. "Ah...that was just a bit more tedious than I thought it wouod be...but who cares?! I got a good amount this time!" She says as she hugged her bag of jewels she swiped from the village she just left. "It's an easy day for Mei Ling the...hm?" She raised an eyebrow as she picked up a scroll from the bag. "Hm...it's the latest information on important events in China...meh. Might as well take a look." She shrugged and opened it up.

 _This is a message for all of China to hear._

 _Many events have taken part over a short period of time, and it's only now beginning to fully sink in. Recently, Master Oogway has passed away. And when I was away from the Valley, it was ransacked and burned to the ground, as well as the Jade Palace, by the dangerous organization known as the Lin Kuei. Unfortunately there were no survivors, which is very tragic indeed. I have been left homeless, and reduced to a mere wanderer. I have disgraced my reputation as Kung Fu Master by allowing such a travesty to happen when I was supposed to be responsible for the Valley when Oogway passed on. I have shamed my fellow Kung Fu Masters, and I apologize for that. I can guess that I won't have much forgiveness, though._

 _Which is why this very second you finish reading this, it is official. **I have dropped my title as a Kung Fu Master.** This is a difficult decision I have thought over many times. There's no turning back from this. I chose this path and I will not sway from it, no matter how difficult it may become afterwards. Maybe it would be easier to keep this status, maybe it's the only way I can survive. Well, I won't accept that. Easy, as much as I enjoy it sometimes, it won't make me stronger. Does this mean that I consider Kung Fu intolerable to me now? Of course not, I still have my respect for it, as well as all of the Kung Fu Masters out there. Regardless, if you see me, don't refer to me as 'Master' Shifu anymore. From now on, I am just Shifu. My desire to uphold my reputation has been an absolute burden on my life despite the good I may have done with it. So now I'm releasing it. Because there's something far more important that I must protect than my honor as a Master. From now on I'm living my life...on MY terms. Because there's nothing I can do, as my home is gone, due to my foolishness._

 _I have now fully embraced my new life...as a rogue. What type of rogue I am...that's for you to find out._

 _Shifu._

Mei Ling had forgotten how to breathe for a couple moments. She clutched her chest and fell to her knees as her ears flattened against her head. Tears were threatening to leak out.

 _Shifu has lost almost everything, and now he's throwing the rest of his old life away so that he may start a relatively new one. His home is destroyed and his mentor is gone. He has nothing left but his honor as a Kung Fu Master, which he chooses to throw away so that it doesn't slow him down anymore. He's releasing all restraints...this will undoubtedly cause a major uproar all throughout China..it may even rile up some thugs more. The Lin Kuei will be very angry that they've been identified as the culprits. But more than anything, this must have been painful for him to write because his honor kept him in the Valley, his home. Now that the Valley is gone, he has no reason to hang onto it. And with Oogway gone and his son a walking danger because of said honor, he has even less reasons to hang into it. Because if he still persists on keeping his honorable reputation even after all of this...he'll end up all alone..._

Mei Ling lets a few tears escape from her eyes, as a small yet guilty smile crept up on her face. "He's choosing to follow his own rules instead of the rules honor placed on him. I should be sad that he's giving up something he worked his entire life for. And here I am...I have the audacity to be happy. Why am I happy about this...?"

 _Because his honor and my thievery tore the two of us apart. Now that he's given that up, I have a chance to win him back. Of course I'm happy about that. I'm smiling because of that. Though it took him losing nearly everything to have him try to accept a lifestyle alike my own. That...is why I'm crying for him..._

"Shifu..."


	31. Crossing Territory

**(Unknown)**

HeiLang could be anything he wanted in the world at this moment and still not be a happy wolf. That's how angry he was. He expected many things to happen after massacring an entire Valley, but this was NOT one of them.

"That rotten little rat..." He growled viciously. One of his fellow pack members handed him the latest scroll that was urgent enough to be sent to nearly everywhere in China thanks to the Kung Fu Express. He was able to read it because said wolf...'intercepted' one of the goats carrying the scrolls. Now that he's read it, he couldn't get more pissed. "First my traitorous nephew disappears, and now that rotten scumbag Shifu rather us out! He actually seemed the Kung Fu Express for help?! How determined is that stupid red panda to bring us down?"

"Pretty determined, if he's relinquishing his title to make it easier to find us." One of the other wolves noted, yawning. "Well the main point is that now everyone in China knows that it was us who took out the Valley of Peace. We'll probably be hunted down."

"We've been hunted down many times before, and we've always escaped. This will be no different." HeiLang said confidently. "However...I will NOT be satisfied until something important is done."

"What's that?"

Heilang turned to his fellow wolves, a dark and vicious look in his eyes. "I want you to find Ànyǐng and bring him to me. So I can kill him myself." The stunned silence and simultaneous jaw drops from some wolves around him told him all he needed to know. "I know what you're thinking. He's my nephew, why would I want to kill my own family member? I'll tell you why. He deserted the pack. Not only that, _but he helped our enemies._ Indirectly or not, he assisted them. He's not only a deserter, he's a traitor as well. And neither of those crimes will be met with mercy. What he did was completely and utterly blasphemous in the name of the Lin Kuei. I'm not letting him get away with that."

When it came to wolves, pack loyalty was incredibly and fiercely enforced to the maximum. Any wolf who strays from the pack as a loner can never return unless the Alpha allows it. But Ànyǐng both deserted the pack _and_ attacked a few of their members with extreme hostility. To a pack leader, this was the ultimate crime that cannot be forgiven with apologies or anything of the sort. What his nephew did cannot be reversed.

"Ànyǐng...for disobeying orders, attacking one of your own, deserting us, AND helping the enemy...you are no longer a family of mine. I never liked you anyway." He opened one of his paws, as his claws slowly came out and shined a bit from the little bit of sunlight reaching them in the darkness. "As a result, I will have no qualms with completely **erasing** you..."

 **(Jong Sung's Complex)**

"Well well well...would you look at that." Jong was eying the scroll he had received from the Kung Fu Express. "I could have never expected Shifu to be so distraught that ft he'd drop his title. Suppose he was tough on the surface but crumbling within. That happens sometimes." He grinned putting the scroll to the side. "Well, I should have crushed the spirits of those who had the nerve to strike at one of my homes. It served you right for messing with me. No one crosses Jong and walks away unscathed. Have fun being an outcast, Shifu." He turned and walked back into his complex, smirking. "Wonder how my prisoner friend is doing inside? I'll go take a look to make sure."

No sooner did he fully step back inside did is overconfident grin turn into shock and slight anger. Many of his rhino guards were beaten severely, to the point of near death. They were also covered in bits of ice and snow. This could only mean one thing. "But how...? How could she have gotten out...?"

"You didn't expect me to actually get free, did you? You didn't take into account that the collar you out on me can be broken if enough Chi is forced into it and it breaks from the strain, did you?" His eyes widened as he sees Xuě come out of hiding, her body slightly emitting a bit of ice. "But I gotta admit, even I didn't expect to do something like that. I just gave it a shot just to see what could happen. But here I am. Out of my cage, standing just a few feet in front of you. With no one to protect your selfish cruel greedy ass."

Jong narrowed his eyes. "Did you kill my guards?"

"Course not. I just gave then such a beat down that they'll never forget it. And I'm about to administer a similar treatment to you."

"Just a beat down? What happened to the plan about killing me?"

"That's before I remembered that you had a son. I realized that I couldn't take a father away from his son like that. Even if he's just as much of an asshole as you are, it's only because he wants to copy your behavior because he thinks it's cool. Which it's NOT. Either way, there's no need for me to expose your son to stuff like that." Xuě continued to walk forward, her eyes a dangerous icy blue. "Now how shall I deal with you...?"

Jong was putting on a brave front, but in reality, he couldn't be more terrified. His guards were knocked out and his control over her was gone. His son was unharmed at the very least, but she's already stated that she wouldn't hurt him.

She smiled. "Hahaha...I know a way." She raised one of her hands, as a small ball of snow formed over her palm. She gently blew on the ball, and it floated forward away from her. Jong watched in confusion as the tiny snowflake made a descent and landed harmlessly on his leg...Then his leg became filled with intense pain as ice spikes just sprouts from all sides, looking as if a tiny explosion of ice went off from the inside. "Haha, there we go. I just seriously messed up your leg."

"You..." he groaned, unable to move due to his terribly maimed leg. "You think you can do this to me and get away with it?!"

"Yes I do. Because just _try_ to do something to me afterwards. I'll maim your other leg with ice. Still not gonna kill you. That would be far too easy. Anyway, I'm through wasting time on you. I'm out." She stated as she placed her palm on the side of the wall, turning it into ice, kicking and breaking it down entirely. She then jumped gracefully out the hole.

Jong glared hatefully out the hole, as his complex lies in ruin and snow ans his leg now rendered useless. There was absolutely no way he would allow her to get away with this offense. But right now he couldn't anything but lie helplessly on the floor until he passes out from blood loss or someone comes for him.

Unfortunately for him, he was subjected to the former...

 **(Meanwhile)**

"That took a lot of grit, Midget. Flat-Out giving up your title and telling it to China as a whole. Even I have to say that's pretty brave of you." Fenghuang stated the next day. Their run-in with Kweng started off antagonistic for a while, but ultimately they parted with one another on relatively good terms. The Kung Fu Express have successfully sent Shifu's word throughout China, which sealed the deal that he was really going through with this. He would never be able to take this back, and he accepted it fully.

"Though it might be a bit problematic for us, later on. Now that we're all a fully rogue party, the issue on trust may be repeatedly put to the test. None of us are very official, you know." Mr. Ping mentioned. "You've been in that room for a long time, Shifu. What are you doing in there?"

"Just taking on a slight change in wardrobe." He called from the room.

"How slight are we talking here?"

"Well, since I'm now finished, I'll just show you. "

Shifu stepped out of the room with a slight change. His was still wearing his usual robes, but now he donned a long blue cloak that was big enough to cover most of his body, along with a hood capable of covering most of his face, leaving only his eyes visible. Stepping outside, the cloak flowed slightly with the wind's breeze, as well as picking up a bit of dusts that harmlessly passed by him.

Seems he's going for the feels of being mysterious.

"Hm...looks like you're really taking this rogue business seriously, Shifu." Taotie nodded. "You're actually going to look the part? You know it isn't really necessary, right?"

"I might as well look the part, now that I've dropped my title." Shifu smiles. "Mrs. Yoon took the time to stitch this together. She's working on one for you, Fenghuang."

"It's already done!" Mrs. Yoon smiled as she handed the neatly folded cloak to the owl. She smirked and takes the cloak, now putting it on.

Her cloak also wrapped snuggly around her robe, it's color being pitch black. It was also very long with a hood attached to it. There was a depiction of the moon on the back of it, and the shadow of an owl spreading it's wings in front of said moon, with menacing purple eyes glaring outward as if it's inferior and helpless prey was right within it's sights...

It suited her nicely.

"Haha. I like this. It obscures me a bit yet it doesn't get in the way of my wings when I need to fly." Fenghuang clearly approved of this new change. "This kind of wardrobe suits me and Midget well. We both pretty much forfeited our Master titles. Even though my reasons were...less honest and more out of anger. You're doing it bcause you feel like a failure." Shifu sighed at her words, knowing they had truth to them. There are many things he could have prevented if he's taken a different course of action...but he didn't. The Valley's eradication was the final straw for him. The shame, guilt, and pain were too much during his times as a Master. He's chosen to drop the title to avoid insulted the name any longer. "There's no undoing this, Big Ears. You're following your own rules now. You sure you can handle that?"

"I won't know until I try, now will I?" Shifu shrugged.

"That's the spirit! My read spect for you has grown, just a tiny bit." Fenghuang chuckled, patting his head with her wing. His deadpan expression told everyone that he wasn't amused by this like she clearly was. And aggravating Shifu was becoming one of her favorite pastimes. Not to worry about getting bored when one constantly quarrels with another.

"It's pretty cool how intensely Tigress stood up for me, someone she hasn't known for very long. I was actually a bit speechless." Peng said as he and Lian were packing to leave their village.

"I'm not too surprise now. Considering that she's pretty messed up by your uncle betraying her and Shifu, meeting you was a bit of a relief. I think meeting you was exactly what she needed. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if this was what Oogway wanted for you. Considering family didn't really come easy to you, either..." Lian said. "You've had this village taking care of you for a long time. Then you met me."

Peng smiled. "I'm now a Master Pottery Maker, a Kung Fu Prodigy, and most luckily...your boyfriend. That's three wins."

"Awww...you're adorable." Lian snickered. "I've always kept telling you that you'd have to leave this place eventually. Seems like this is a perfect time than any. Well, I wouldn't day perfect...it's good timing. I can only say that it's good timing."

Peng folded his arms. "You had no idea that this was gonna happen. How can you call it good timing?"

"Uh...how can I NOT call it good timing? HA! Ever think of that, Peng?" He kept staring at her with a blank look on his face. She sighed after a couple minutes. "Alright, this was completely unexpected! I'm just saying that just because it's unexpected doesn't mean it's not welcome. Just...came to a bit of a shock."

"Yeah...a pretty deep shock." He closed his back and slung it over his shoulder. "What do you think we'll encounter out there? China is pretty big, after all."

"I'd rather not think about it. I don't want to ruin the surprises." Lian answered simply as she got her own bag in order. "Alright, anything else we need to do before we go?"

Peng smiled. "No...I think we're done here. Time to meet up with the others and be on our way."

They stepped out of their house and walked up to others. Tigress folded her arms. "Did you pack everything you need? Did you wash up? Did you say goodbye to everyone? Did you properly organize your clothes? Did you properly groom your fur? Did you-"

"Tigress, slow down!" Viper hissed gently, snapping her out of her fast sentences. Good thing too, because Peng looked like he was getting a headache. "Sheesh, you know him as your nephew for one day and you're already beginning to smother him."

Tigress blushed slightly, rubbing her neck. "Sorry...I don't know what got over me.

"Don't force yourself...Aunt Tigress. It's good that we know each other an all...but I understand that you feel a bit awkward just to look at me." Peng sighed.

"No Peng...I'm fine. I really am happy that I met you and about to travel with you." Tigress lightly tugged on her scarf. "It's just...going to take a bit of time for me to emotionally adapt to this, that's all."

"That's understandable. It's been quite a flurry of emotions for her, and she's not very used to it." Mr. Ping said. "But she's a stroung young woman, so I'm not too worried about her. Shifu is a different story. Also understandable, being her father."

"Agreed." Zeng nodded. "I should know, I was there for her too."

"Hey! You guys!" Po waved to everyone. "You all set? If ya are, we should really be going!"

"Don't be a bunch of slowpokes! Come on!" Mantis said from atop the panda's head.

"Alright alright we're going. Don't rush us. We have plenty of time." Fung groaned at Mantis's impatience. "We don't have your kind of speed, Mantis."

"Whatever."

"Now now, boys. Let's not beat the crap out of one another _before_ we head out. No, that wouldn't sit very well with anyone at all." Fenghuang said as if she we're speaking to children as she placed the Hood from her clorrRSS RSrrrrr RSS rrr RSS RSSt tak over her head, and Shifu did the same with at least for this own cloak. "We're moving out, Shifu."

"Right." The red panda nods in agreement as they moved alongside everyone as they moved onward. Shifu knew he shouldn't be feeling this way...but he felt calm. Despite the uproar he might have caused throughout China with his choice of actions, he doesn't feel any regrets for what he's done. Only curiosity for what may or may not happen next. And at this very aware that nit everything can go their way.

For some reason, this excites him. He's facing what China has in store once again, with a lot of his restraints now gone. A lot of stress has been put off of his mind, if only slightly. Either way, he didn't feel as burdened as he did before. Honestly, he didn't think that he did anything that unbelievable. But considering that his fierce devotion to Kung Fu was very well-known by certain Kung Fu Masters, he can understand that many will be shocked. On the other hand...he's no longer that worried about what they might think of him at this point.

Tigress. Po. Mr. Ping and the others. Yes...even Fenghuang mattered more to him now. They're the ones that matter most right now. Everything else was of little consequence to him for the time being. But...that doesn't mean he would give up Oogway's cane. It was all he had left of him, so there was no way he was going to let everything happen to it.

 _Oogway...I hope that you don't mind the choices I've made so far. I'm carving out a path of my owrrn...after so long. It was one of the hardest choices I've ever had to make. But there's no way I can turn back now. I have to see this through, no matter what..._

"Alright...it begins." Shifu said quietly as he holds on closely to Oogway's staff and continues to move on in sync with everyone else. Mr. Ping eyed the staff from his position. That one staff may be the only thing Shifu himself has left of the Jade Palace aside from the small Peach Tree sapling in a pot that Taotie was holding onto. Losing either of them may be a pretty painful emotional blow for him. He knew he would protect what he had left of his old Master at all costs, while living his own life.

"Its a difficult, but welcome path you have chosen, Shifu..."

 **(Later)**

"Alright, we're far enough. Time to choose yet another destination. Where might we be going, guys?" Mei Ling asked curiously, arms behind her neck. "That Kung Fu Express Headquarters heist was pretty brave of you, Crane."

"It was slightly against my will, Mei Ling...but thank you." Crane smiled.

"Bwah...I dunno what we'll be doing from here on out..." Fung yawned a bit. Song suddenly popped up next to him, wearing a cheerful smile.

"I'm sure we'll find something, Fung! Don't you worry!"

"U-Uh...okay..." Fung stuttered, blushing slightly. He regained his focus and krot his eyes on the path.

Song was smiling a bit as she walked beside everyone. However, as soon as she was out of sight, a frown took over her face. _That old man..._

 **(Kung Fu Headquarters: The Day Before)**

"There we go, all messages sent. I just hope you know what you're doing with all of this mess you might cause, Shifu." Kweng said with a shrug. Most of his servants went out to deliver the message all over China. The remaining servants he had would manage the hideout for the time being.

"I assure you I know what I'm doing, Kweng. I thank you for your assistance. We'll be on our way now." Shifu bowed in respect, as he lead the others out of the Headquarters. Song was the last one to leave.

Master Kweng managed to sport a warm smile. "Ah...what a beautiful young lady we have here. You seem to be the adventurous type, in a way."

Song smiled back. "Yeah well, I've been to a lot of places before I joined them. It seems fun to travel with them for a while." She waved as she turned around. "Well, thanks for giving Peng a chance." She took one step out...Master Kweng's words stopped her in her tracks.

"You can't hide the fact that you're a part of the Ladies Of the Shade forever, you know."

There was a long drawn-out silence that took over the room they we're in. Everyone else had already left, so it was just the two of them.

Without warning, Song turned around and opened up her parasol as a blade appeared from the tio and pointed it directly between Kweng's eyes in an instant, as her eyes grew slitted and deadly serious.

The goat didn't show any reaction other than a yawn. "I don't know why you're so upset and why you're pointing a blade at me. All you have to do is tell them the truth. Why prolong it?"

"It's not that easy. I'm not ready to tell them about that. Everything is going very well so far, I can't ruin that progress by telling them something like that." Song stated quietly.

"You call these people your friends, and yet you can't tell them about this or what's bothering you. Now why does that sound wrong?" The feline visibly flinched and was about to answer, but he rose a palm to stop her. "Don't bother telling me. This is something you're choosing to do, I have no jurisdiction over that. However...I do suggest that you tread carefully if you continue your actions the way they are." He turned around, walking away from her. "These people can be trusted. They trust you, but you have to be able to trust them, if you truly want to call them your friends."

Song closed up her parasol as she watches him leave...then her own ears lowered in sadness.

"I wish I could..."

 **(Present)**

Song was brought out of her thoughts as soon as Fung turned his head back to her. "You we're spacing out, Song. Are you feeling alright?"

"Fine. I'm fine, Fung. Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? You look like you're...I dunno... _spooked_ by something. Or someone?" Bian Zao wondered.

Once again, Song denied their claims. And once again, Tigress had no choice but to wonder what may be going through her mind. The snow leopard was clearly bothered by something, but she's made it clear that they wouldn't be getting any straight answers from her. Still, that didn't mean she would drop her suspicions just yet.

"Okay. I might be able to figure out where we might be going next." Taotie said. "By our trusty map here, we'll be heading into some decently calm territory. Not much happens around here unless you purposely start a ruckus. So we shouldn't have too much to worry about."

"No trouble? That's a relief." Crane sighed. "I don't think I'd be able to manage more trouble than we already pulled off. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack when _these two_ crashed the blimp without warning." He gestured to Po and Tigress.

They responded simultaneously: "It got the job done, didn't it?"

"How can you say that so calmly?!" He asked the both of them, though they pretended not to hear him. "Is this gonna be a thing for us? For all of us, but especially these two?"

"I might join in on the fun a little bit." Fung said.

"Yeah, me too." Monkey agreed.

"Recklessness, when used carefully, can result in a lot more excitement." Mantis said as if it were logical.

"THAT LAST ONE WAS JUST PLAIN STUPID!" Crane shouted in exasperation.

"Is it really that stupid, Crane? Or is it just too smart for you?"

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE EITHER!"

"Alright, let's try not to give Crane a headache so early, okay?" Viper asked nicely. Both of the boys huffed and turned away from one another in annoyance. At the very least, they've already dropped the subject.

"Hm...something about this area seems familiar." Shifu wondered. "Now if only my memory would just come back to me so that I can figure out WHY it's so familiar..."

"Welp, I'm gonna go explore a bit. Walking in one straight path can get boring after a while." Po yawned as he jumped up and swung over a tree branch and began leaping through the trees.

"Po! Don't just run off like that!" Mr. Ping called out worriedly. He sighed and turned to the others. "We're going to continue on our own route, can a few of you make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble." He says 'too much' trouble because of their track record of attracting it or being attracted to it. Sometimes it's a bit of both.

"Oh for the love of...fine. Viper, Peng, Lian...Song." Fung counted off, not knowing that he blushed after saying the last name. "Guess we're going after Po before he puts himself in a jam...or gets himself stuck in something." Fung mumbled.

"Welp, looks like we're following the Panda leader. Let's get going, Peng!" Lian smirked as she jumped up and leapt through the trees like Po was. Peng shook his head while smiling, and followed suit. Fung, Song, and Viper would stick to the ground while keeping up with them.

There was a small pause...

Fenghuang yawned. "Who wants to bet that we'll get involved in something ludicrous?" The rest of the males aside from Shifu raised their hands. "That's what I thought..."

 **(With Po)**

"Gonna take a quick look around, because I wanna see what might be out here. Its not gonna hurt to do a little exploration. It is what we do, after all." Po said as he jumped across from tree to tree before stopping at one. "Whoo, I hope I don't get lost...that would really suck."

"That's why we usually stick together, moron." Fung mumbled as he and the rest caught up to him with time to spare.

Viper slithered up Po's arm, coiling around it slightly as her head met his. "You can't blame Po for wanting to explore. He has an adventurous side to him as well as his kindness. Isn't that right brother?"

Po smiled and ran a paw down her back. "Ah my serpentine sister...we haven't known each other long, yet we really understand each other pretty well. I'm pretty happy about that." He grinned. "Now...what do we check out around here...?"

"Po, aren't you worried that we'll get an earful from the others?" Song asked.

"It'll be fine, Song. We'll regroup with them before we know it. Nothing wrong with being a little spread out once in a while as long as you return together." He responded. After a moment, he smelled something in the air. Whatever it was...it smelled delicious. "What...is...that smell...?"

"I don't know...but I definitely want to find out." Viper mumbled. The other four could see both Po and Viper's mouth begin to water a bit at the mention of food being nearby. Even though they could always just turn back and eat with Mr. Ping, that'd be a bit too easy. Mr. Ping already knows that Po will always consider his cooking the best, that doesn't mean Po can't eat at other places. The stands back at Peng's village prove this.

"Wanna find out, let's go find out!" Po grinned as he jumped towards the source of the smell with Viper securely wrapped around his arm, while Fung couldn't help but agree to follow them. With his call, they began following Po and Viper to wherever they might be going. Though the call of good smelling food had made the two of them move much faster, much to the others exhaustion. Eventually they approached what appeared to be a decently large village, larger than Peng's at least. The smell of food was definitely strong here. Po and Viper's eagerness grew with each passing second. "That does smell really good...! Maybe if we go inside and ask them to share with us?"

"That'll be pretty nice, Po. Let's give it a try!" Viper smiled.

Peng gazed at the entrance in front of them, with his arms folded. "I feel as if we're supposed to know something _extremely_ important about this place. But what was it again..." But it was already too late, Po pushed the doors open yearly with a cheery smile on his face.

"Hey guys! Ya got anything good to eat here?!"

 _You...dumbass._ Fung mentally facepalmed.

"Well...it didn't look like they appreciate the loud welcome, Po." Lian said with a slight sweardrop as a couple water buffalos pointing their spears at them while surrounding him. "I know Po made a bit of a loud entrance...but I don't think it warrants this kind of response."

"It does for a situation like this." Song said as she gazed at them from under her parasol. "I think I know why Shifu found this place familiar. We wandered into territory we really shouldn't have crossed without proper preparations..."

"You know where we are, Song?" Fung asked while keeping an arm in front of her. She nodded quietly.

"I took a moment to examine the mark on the entrance. There's no doubt about it. We wandered into-"

"TRESPASSERS?! I can't even remember the last time we've had trespassers!"

Fung gaped slightly as he looked ahead at the sight before him. There we're plenty of Water Buffalos here, sure. But the one they see right now is _twice_ as big as they were. Fung hadn't felt so small ever since he found out about Lidong's crazy growth spurt. He was getting a familiar feeling from this. As for Peng and Lian, they both stared up at the Water Buffalo before them. It wasn't too hard to figure out that he was their leader. Viper for one, jaw dropped as she knew all too well who this was. Her father mentioned him a couple times.

"You all are so small...but that barely matters. All six of you are trespassing on our land, and we can't just let you go without proper judgement."

"Says who?" Lian placed her paws on her hips. Fung really wanted to reprimand her that now wasn't the time to be a tough girl.

"Mind your tone, child! You're speaking to **TEMUTAI! QIDAN'S WARRIOR KING!** And you six are in serious trouble if you fail to explain yourselves to me!" The now identified King of the Qidan Clan bellowed with a voice that symbolized power and authority. Fung, Song, and Viper we're now fully aware of what they we're dealing with, and we're trying very hard to think about their next course of action. Peng and Lian were now behinning to understand, but were ready to resist if it really came to it.

As for Po...he broke all of the tension...with a simple statement from his point of view.

He had an adorable confused look on face as he scratched his belly, tilited his head to the side, and said with complete genuine honesty:

"I haven't heard of you."

 _WHAM!_

Po was a bit startled as the water buffalos, including the Qidan King himself, fell over on their faces due to the shock of his statement. His confused look was still on his face as he had no idea what had just happened.

"Why are you guys on the ground?"

 **(A few moments before)**

"So is there anything you can tell us about your younger days?" Monkey asked. He might as well, because Shifu might be getting used to this.

Shifu chuckled slightly. "Maybe later. Now's not really a good-"

 **"TEMUTAI! QIDAN'S WARRIOR KING!"**

Shifu's eyes widened in realization before he facepalmed himself hard. NOW he remembered what was familiar about this area. "That oaf may be the only one who DIDN'T get the message...but why would he be calling out his name as if greeting..." Shifu paused again. "...Oh no, we crossed his territory a bit far back, didn't we? Because he's going to make a serious argument if you go on for too long."

"Welp, looks like we have no choice." Mr. Ping walked longside him.

"Indeed we don't. We should try to defuse the situation before it gets out of hand. Let's hope he doesn't think of Po badly. He could be crushed if they accidentally start a fight."

Suddenly Tigress found her pace picking up without realizing it...


	32. Conflict With A King

**I may have gotten a bit jumbled in some of these parts. Sorry about that.**

 **Other than that, let's start.**

* * *

 **"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"** The loud bellow of a shocked king echoed throughout the area. It made all of his men cover their ears in pain, as well as Po and the others. It took a good couple of moments before they were able to hear properly again. And what they we're about to hear would be disbelief, shock, anger, and a slight trace if disappointment. "How could you not have hard of me?! I'm well-known ALL OVER CHINA! And you have the gall to say YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF ME?!"

"Yeah." Po said simply, genuine confusion still being the most noticeable thing on his face. "Was I supposed to know you, or something?"

"You're serious?" Fung said in complete shock and awe at Po's confession. "You have _never_ heard of Temutai?"

"Nope."

"The warrior king who has defeated many Kung Fu Masters in the past?"

"Nuh-Uh."

"Size to be extraordinary? Strength that remains one of the most fearsome? KING OF THE QIDAN CLAN?"

"Not ringing a bell."

Fung sighed as he rubbed his snout, trying to find some way to work around this. "Okay let's try a general question altogether. Have you heard of the Qidan Clan at ALL?"

Po looked like he was thinking reslly hard, and Temutsi actually thought there would be some true progresd made. But those hopes were dashed when Po pouted and shook his head. "Don't remember anyone or anything mentioning the Qidan Clan to me. Sorry."

The Warrior King folded his arms. "You haven't heard of me. Even children have heard of me because of all the parents telling them thrilling tales about my endeavors ever since I've become King...and yet here you are, Panda. Saying that you've never heard of me..." There was a small pause...then he unfolded his arms with his eyes wide and angry. **"IMPOSSIBLE!"**

Po scratched his head, not flinching at the loud water buffalo before him. "Um...totally possible. I've never heard of the Qidan Clan...and I've never heard of their warrior king, which is apparently you. Honestly, I haven't."

There was a large space of silence after Po said his piece. His eyes were simply curious to know what might happen next. Fung, Viper and Song were in complete disbelief at Po's lack of knowledge. Peng and Lian were showing caution in case they quit the silence and returned to being hostile.

The warrior king himself, however, was now placed in a problematic situation. They trespassed over his Kingdom, so he can't just let them off the hook with no punishment. Yet at the same time, he can't be too hard on them now because the lands didn't even realize that he couldn't just walk into places like this without warning. He wondered if he always acts like this. Thinking back for a couple moments, he realized the immense difference between the panda and his friends. Each of them have reacted in either shock or fear, the latter is something he always goes for as he is very intimidating just by size alone. Hearing of his victories over many Kung Fu Masters also contributes to the fear factor, and it makes many think twice about messing with him, his people, or his kingdom as a whole.

This panda was gazing right at him and didn't even flinch. He's sure that's never happened before. What he wasn't sure of was if he was very brave or just air headed.

"Hey, where are we anyway?" Po suddenly asked, rubbing his neck. It might be the latter as much as the former...

"Temutai is the King of the Qidan Clan, Po. So obviously, we must be somewhere in the Qidan Kingdom. I don't know WHY we we're ignorant enough to even realize it, but luckily at least Song tried to give us a heads up. Are you getting this now?" Fung explained to him while gripping the panda's shoulders. Though Po's silly grin made him sigh in defeat. "You didn't get any of that, did you?"

"Uh...can you repeat all of that?" Fung groaned in aggravation and he repeated everything he said to the best panda a bit more slowly and clearly the second time..The information hit it's mark this time, and Po's eyes widened with realization. "Oh! He's royalty!"

"Yes he is royalty, Po. Now do you realize how-"

"Hey, what was that delicious smell that we were following here?" Po cuts in, slightly forgetting the previous statement that was just conveyed to him. "If my memory serves me right, that smells like fried rice balls!"

Memory...serves him right? He is constantly forgetting that he's standing in front of a KING...and he has enough memory to remember what brought him here in the first place? Fung couldn't help but hold his head and shake it side to side slowly. "Of course...because why not...?"

"You say something, Fung?"

"Nothing. It isn't anything serious, bro."

"Alrighty then. If you say so."

Temutai scratched his head, now not knowing what he should do. He was so eager to punish the trespassers, but it appears that the incident was completely unintentional. So severe consequences couldn't be placed on them, not for something like this. He would have to be a bit fair about this...close enough to fair, anyway.

"This is...rather awkward. However, you'll still need to stay in this village for a very long time! Like...a couple days or so! Just to be sure you're not lying."

Fung scoffed at this, paired with a slight swish of his tail. "Po and lying make a very uncooperative combination. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about."

Po nodded. "Of course! I wouldn't lie about something like this. I really do want some of your fried rice balls!" At this point, Fung facepalmed while mumbling that's not what he meant. Peng, Lian, Song, and Viper took the time to snicker at his statement. "If we stay here...then can I have some?"

The Qidan King nods. "This is acceptable."

"HAHA!" Po cheered. He was being offered food and all he had to do was stick around for a couple days! That shouldn't be too difficult. Plus, it would also give him a chance to check out the village for a bit. It seemed pretty interesting to him.

"Well. Guess we're stuck here for a bit. We might as well have a little look around while we're at it." Lian yawned a little as she placed her paws behind her neck, relaxing a bit since the danger has seemingly passed. "Peng, what will you do?"

"I'll go with Po and Viper. Do me a favor and try not to get into a fuss. These guys seem like serious business." Peng turned around to see two of the soldiers in a fierce arm-wrestling contest...them one of them whines childishly when they lose, as the winner just as childishly tubs it in his face. Peng tilted his head. "...Mostly serious."

"I'm gonna be fine. Besides, I have a feeling that we'll be running into trouble anyway. You saw their King, right?" Lian smiled. Peng rolled his eyes with a smile, quickly kissed her cheek, and left to follow Po and Viper. Lian then turned to see Fung, who looked a bit embarrassed. "Whats your deal? Are you bothered by something?"

"Yeah...it's still a bit risky to let Po just roam free the way he's going. Maybe I'm being too cautious, maybe not. Either way, we need to be prepared for any kind of reaction." Fung folded his arms, as he sat in one spot and stared at the sky. "I'm really hoping that Po manages to keep out of trouble."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Song smiled. Though she too had a bit of concern left over the subject. As long as she's known him so far, Po did have a habit of unknowingly or intentionally attracting trouble. Fung has already confirmed it, and she's seen it in action. But she wondered...this is a kingdom. The King is a powerful warrior in his own right. Surely Po won't find any reason to be stupid enough to come to blows with him...hopefully.

 **(With Po)**

As they were promised, Po and Viper had gotten their paws/tail on their own servings of friend rice balls, and were currently eating each of them with a high level of enjoyment. Peng couldn't help but laugh a little at how silly they were acting after finally obtaining the snack they wanted. Both pairs of eyes look completely at ease since they got their wish. Now they just had to find a way to spend their time.

"So we'll be here for a while since we're the trespassers, even if it was accidental." Peng said while looking around and taking note of the many warriors of this village's clan looked like they could do a lot of damage to surrounding residential environments if they truly wanted to. And yet at the same time, they didn't seem to be the kind of clan who would hold back when it came to taking what they desired with excessive force. That's why he was still a bit on edge, but not to the point of paranoia. Probably because Po was ignorant of their existence up until now, for some reason.

"I'm pretty sure we can find something to do. I mean, how hard can it be?' Viper said with a tail gesture that resembled shrugging her shoulders. "Who knows? We may end up liking this place if we give it a chance. Might be a pretty cool experience. For example...these fried rice balls. They're _delicious._ " Viper smiled widely at Po. "Isn't that right?'

Po smiles and nods. "Totally delicious and awesome! Something so simple and yet so great! It just goes to show that sometimes even the simple things can be totally amazing." He placed a paw into the bag of fried rice balls...all gone. "Aww...they're all gone already."

Viper pouted in disappointment. "Really? Darn, I was hoping they lasted us a bit longer. I didn't even get a chance to stuff myself..."

"Ha...well I guess that's not gonna happen this time. Time to find another way to occupy our time that doesn't involve taking a nap. Even though I'd really like a nap..." Po sighed. He stopped in his tracks when he heard the sound of someone falling into the ground, making him turn his head abruptly. "What was that?"

"Over there, Po." Peng turned his gaze to the side. Po mimicked him, and his eyes widened.

There was a little pig girl wearing green robes and a jeweled tiara on her head, she had stumbled over, along with the two boxes she was carrying falling over and hitting the ground. Her clothes we're a bit torn up, and she looked very filthy. It looks as if she hasn't bathed or changed clothes in a long time. Her face also looked sad and a bit depressed.

Naturally, Po decided to intervene. Peng and Viper followed without hesitation. Peng was the one who picked up the boxes, Viper helped the pig girl up and coiled around her gently, and Po kneeled a bit so she could meet the nervous girl's eyes.

"Hey...what's the big idea carrying these boxes on your own?" Po asked, his head tilted to the side. "It seems like it's a bit too much for you to handle on your own."

"N-No...it's alright. I can do it." She said weakly as she tried her hardest to stand back up. Though one could tell that she was beyond exhausted. Viper gently kept her from falling over.

"No offense, but I highly doubt that you can. Looking at you as you are, I'm actually pretty surprised you can stand." Peng stated. "I'm also pretty concerned about those injuries. You don't get to tell me that those are merely nothing, we both know better." Peng continued to gaze at her, while shr was gazing at how easily he carrying the boxes in merely one paw. "Uh...it's not that impressive that I'm lifting these boxes, you know."

"Sorry. It's just that...you're so strong...yet so small..." Peng sighed softly at the pig's wording.

"Regardless...you're carrying these boxes somewhere, right? Where do you want me to put them?" He asked politely. The child's eyed widened a bit, before pointing towards a small stack of boxes next to one of the houses. He nodded as he set them on the very top of the stack before dusting off his paws. "Now that that's over with...we should give you a bath."

"A bath?"

"No offense, sweetie. But you smell horrible." Viper gagged a bit, keeping her tongue inside her mouth as best as she could. Sometimes smelling with just her tongue tends to be a bit of a drag in scenarios like this one. "You are definitely taking a bath. And you need to change clothes, they're ragged and torn up."

"But-"

"No buts. Bath time!" Po grinned as he picked the pig girl up and looked around for a bit. "Doesn't look like they have a bathouse here...looks like we're doing this bare-pawed." He paused a bit before turning his head to Viper. "And...tailed."

"Good attempt, I appreciate it." Viper smiled. Once again the child blinked in confusion as the others made the decision to get her cleaned up despite her gentle refusal. What Peng noticed that the other two did not, however, that she was surprised that they bothered to _care_ about her condition. This was giving him a vibe that something was wrong. The other thing that made him wonder was the fact that she was the only child that they have seen in this warrior-filled village. He honestly wondered why...

With the feeling still hung over his head, he shook it off for the moment, as the pig child was their main concern for the moment. As Po said, the village didn't seem to have a bathhouse, so they chose to do something more hands-on. One of the houses remained unoccupied, so there didn't seem to be any problems with borrowing it's contents for a little bit.

It became a team effort. Peng found a barrel big enough for her to fit in, Viper managed to gather some clean water to fill said barrel, and Po gently removed her from her ribe and placed her in the water. Noticing how tired she seemed to be, he took the mantle of bathing the child. Back ti Vioer, she did her best to fix up the slightly torn robe that the child wears. She wasn't as good as Mrs. Yoon when it came to fixing up clothes, but she wasn't bad at it either. On the contrary, she's quite skilled thanks to her mother's influence. Peng kept a quiet lookout for anybody with hostile intentions that might come after them.

When Po was sure that she was completely cleaned up, he and Viper placed their pig friend back into her robes as carefully as they could. They smiled warmly at their success as she now looked a lot better than she did a couple moments ago. Po then sat down and lied against the wall while picking her up and placing her atop his belly. He placed his hat in the side and smiled.

"Alright we got you cleaned up. Now ya mind tellin' me why are you lifting those boxes anyway? That kind of work doesn't seem to be something you can handle." Po said quietly. He was aware that he was a stranger to her, and she looked pretty scared. So being too forward wasn't the best approach. "But before all of that, what's your name?"

It took a bit of time for her to respond. "Um...my name is Mei Li, Mr. Panda."

"No no. Just Po will do."

"Um...Po?"

"There ya go!" Pause. "...Hey, that rhymed! Sweet!" Po said with a chuckle. "Okay, back to the other question thing. Those boxes looked too heavy for you to carry."

She looked to the side so she couldn't see his face. "I do more than loft those boxes...I have a lot of work I have to do every day...and I can't take too long or else they'll never get done..."

"What are you talking about? 'Taking too long?' You can barely stand." Peng repeated the last part. "With or without carrying those boxes, you look like you're about to collaspe. What kind of work are you even doing?"

"Um...washing the warriors clothes...pushing blocks to fit certain buildings...setting up dummies for them to train on...polishing the weapons-"

"HOLD IT!" Viper stopped her from continuing. "Why would they allow a child to handle to handle sharp blades? Now we know why those cuts are there." The cuts have closed and healed a long time ago, but they were still visible on Mei Li's arms. She hid her arms in her robe while closing her eyes.

"It's my own fault for being clumsy enough to get cut..."

"Yeah...that's not an excuse." Peng deadpanned. "Even without that, the rest of those chores seems strenuous for someone as young as you, doesn't it? How come you're the only one doing these things?'

"It's my job."

"Okay...but why is it your job?"

Mei Li was getting noticeably more nervous after that question, as she didn't say anything after that. The other three didn't miss this detail, but also did not push her to answer quickly. Their calm, patient, gentle gazes told her that they wouldn't be leaving until she gave them an answer. It also told her that they had plenty of time to wait for her. With a bit of reluctance, she rose up and spoke again.

"Okay, it's not actually my job. But...it's something I still gotta do on a daily basis."

Viper shook her head. "All of these things are something they can do themselves, easily. What we want to know is why are they making _you_ do it?" It's now plenty obvious that she was dodging the question, but they kept bringing her back to focus. They were serious.

With more reluctance, Mei Li spoke honestly. "I'm...a princess. And due to something between my own kingdom and these guys kingdom...I have no choice but to be their slave..."

"What?! Princess?! Kingdom?! Slave?!...No choice?!" Viper gaped in stummed shock. "What the heck is going on here? Why would the Qidan want a Princess as a slave?" Especially a little girl?!"

Peng folded his arms. "I may have heard something like this. The Qidan Clan and another Kingdom came to blows...and the Qidan defeated them with little to no difficulty. The terms of surrender included handing over a princess every few years at a time. It didn't matter how old they were, as long as they got their princess."

"And that princess is Mei Li this time? How could they?!" Viper shouted. "Mei Li-"

"Yes...I knew about it. Mom and Dad knew about it for a long time, too." Mei Li sighed. "It's tradition and we can't fight it. The Qidan are just far too strong to resist their hold over my people. They lost the war, so we had to follow the tradition of giving away a princess to the Qidan King to be his personal slave. Once I left my Kingdom a couple months ago. I knew I wouldn't be coming back, ever. That's why...I didn't bother to get close to anyone."

"Get close...? What do you mean?"

"I was meant to be a slave as soon as I was able to. If I were close to anyone in my kingdom, they would be so sad to see me go when the time came for me to leave. I didn't want that to happen to anyone." She turned her gaze to Po and rubbed her ears. "I've acted like a big jerk to everyone around me back in my home...so that I wouldn't break their hearts when I left. If they had the memories of a nice and friendly princess on their minds...they would be miserable. So I left them with the memories of a rotten, spoiled, bratty princess...so they wouldn't miss me when I left."

"You're saying that you acted mean...to spare their feelings?" Viper said softly. "But wait...Peng said your kingdom hands over a princess every few years...but the deal was that the princesses work for life. So why...?"

Peng also checked back on his words...then his eyes widened. "Don't tell me..."

"I most likely won't even survive a year..." Mei Li said sadly. "Its like you said, it's taking all of my energy just to stand up. I just...didn't find a point in connecting to anyone, because it'll only end in heartbreak. I just accepted my fate quietly so that no one but myself gets hurt..."

It was only slightly faint, but it was clear to them. This Clan treats the princess if their enemy kingdom so cruelly that none of them can survive very long. And yet they have reached chosen this over allowing the Qidan to attack their kingdom again. To think they would be faced with a dilemma like this, and be forced to do what Mei Li did...it must have been horrible for each and every one of them before her. Cut off all connections so that no one will miss them when they're gone...that's a heartrending decision for sure.

"So you see. I can't run away from this. I can't have any friends because they'll only be sad in the very end. For their sake...I have to be alone." Mei Li shook her head. "It's not like I had any friends in the first place anyway. People pretend to be nice to me because I'm a princess. I see it in their eyes...they couldn't wait until they didn't have to serve me anymore. So I wasn't really leaving much behind to start with. I just did what I did so that I would be sure."

The silence that followed this was almost too painful for any of them to bear. Almost to the point that they didn't notice Po's silence to the entire thing. When he was sure she had finished talking, he picked her up and placed her on the ground. He then patted her head gently and left the room confusing her.

"Where's Po going...?"

"After hearing this...I got a pretty good idea what he's going to do next." Viper said slithering after him quietly. Peng held Mei Li's hand and followed the both of them. The princess had an understandably concerned look on her face.

With each step feeling more tense than the last, the group was heading for the center of the village. They were reunited with Fung, Song, and Lian. Fung saw the seriousness in Po's eyes. "Oh man, I know that look. What happened...?"

Temutai also saw the serious look on Po's face when he approached the thron he sat in. "Ah, you returned. And without your rice balls. Did you eat them all already? That must be why you're upset. I'll be sure to get you some more-"

"Mei Li is going home." Po said blankly, but the impact hit it's mark nonetheless.

Temutai's air of hospitality vanished at that moment, as he stood up and glared down at the panda. "That is not something you should have discovered."

"Well that's too bad, because I did. And I gotta say, I don't like what I heard from her mouth." Po glared. "How could you make a small little girl, a PRINCESS, your slave for the rest of her days?! And by the looks of things, she won't survive the rest of this year with the kind of treatment she's put through and the work she's forced to do!"

"This is the agreement her Kingdom made with the Qidan as a result of the war they lost to us many years ago. It is tradition. They send over a princess to the Qidan King. As a result, the Qidan don't attack their Kingdom. And the cycle repeats. The Kings before me have continued this tradition, so shall I. With this balanced agreement between the two kingdoms, we have been at peace."

"That arrangement is stupid." Po pointed directly at him. "You're stupid!"

"What did you say?!" The Water Buffalo growled angrily.

"You mean to tell me that _this_ is how the two of you keep peace?! By sacrificing a little girl every time a certain amount of time has passed?! No. No way. That is messed up."

"IS IT, NOW?!"

"Yeah! Her Kingdom has to give up their princess so that they can save themselves from destruction. YOUR Kingdom works that poor princess to death. Mei Li is barely able to stand up and it hasn't even been half a year!" Po shouted angrily. "She's already given up on her life because she knows that with this kind of fate she won't have a chance to live it!"

Temutai huffed as he crossed his arms. "It isn't my fault. I'm just following what history has repeated many times. They should have never started a conflict with my clan in the first place. Enslaving their Princess is suitable enough. If they can't handle the strain, then that makes her weak just like her people, doesn't it?"

Po's eyes narrowed. "You say this...you KNOW they can't stop you from having your way...and you're taking full advantage if it?" He said as his fists clenched hard enough to hear small cracks. "You're not warriors...you're bullies. They can't resist you because there's no one strong enough to push you back. But that changes right now. I'm breaking this terrible tradition...and Mei Li is going home where she belongs."

Temutai's eyes narrowed. "Why should this concern you anyway?" He unfolded his arms. "THIS IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

Po's eyes darkened dangerously. "You don't decide that for me."

"Fine. If that is how you wish to react...THEN THIS IS MY RESPONSE!" Temutai's arm raised up and swiped Po aside, making him crash into one of the houses and causing it to crash on top of him, picking up dust and debris. "HA! As if a pands of all creatures could pose a threat to me! YOU, PRINCESS!" He bellowed at Mei Li, who was looking horrified that Po had just been attacked for standing up for her. "You're going back to your room where you can't cause trouble like that!"

" **Mystic** **Spiral.** "From behind the clouds of dust, a green glowing ring shot out and slabbed into his midsection, the impact strong enough to knock him off his feet and be smashed right through his throne, destroying it in the process. With a pained grunt, Temutai got back up whioe holding his side in time to see Po walk out of the destroyed building. He had a bit of scratches o him, but he wasn't slowed down at all. "Did I surprise you? I hope I did."

"You...what did you do?"

"That was **Mystic Spiral,** one of the Impossible Moves my Master taught me." Po folded his arms. "I used to call it 'Flying Ring Of Energy', but that didn't sound as cool."

Temutai's angry look did nothing to intimidate the panda. When he realized this, he smirked. "You'll fight for her life?"

"Of course."

"Very well. What's your name?"

"The name's Po." He tilited his hat a bit. "And this...is my hat."

"Uh...right. So Po, I'll cut you a deal. You see, I haven't had a battle that actually made me push myself in a long time. If you can defeat me..I'll set her free, and I'll also promise never attack her kingdom. But if you lose...YOU'LL be my personal servant instead of her."

"Deal."

Temutai raised an eyebrow. "Hm! You accepted these terms quite quickly."

"It doesn't matter if I win or lose. As long as Mei Li doesn't stay here." Po said. "Because unlike her, I can take whatever you dish out. Be it a duel, or being your slave."

 _He's seriously not bluffing about this...I haven't seen determination like that in a long time..._ Temutai dusted himself off and nodded. "Very Well. LET US BEGIN!"

"Po stop! Don't get yourself hurt for me! I'm not worth it!" Mei Li tried to get to him, but Viper wrapped her tail around her to keep her in place. "What?!"

"He's made up his mind." Viper said quietly, gazing at the two from afar.

One of the warriors nodded to one another, and made their way towards the princess, which gravely unnerved her. "Just in case...let's keep her in her cage anyway. Gotta make sure she doesn't-" The warrior speaking those words was met with a kick to his skull, which sent him flying across the village like a ragdoll.

Peng landed back on his feet. "You're not putting her back in a cage. She's staying right here, and none of you are going to touch her." He growled with a tone of warning. "Just stay where you are, and we won't have any more problems."

Lian yawned a little bit, scratching her ear. "I'd advise for you to listen to him. Peng tends to get carried away when he gets too excited." Peng mumbled something about that not being true, which only made her giggle.

Fung sighed a little as he pinched his snout. "It hasn't even been an hour and Po's already picked a fight with the Qidan King. And it's for a good reason. That's why I can't be too mad at him over this." Song nodded slowly, as if to agree with him.

Po skidded back as a kick he thrusted at Temutai's chest had noneffect at all. "That's a seriously tough hide. Unfortunately for me, I'm not Tigress. Physical strength won't do me a lot of good here..." His eyes widened as he blocked two fists coming down on him with both of his paws, but the strain could clearly be seen on his face. "Which is bad, because it sure seems to be HIS specialty..."

"Come now Po, I know that's not the best you can do!" Temutai shouted as he rose a fist again and brought it down even harder. Po didn't bother blocked this one, but he rolled to the side as the punch made a sizeable crack in the ground that spreads out a couple feet. Not quite finished, he then charge headfirst straight into Po. He tried to grab his horns and push him back in an attempt to stop him, but his moment was far too great. Po was charged through another house, wrecking it completely. The Water Buffalo kept charging and crashed him through yet another house before finally coming to a stop and letting Po hit the ground.

The panda was in noticable pain, having to take a couple moments to actually stand back on his feet while holding his back. He could have sworn that he was bleeding a bit there. A bit of a check with his right paw proved that theory correct. Luckily his hat remained undamaged, but thatrthe least of his problems. _Come on Po, think! If you don't start making progress he'll overpower you with nothing but brute force. I don't have that kind of physical strength, not like Tigress. What am I gonna do...?_

"I know you're not defeated yet, Po! Come out and face me!" Temutai bellowed. Po was hiding in one of the still intact buildings to give himself some recovery time, and time to think.

 _He's gonna start smashing through his stuff just to get to me. Think Po. You can't match his strength on your own, think of a counter._ Po tilted his head and closed his eyes, thinking hard on how to deal with this problem. After a certain amount of time passed, he opened his eyes and clapped. _That's it, I got it!_

"Ahah, there you are!" He heard the sound of charging, and his grin suddenly dropped.

"Ah crap." He got up and rolled to the side again, avoiding Temutai's reckless charge just barely. He stood back up and grasped his arm. One of his horns must have scraped him.

Temutai turned around to meet Po's gaze. "What's wrong, Po? I thought you were going to fight!"

"I am. I just needed a little time to think, that's all." Po grinned. _Just like making figurines. Have some creativity._ "I'm ready for you this time."

"Very well!" Temutai charged forward headfirst again, faster and more forceful than all the other charges.

Po took a deep breath and readied his paws for the upcoming attack. His eyes opened slowly. " **Wind Hammer...** " He waited for the opportune time as his opponent draws closer. Right when he was within range, both of Po's paws glowed green, and he thrusted both of them into his opponets chest. The glow disappeared for a moment before it reappeared out of Temutai's back in a burst of green energy. " **Double Palm Strike!** " The power behind the impact caused Temutai to lose consciousness for just a couple seconds, before he was sent flying back once again across the village until he hit the remains of his throne. The green good in Po's paws vanished as he sighed a bit. "Tigrese inspired that one."

"Gah...gack..." Temutai wiped the blood away from his mouth as he stands back up again, just barely. It was then that his soldiers have had enough, and began to surround Po with their spears and axes. "Men...what are you doing?! Stand down!" This was not the time for them to start getting defensive of their king. This was HIS duel.

It didn't matter, though. They were all swiped away by the mighty swing of a powerful tail. Fung spun in an arc, using his tail to strike all of them at once when he finished. "They said they wanted a one-on-one duel! Stay out of it!"

"I warned them to stay where they are. Even the King wanted them to stand down." Peng said as he stood up. "If they don't listen, that's their beating to take." He says this as he jumped up and avoided the sharp point of a spear. He grabbed it and swung the weapon with it's holder still attached to it, knocking down and knocking out all the warriors who we're unlucky enough to be in the way.

Throughout the entire spectacle, Mei Li watched with shocked awe as Po stood on even grounds with Temutai, and he was winning. She had no ides where he came from or why he's here...but he just decided to help free her when no one else had the strength to do so. Or the bravery to call out on the cruel traditions the two kingdoms had to go through.

Po scratched his head as more of the soldiers continued to surround him. "Jeez, you guys are pretty intent on keeping us from dueling further, huh?' He sighed as his paws glowed green again and he put the two of them together. " **Mystic Spiral** _..._ " After this, he harmlessly placed himself in the middle of the energy ring as if it were a hoop to jump through. He then spread his paws apart while shouting " **Expand!** " The ring did just that, it expanded and fort fully blew away most of the soldiers standing in his way. Many of them crashed in town the ground, others we're thrown over the gates, others got stuck _in_ the gates. There was now nothing standing between him and his target.

Temutai watched as the panda had made surprisingly short work of most of his men and he was now completely focused on him. The strike from earlier just barely allowed him to stand, let alone breathe. _He knew he couldn't beat me with pure melee combat at his current level, so he improvised. Heh...serves me right for saying nothing about not allowing him to use attacks like those. I got too excited..._ His blunder now made clear to him, Temutai closed his eyes and forced himself to stand up. "My men interfered when I specifically told them not to. Therefore, they have cost me this match. So Po...you won by default."

Po blinked. "Wait...I did? So...Mei Li can go free? You'll let her go?"

Temutai nodded. "I am a warrior of my word, Po. She may go free. And my Clan will never attack her kingdom again. I swear on my honor as a Warrior King." With this knowledge in mind, Po immediately fell backwards on his back, shocking all that were present. "WHAT?! PO, WHAT IS WRONG?!"

"Using Chi attacks tends to wear me out quite easily. I'm not as refined with them as my Master..." Po panted, his tongue stick out slightly. "Must...replenish...strength...must...get...renergized. Po...needs...food..."

"Of course." Fung sighed.

Po turned towards Mei Li with a wide smile. "Hear what he said, your Highness...? You're going home..."

The Pig Princess gazed at her saviour with a look of surprise, admiration and most of all, gratefulness. What was surprising was that he came out if nowehrre. What was admirable was that he fought for her despite just meeting her. And gratefulness because he gave her life a purpose by soaring her of her terrible fate. With all of these mixed emotions, the Princess ran up to Po and jumped into his arms, crying.

"Po...I...I..." she mumbled in his chest fur, unable to finish her sentence. Po gently pushed her back a bit onto his belly.

"Hey now, if you wanna thank me...all you gotta do is give me a smile." Po said gently, patting her head. Enough time has passed, and she gave a small smile in his direction. He smiled widely. "See? A Princess is MUCH prettier when she's smiling and not crying."

"PO! DON'T DO ANYTHING-" Po blinker as he turned to hear the shout of Shifu, followed by the others. The red panda blinked when he saw that the conflict was already over. "...Stupid?"

Po waved cheerfully to Mr. Ping. "Hi Dad!"

"Hi Po!" Mr. Ping cheerfully waved back.

"HIS FATHER IS A GOOSE?!" The Qidan Warriors all shouted in shock, eyes bugging out slightly.

"Yeah. Why the shock?" Po asked with genuine confusion.

"Never mind that, Panda. What the heck happened here?" Fenghuang asked, tucking in her wings.

"Oh, Hi Fenghuang!" Po waved again. "Well, I challenged this Temutai guy to a fight for Mei Li's freedom. I won."

The owl actually beak-dropped. "Wait...you actually defeated Temutai...?" She whispered in shock. Then she stomped the ground childishly. "My student beat the crap out of the Qidan King...and I MISSED IT!?"

"THAT'S why you're upset...?" Song mumbled in disbelief.

"Eh? Master Shifu? What are you doing here?" Temutai had finally acknowledged that the red panda was there, despite him being the first person to speak.

Shifu sighed. "I am not 'Master' Shifu anymore. I left that title behind." He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you get the message?" When Temutai shook his head. Shifu took the time to explain everything...and the warrior king grew pissed with each passing word.

"I received no such message!" Temutai shouted. He then turned around to glare at his men. "Which one of you handles the mail?!" One of them in the very back raised his hand nervously. The King pointed at him furiously. "NO SUPPER FOR YOU!"

"Ah man..."

"Incompetence..." Temutai mumbled. "Ahem. As I was saying. I will have someone contact Mei Li's kingdom, and let them know that she is free to go. And that my clan shall never attack them again." He continued. "This...Po. He gave me what I've been missing for years. A fight that actually challenges me and pushes me. Actually give me a reason to go stronger. And I guess I'm satisfied with that for the moment."

"Thats it? Huh." Po looked around the village as he stood up, paws on his hips. "By the way, sorry about the damage to your village."

"Meh. Easy to fix."

"So we're cool?"

"Yeah. We're cool."

"HOW CAN YOU BE SPEAKING SO CASUALLY NOW?!" Fung shouted in disbelief. One moment, they were at each others throats. The next, they were speaking as if it were a conversation between buddies.

"Wait...Kingdom? Po, what was going down here?' Monkey asked. Po then took the time to explain what he and the others heard, as well as Mei Li's story.

Tigress was not pleased. Not one bit.

"Po...cover Mei Li's ears." She asked quietly. The panda tilted his head, but nonetheless covered the pig princess's ears. She then turned towards Temutai and slapped him across the face. HARD. "You deserve far worse than that, you bastard! If it were me here instead of Po, I wouldn't have been as nice!"

"Yes...I kinda deserved that one." Temutai rubbed his sore cheek. Or more like his skull. With the damage he's already taken, that slap almost knocked him completely unconscious. "Alright...you won't have to worry. I have given up that tradition. The Kingdom's feud is over."

"It'd better be. I don't want to have to come back here." Tigress glared, before turning away.

"I am a warrior of my word. You have nothing to be concerned about!"

"So...we were late, and now everything's fine?" Crane asked while rubbing his head. "I'm so confused..."

Bian Zao yawned. "Po did good, that's all we really need to know. Can we move on now?"

"But seriously, Po. You gotta save some for us." Mantis hopped on his shoulder. "I mean, working a little girl to death...? We ALL want a piece of Temutai now, despite knowing who he was. But you beat us to the punch already. And now all of a sudden you two are buds?"

"Probably. He wanted a good fight, I wanted to free Mei Li. We both got what we really wanted, so why make the conflict longer?" Po shrugged. Mr. Ping swiftly placed a bowl of noodles in his paw, and he grinned widely. "Sweet relief, here I come." He takes the bowl and wasted no time with beginning to eat.

"Well, with Po's rather surprising actions today, he seems to have resolved a years ling conflict just by fighting this Qidan King. Luckily he's the type of King that keeps his promises." Taotie said. "Now that that's over with, where do we go now?"

"We won't find out while we're sitting here, obviously. Time to move out!" Mei Ling called out. "Qidan! You better keep your promise and be sure that Mei Li gets home safe!"

"I told you already! I AM A WARRIOR OF MY WORD!" Temutai bellowed, but Po was able to tell anyway that he was being genuine. "But wait...about what happened to your home, Po. You said that Jong and the Lin Kuei were responsible for it?"

Po suddenly stiffened, but lowered his hat and nodded. "Yeah. What, do you have something for us?"

"Yes. I may know where the Lin Kuei are hiding." Everyone grew quiet at this, and listened very closely. "The most likely place you'll find their gathering place is on Mugu Mountain."

 _WHAT?!_ Shifu and Fenghuang screamed in their thoughts, but they were silent on the outside.

"Right. The Lin Kuei are on Mugu Mountain. We'll get them after we get Jong." Monkey said. "Neither of them are getting away with what they did. We won't let them."

"Ah. Then best of luck to you."

"Bye Po! Take care!" Mei Li waved at the cheerful panda, who waved back with a smile.

After enough distance has passed, Shifu and Fenghuang looked at one another. "Mugu Mountain..."

"Yes...that is the mountain where we banished Master Ding." Shifu finished. "But...what has transpired couldn't have been his doing."

"It's unlikely...but not impossible. Either way, the Lin Kuei are there. So at some point, we have to go there too." Fenghuang said. Shifu reluctantly nodded to this. It still made the two of then nervous. Master Ding was trapped on that Mountain for life after turning on the Valley Of Peace. Him wanting vengeance was expected, but there wasn't any way for him to be the one responsible for the tragedy that took place. He didn't orchestrate any of this. He _couldn't_ have been responsible. It was Jong that gave the order. He was the one ultimately responsible.

...Right?

 **(Jong's Complex)**

"Did you see what that goat did to me? My leg has been maimed by ber ice powers." Jong groaned as he held his bleeding leg. "Why can't you just leave us alone?! I've done everything you've asked of me up to this point! I'm most likely going to be convicted when this is over!"

"Everything you've done thus far was because you had no choice, Jong. Except for that goat. I couldn't care less what happens to her." Someone spoke out to Jong, mockingly.

"You're setting me up. You're setting the Lin Kuei up! And you're setting those band of rogues up! And for what?! Your revenge?!" Jong shouted. "My reputation will be in complete shambles at this rate! Everything I own will be taken away from me! And my son...you couldn't have left him out of this?! Why did it have to be me?! WHY?!" Suddenly he was lifted up and thrown against the wall with enough force to slightly crack his spine. With a pained groan, he just barely managed to get up.

"Why you, hm? You ask me a question like that. Fine. You're selfish, you're greedy, you're sarcastic, you break your vows, you're also very sadistic on a level. You care for no one but yourself and your son, whom you're setting a very bad example for. And as I've said before, who else to blame all of these atrocities on? You don't even care about having the Lin Kuei completely crush the Valley of Peace. You're still only worried about yourself. And that makes you a pretty good candidate, if I do say so myself. Besides..."

There were orbs. Three glowing blue orbs that were emitting powerful mystical energy. They seemed to be levitating on their own...but that wasn't case. The one controlling them made himself known. The pig with black skin, brown eyes, a small white beard, yellow garb with red trims and a metal headpiece...he was calmly controlling the Spirit Orbs above his paw while starind down at the terrified Jong.

Master Ding.

"It was YOUR idea to reside in my castle on MY mountain, despite the many times people warned you not to. That choice is now costing you dearly. You'll be the only one taking the fall for all of this. Because these days, everyone finds it immature to blame your faults on ghosts. You came about this without thinking of the consequences. Now look what situation you've placed yourself in. You're stuck with me until I either fail or succeed, and I don't plan to fail. Either way, you'll be finished by the time this is over." He grinned. "And whatever happens to you will be of no consequence to me."

Jong shook his head. "You're out of your mind if you think I'll continue subjcting to your sick games!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Ding raised his other paw, and a blue chi bubble came into existence. Jong's eyes widened when he saw his son sleeping in said bubble. "Remember the reason why you're stuck here, Jong. Even you aren't cruel enough to leave your son behind. However... _I'm_ cruel enough to keep him out of your reach until I'm satisfied. I'm a ghost. I don't have to play fair when it suits me so well." The chi bubble disappeared along with the boy, and he grinned evilly. "Oh, I almost forgot. Hope your leg heals properly, Jong. Tehahahahaha!" He vanished to anither part of the mansion, leaving Jong alone in the dark with the echoing cackling.

The takin was left alone, as he's slowly come to regret the immense error in judgement he's made in ever coming across this mountain...


	33. The Garnet Valley

"Alright...I still can't believe that you went toe-to-toe with the Qidan King and you _won_." Mantis said while riding on Po's hat, as the panda munches cheerfully on a dumpling.

"I don't think I technically _won_ that fight, Mantis." Po shrugged. "His soldiers got in the way, and he found that unacceptable. He forfeited as a result, even when I kicked their butts too. I doubt it matters now, though. We both got what we wanted in the end."

"True. But it's still pretty mind-boggling that you picked a fight with royalty in order to defend royalty." Mei Ling added.

Po placed a paw on his chin while thinking about that statement. "Huh...I guess that is pretty weird."

"Though to be fair...that tradition was pretty messed up." Monkey said. "Glad you ended it when you did. And it's pretty good luck that Temutai is a man of his word. He may be a bit of a jerk, but he's no promise-breaker. That's what I kinda gathered from him."

"Yeah. Just break through that stubborn invisible shield that being a warrior king has placed around him, and you get an actually decent-enough guy. It really is weird." Po bli ked when he heard the sounds of pained groans and exhausted sighs. He noticed that those sounds belonged to a tired and excessively exhausted Crane, who was covered in bruises from his wings to his head. "Crane? What happened to you?" He blinked before remembering. "Oh! Fenghuang's flight training. Well, how was it?"

"Flight training...not doing so good the first time. She's...absolutely ruthless when it comes to teaching me how to fly her way..." he coughed before he adjusted his hat and sighed. "On the plus side, I lasted longer than Zeng."

"What happened to Zeng?"

"I can't feel my wings..." The messenger goose groaned as he lied on the ground in bandages, whike Fenghuang and Shifu stood over him. The former huffed at him.

"What are you, a fragile hatchling? We haven't even gotten to the serious flying yet and you're already starting to break apart."

"Excuse me for not being as durable as the rest of you!" He shouted, before holding his side in pain again.

"Hm...good point. I'm gonna have to work on that stamina and endurance of hours when I get the chance. Crane had his Kung Fu Training at Lee Da to do that for him."

Zeng realizes what this means for him, and he sighed in annoyance at himself. "Me and my big beak..." he grumbled, which made Fenghuang laugh heartily.

"Regarding the circumstances of Po's duel with Temutai, I must ask you something, Fenghuang." Shifu started, staring up at the owl. "I know that you taught Po some of the Impossible Moves. But just how many did you teach him?"

"Hm? Oh. I taught him seven."

"WHAT?! ALL SEVEN OF THEM?!" Shifu shouted in surprise. Fenghuang raised an eyebrow, before her by eyes widened with amusement.

"Oh that's right...you don't know. Or maybe I told you and you forgot. Doesn't matter much."

"Know what?"

"Gather around, children. Fenghuang has something interesting to tell you." The owl gestured to everyone with her wings except for Po and Mr. Ping, already knowing what she was about to say. "Originally there were only _seven_ Impossible Moves, right?"

"Right."

"So while I was training Po on how to use some of them..." she smirked. "I created five more."

...

"...What?"

"That's right, Big Ears. I raised the maximum amount of Impossible Moves from Seven, to _Twelve_."

Shifu gazed at her in shock. He had always known that Fenghuang was formidable and was a gifted Master. But that...that was insane to hear. "T...T...Twelve? You from created five more Impossible Moves...?" He rubbed his head in an attempt to calm his growing headache. "But that should be... _impossible!_ "

"EXACTLY!" Fenghuang grinned madly, which unnerved Crane and Zeng just a bit. "All it took was a little imagination and creativity on my part. I put a move in my head, develop it from scratch, practice it for a while, and boom! More Impossible Moves." She turner a proud smile towards Po. "However...Po managed to take an even _more_ creative approach towards it."

"He did...?"

"Of course. Remember back when we got the primate on board? He said **Wind Hammer** instead of **Thundering Wind Hammer**. The trade off was taking away the power going with 'Thundering' so that 'Wind Hammer' can be use a bit more easily and quickly, as well as forming them to his benefit. As such, any of the moves can be tweaked with to better suit him." She closed her eyes. "Still, I always told him to be careful when using these Impossible Moves in succession."

"There are downsides to these moves as well?" Peng asked. Fenghuang nodded.

"Po definitely has some great creativity when it comes to shaping the Impossible Moves to his liking, something even I haven't thought of. However...the only serious issue is his stamina. He hasn't been using them as long as I have, so his Chi tends to burn out pretty quickly if he isn't careful. Hence why he collasped in exhaustion when the fight ended the time that it did. Don't misundstand when I say this. Temutai is a buffoon, but I have to give him some credit when it comes to fighting. Po did do serious damage but it would have taken much more to actually bring him down. Had the match kept going on despite the interruption, Po would have surely lost."

Viper's eyes widened. "Woah...really?" The owl nodded, causing Viper to look down in deep thought. She remembered that Po was getting batted around by Temutai all around the village for a bit, until he pulled out his Impossible Moves. Then he just fell on his back when it ended with him winning by Temutai's forfeit.

"So in some sense...Po kinda lucked out." Fung said.

"That's one way to look at it." Fenghuang nodded. "This isn't that bad an experience, though. Just has to work on his stamina, then he'll eventually get better. Thinking ahead won't hurt, either."

"I still have plenty of stuff to learn, obviously." Po said as he sat up and yawned, scratching his belly. "Hey, I almost forgot. Dad, how is the Noodle Cart going?"

"I knew it would do so well, Po! Look at all this loot!" Mr. Ping gleamed, holding the bags of yuan in the cart. "With enough time and work, we'll be able to upgrade it!"

Po's eyes began sparkling. "Sweet! It can have bigger compartments, bigger storage, good-smelling incense..."

"And a bigger banner, and more tools, and more spaced out..." Mr. Ping gasped. "It can be a method of transport, even!"

"A really cool ride!"

"It'll be a Super Noodle Cart with a Super Banner! AND SUPER WINGS!"

"A SUPER NOODLE CART THAT FLIES?! THAT'S AWESOME!" Po and Mr. Ping's eyes began sparkling, having full confidence in their ideas. Then their eyes slowly turned to Taotie, who suddenly felt uneasy.

"...What?" He asked, feeling awkward. Then he understood, and shook his head. "Oh...oh don't even think about it. I'm NOT placing such excessive modifications on a mere noodle cart!"

"Come on, Taotie!" Mr. Ping begged. "Be a pal! Its such a great idea!"

"When will wings on a NOODLE CART _EVER_ be considered useful?!"

"For when I have customers in the sky. You never know with fliers these days."

"Yeah! How do you know people that can fly won't be hungry?" Po agreed, placing his paws on his hips.

Taotie stared at them in disbelief. "...There's...not a lot of things going around inside of your heads, is there?"

"What do you mean...?" They asked while tilting their heads in the same direction with a look of confusion on both of their faces.

"Bah...nevermind."

"Hey Dad...check this out." Taotie turned around at his son's call. Bian Zao pointed a distance ahead of them, which revealed a large palace with the outside appearance of a fortress. "Wonder who could be living in there...?"

Shifu lowered his eyes as he recalled the familiar fortress. "As I thought. The Garnet Palace. We may have to be careful if we're moving near there. This also means that we may be heading towards the village it's responsible for."

"So far ahead, we're already closing in on another Valley? How surprising." Song said in wonder. "But why do we have to be careful?"

"One of the fellow Masters, Master Mugan, resides in the Garnet Palace. She's modified it into some sort of fortress I see. We must try not to attract attention from her." He said as he began stroking his beard. "She must have gotten the message by now. So if she spots me...it won't end well for any of us. Which makes the cloaks made for me and Fenghuang all the more necessary. Conflicts with official Masters is something we must aim to avoid."

"Yeah...we got that part." Mantis said slowly, then pointed his foreleg at him. "But it appears to me that you have your own reasons for avoiding this Mugan person."

Shifu paused for a while, before he placed his hood hack over his head and began moving towards the Valley ahead of them. "We have...contrasting methods of teaching our students."

" _Very_ contrasting." Tigress added as she walked beside him, tightening her scarf slightly. The look of anger on her face gave everyone the confirmation they needed. Tigress and Shifu have some sort of conflict with Master Mugan, and the latter wishes to avoid going through that again.

Fenghuang raised an eyebrow at this. "Woah, Big Ears. I thought you would be one to praise the Fish for all of her Kung Fu Skill. You came to blows with her?" She quipped slightly, only to be genuinely surprised when Shifu gripped Oogway's Staff in silent anger. "...I was just messing around...you fought with her?"

"...Almost." Shifu confessed. And he didn't say anything else about it, for the moment. Tigress visibly relaxed a bit as well. It was official. Whatever Mugan said or did to seriously tick Shifu off, it had something to do with Tigress.

"...So wait. Master Mugan is a fish?" Monkey scratched his head, which gladly broke the tense silence placed over them. "...well then."

"Thats all you have to say about it?" Viper sighed.

"So to recap...we gotta make sure we don't draw too much attention, right?" Song smiled. "I think we'll manage if that's all we have to do. Not a problem at all."

"Of course not. Not for you at least." Lian looked towards her. "We've all established that you're really good at being sneaky. Considering your...skills."

"I can't really be a thief if I'm not sneaky, now can I?" Song snickered. "It's about time we get going. Sooner we get around the Garnet Valley, the more better off we'll be."

"Yeah, she's right guys." Fung nodded. Song smiled as she began following the others. Fung felt his face get warmer as she walked past him with a just as warm smile. He blinked and shook his head. _And now I'm blushing around her again. Jeez..._

Shifu continued to move onward ahead of everyone else. This was the first time they would be crossing territory actually under protection from a Master. And due to his earlier send out to many other major figures in China, the entire Garnet Valley may be very well aware of his current status. If this was the case, he'll have to be extra cautious not to show his face. He hoped he would not have to remind Fenghuang to do the same. There will be some serious trouble in store for the group if they don't...

 **(Garnet Valley)**

"WWWWOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH! THIS PLACE LOOKS AWESOME!" Po, Monkey, Mantis, and Monkey beamed at the Village before them.

The houses here look much more well-built and sturdier than any of the houses in the Valley of Peace. They also reflect off of one of the major signature themes of the village, which is precision. It reflected a little off the citizens around here as well, as everyone seems to be cooperating effectively and From Shifu's description, this Valley is mainly based off what Mugan's Kung Fu Style is. Something he didn't reveal, as he was sure they could figure that out for themselves. Tigress was able to figure it out easily. And there was no doubt in her mind...that she was clearly not a fan.

Mei Ling was casually looking it over compared to everyone else, while sighing in what almost sounds like disappointment. Crane took notice of this immediately. "Mei Ling?"

"Ehhh...the place looks great and all. But..." she tilted her head. "These people. Take a good look at them, guys. Not a lot of them look pretty happy. They look...depressed. As if...I dunno. Someone really gave their spirits a serious beatdown and they retreated into their shells as well as being too afraid to come out of them."

"Wow. That sounds a bit...depressing."

"It does sound that way, does it?" Mei Ling shrugged. "But not to worry, we'll fix that soon enough!"

"No, Mei Ling." Shifu tried to dissuade her. "I know this is difficult to deal with, but we must remain out of trouble. If we try to object with whatever Master Mugan is doing to operate the village, we'll be creating conflict with her. We don't need that kind of attention at the moment, not with our current status."

"I agree with Big Ears. Mugan is certainly not a very likeable person in my eyes, but we have to steer clear of her agitation while we're unknown." Fenghuang said. "Though the idea of staying hidden for very long won't be coming true."

"What? Why not?"

"Take a look." Fenghuang gestured her wing to show that Po, Viper Crane, Lian, Monkey, Mantis, Peng, and Mei Ling have already taken off without much warning. Mrs. Yoon seems to have accompanied them. As expected, Shifu was not amused. His facepalm signifies this greatly. Also just as expected, Peng chuckled in amusement.

"Po stopped listening after a while. The others are off to keep him out of serious trouble."

"Youth...why is it wasted on the foolish..." Shifu facepalmed angrily.

Fenghuang chuckled. "You're not that skilled with actual good decisions yourself, Midget."

"Grrr..."

"Aww...don't tell me I've made you angry so easily."

"If I may say something." Song said. "We split up, maybe this is a chance to do a little recon, ya know? We're passing through, we might as well gather information. We might not want to get involved with Master Mugan, but we can at least see what she's doing. Because Mei Ling is right about the villagers. Something is very wrong here."

"It might help a little. And we could buy a couple things, too." Fung agreed.

"Buy items and sell noodles...what a splendid combination as always!" Mr. Ping grinned. He pulled on his Noodle Cart and began pulling it along. "Noodles! Ping's Noodle Cart coming along! Get yourself some delicious noodles!" He cheered. "I also have bean buns and fresh dumplings! Come up and help yourselves!"

 _Did ANYONE listen to me when I said WE MUSTN'T DRAW ANY ATTENTION?!_ Shifu thought angrily while rubbing a growing vein of anger and frustration on his head. It's like he was talking to a bunch of brick walls!

...or Fenghuang.

...His imagination wondered a bit as he imagined brick walls with Fenghuang's faces in them, while shivering. It was unfortunate that brick walls we're easier to break than the owl herself.

He sighed deeply as he pulled his hood over his head. "Regardless...we mustn't cause trouble. I doubt that Mr. Ping will be able to draw _too much_ attention to himself. But just in case, we should accompany him nonetheless. Just to be safe."

"That would be best for the moment, yes." Tigress nodded, while wearing a nervous smile at Mr. Ping's view on the situation. It didn't seem to be a proper way to deal with their somewhat depressed faces.

She was in for a major surprise.

A sad and straight-faced sheep would come over to the noodle cart since he didn't have anything better to do. Mr. Ping nodded and handed him a bowl of noodles. With a sigh, he would take the bowl and have a sip with chopsticks. His eyes widened almost immediately as he allowed the taste to linger for a while. And when the wait ended, he snapped out of his depressed mood, and began eating the noodles as if he hadn't eaten in months. Everyone else around them stopped and widened their eyes in surprise at the sheep's sudden excitement. When he finally finished, he handed the bowl back.

"That...that was...FANTASTIC! Please kind sir, can I have more?"

"Of course you can!" Mr. Ping smiled. "Luckily for me I tend to come prepared. But I'm also gonna need some space, a lot of people around, ya know."

"Oh of course!" After some surprisingly enthusiastic convincing, some of the crowd made room for Mr. Ping and his cart, and he immediately went to work. His friends cleverly blend into the background so that they can oversee his progress in a somewhat safe manner. A couple minutes of fast-paced cooking that impressed Shifu greatly, Mr. Ping was able to hand out more bowls for the crowd around them, including the sheep himself. They watched him eagerly eat his noodles again, before slowly trying them for themselves. Then they too, found the reason why he was suddenly so cheery, and now they we're cheery too.

They have never tasted such amazing noodles before. And he didn't even hand out his bean buns and dumplings yet.

"Well look at that. Mr. Ping won them over with their stomachs." Bian Ziao yawned, scratching his back. "He's that good, huh? Wish I could cook that fast." He looked down in thought about that. "Maybe...meh. Why not?" With neither his father's nor Shifu's permission nor expectations, Bian Ziao pushed gently through the crowd and got to the noodle cart. He proceeded to wrap an apron around him and proceed to assist him through the orders increasing the amount of progress being made. More hands we're needed since they were serving a crowd.

"So much for not attracting attention." Taotie quipped. Shifu sighed and facepalmed, partially giving up on that now. They were distracted by the loud rumbling of a nearby stomach. They turned to Fenghuang, who shrugged her wings.

"What? I remember that he won me over with his food AND kindness. But I REALLY like his food." She admitted with another shrug. "He's the very reason I became a bigger eater."

"Regardless, there's no way we can avoid being found now. Leaving Mr. Ping behind is still too dangerous." Zeng said. "So we might as well...help him out. If any trouble comes are way, we can always run."

"Or fight." Fenghuang added.

"Fighting will make it worse!"

"Gah, fine! I don't really care for the fish but I don't want you all getting into crap, either. So fine. I'll behave for Mr. Ping's safety."

"Thank you." Shifu sighed. His ear twitched slightly, but his face says that he's giving up on simplicity for the moment. _Right now, I have to focus on keeping Mr. Ping away from hostile eyes since there's no undoing the attention now. I also hope the others don't get into any messes, either..._

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Well, we kinda sneaked off while Shifu was still talking. You think he'll be mad about that?" Mei Ling wondered, arms behind her neck.

"Nah, he'll be fine. After all, we just can't bring too much attention to ourselves. If we do that, we're good." Po says casually, having Viper gently wrapped around his neck. She was careful not to hang on too tightly. "So we just gotta pass through without looking too suspicious or cause any trouble. That's easy."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Po." Viper said as she gaze around at some of the villagers watching them walk by. "I can take a pretty wild guess and say that they've never seen a panda before. That's bound to get some of them wondering."

Po blinked, rubbing his neck. "Oooh...right. I haven't thought about that."

"Of course you didn't." Crane sighed. "Well, they've already seen you. So we should do our best...not to make it worse. Okay?"

"Alright, I got it. Besides, this looks like a decently peaceful place. What does it matter? I'm not causing any trouble, and I'm bothering anyone. Do they shouldn't have a reason to get hostile with us. Right?"

Lian tilted her head. "I dunno, Po. There's always the chance that we gotta expect the unexpected. That's an unexpected event that can happen."

"Do you have ANY idea how difficult it is to truly do that?" Mantis said. "Expect the unexpected. We don't expect a lot of things, you know."

"Bah. You're just being a bad sport."

"You think you can talk to me, Lian?! You're only 17!"

"Yep. And you're obviously an adult. A pretty small adult, might I add.."

"Why must you call me small...?"

"You get offended far too many easily sometimes." Monkey noted, seeing Mantis stare at the ground with slight sadness. "Usually you're up and ready to knock someone's teeth out when they insult your size."

"Yeah...but we can't draw too much attention. Plus fighting with Lian might be unfair. I can't draw attention to us. Because I tend to get kinda loud when I'm riled up."

"Your shouting matches with Lidong sure proved that theory right."

"Yeah...I wonder how he's doing?" Mantis asked himself wondering how his monster-sized friend is doing on his own. "Heh. He's gonna try to be on his best behavior. I hope he can pull that off."

"Hopefully very well. I want him to succeed." Mrs. Yoon smiled. "He could have never have gotten as far as he did without your friendship, Mantis."

"Huh? Well...yeah. I am a pretty cool guy to be around."

"Just barely." Monkey whispered to Peng, who couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!"

"Guys. Might wanna stop arguing for a sec." Crane advised. "Check out who's in that prison cage" Crane's wing gestured to a metal bars cage to the side of them. Inside it, was a wolf in the usual Lin Kuei attire. He also looks like he's been beaten relentlessly and without remorse. Yet he didn't even seem to be bothered by them in the slightest. In fact, he doesn't seem to acknowledge his injuries much at all. He just glances at them time to time, then stares back at the ceiling. "I know the Lin Kuei are a bad bunch...but this one doesn't seem like he's associated with them despite the clothes."

"If anything...he seems to _hate_ that he's wearing them. Why would he?" Mei Ling wondered. "He's pretty young looking, too..."

Mrs. Yoon was the only one who was completely wide-eyed in shock, as well as covering her mouth with her hooves. Her body trembled with worry as well as relief, along with wonder. She remembered this wolf all too well. Her memories played back as the most important pieces of the conversation replayed in her head:

 _"Those wolves that attacked me...they said your name was Ànyǐng."_

 _"Yes, that is my name."_

 _"Ànyǐng...hm...yes. I must promise to remember that name. I need to remember that name. I just feel...that it is very necessary to do."_

 _"Tell them whatever you like. But for your sake and theirs...I was never here."_

 _"You saved my life...surely you can at least meet them?"_

 _"I hope you'll be alright...despite this horrific turn of events."_

Mrs. Yoon understood now. This wolf saved her life from the Valley Of Peace massacre. His name was also on the list that Oogway made...

"I never thought our paths would cross again..." Mrs. Yoon whispered softly as she approached the cage.

"Mrs. Yoon, what's up?" Po asked, watching her walk up to the cage.

The goat made it up to the bars,.placed a hoof on the metal cage, and said gently: "I knew it would be necessary...to remember your name. Ànyǐng."

The wolf's eyes widened considerably as he got up and stared at the on speaking to him. And no doubt, it was the same goat that he had saved back then. "You...what are you doing here...?"

"I'm the one who should be asking you that." Mrs. Yoon replied, her arm reaching out through the space between the bars. She saw the gazes that the others we're giving her, and she turned around to explain. "Young ones...this is Ànyǐng. He is on your friend list...and he's also the one who saved my life."

"WHAT?!" Po shouted loud enough for many people to hear, no longer caring about being detected. His gaze completely locked onto the young wolf before him. He slowly walked over to the cage and stared at the lock keeping it closed. "Mantis..."

"Right. Pick-a-lock." Mantis nodded as he hopped off Po's hat and directly onto the lock, and used his forelegs to carefully and accurately pick the lock. "One here...another there...ha! Got it!" Mantis cheered as he knocked the lock aside and the cage opened up slowly.

"Hey...where did you learn how to do that?" Viper glared accusingly at him. He folder his forelegs.

"Ah come on. Surely you'd have more faith in my natural skills than that Vi? Being stuck in a cage with Lidong not around to smash it open...I had to improvise somehow."

Ànyǐng was overcome with surprise as Po had him in a tight bear hug. He was unprepared for it, and also surprised that a Panda was hugging him. This was turning into a very strange well for him, in many ways. Po just kept the wolf in his furry embrace. "Dude...seriously...you have no idea how great this is. You're on my friend list...and you saved Mrs. Yoon's life. You're the reason she's with us right now. I...I gotta thank you immensely for this."

Ànyǐng didn't know what else he could do at the moment. So he stuck to nodding politely. "It...it was no trouble. I'm still feeling bad that I wasn't able to save more of the villagers..."

"Don't talk like that, man! Sure it's sad that the others are gone, but what matters is that you saved _someone._ No matter what, that's infinitely better than no survivors at all."

The young wolf looked up at the panda as he was gently set down, his eyes filled with surprise. "Really...?"

"HALT!" Their conversation was cut short by the appearance of a couple guards around in the area, a majority of them were rhinos. "Those guys set the prisoner free!"

"That makes them ALL prisoners then! In the name of Master Mugan!"

Crane facewinged. "How did I know that this would happen...?"

"Well there's no use complaining about not being seen now. Because they spotted us setting one of their prisoners free. But he's not a bad guy." Monkey shrugged. "Though I'll doubt they'll listen to us even if we explain."

"Then we just gonna have to fight and then run. Sounds troublesome, but what choice do we have?" Viper said, unslithering from Po's neck and onto the ground.

"Still think it's a bit weird." Mantis tilted his head. "You guys realize you work for a fish...right?"

"HOW DARE YOU CALL MISS MUGAN A MERE FISH YOU INSIGNIFICANT TINY BUG!?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING TINY AND INSIGNIFICANT?!" Mantis growled. "Forget not attracting attention! I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Trying to imprison the one of saved a close friend of mine..." Po said quietly as he pounded one fist into another. "You guys are going down! And Master Mugan is next!"

"WHAT?!" Crane shouted. "Why are we going after Master Mugan all of a sudden?!"

Mei Ling stepped forward, twirling her staff. "Its like I said, Crane. And the things Shifu said too. Whatever she's doing to these folk, it's making them miserable. Since we can't do anything about it until we find more information, we'll be taking it out on these guys."

Ànyǐng struggled a bit, supporting himself with a nearby wall. What the heck just happened? Everything was perfectly fine until they showed up to free him and thank them. Then all of they decided to pick a fight with Master Mugan? They sure we're a random bunch.

Except for Crane, who was raising his ears getting ready to fight, was quietly complaining about how rotten their luck gotten in such a short pan of time."I should have stayed with Shifu..."

* * *

 **They were supposed to not draw too much attention to themselves. But thanks to the separate actions of Po and Mr. Ping...you can see how well THAT'S turned out...Not very good.**

 **...meh. They'll figure something out...**

 **...probably.**

 **See ya then.**


	34. Tigress And Master Mugan

"How did this happen? Can someone please tell me how this sort of thing could have happened?" Crane asked repeatedly as he flew above the massive crowd of rhino guards that swarmed the area. He was the only one visibly annoyed with the situation because they were NOT supposed to draw attention. Of course, Po being Po, that possibility was not very likely.

They were risking their safety for a Lin Kuei member, who wasn't really a Lin Kuei member. He had saved Mrs. Yoon's life in a situation where she certainly wouod have died. That gave Po enough of a reason to lend him a paw.

Which lead to a bit of conflict with the guards after a few harsh words were exchanged. Crane didn't want this. The others we're too occupied to care, however, which left his complaints unheard.

Mei Ling dashed past many of them and hit their sides with her staff, leaving them open to vicious kicks from Mantis. He swiped last them with multiple blurs, which made it look like they we're being attacked by nothing. The indents of tiny feet in their cheeks were the only indicstion they could perceive before they were launched away a far distance.

Monkey was more for avoiding all they threw at him. He sat on a roof while staring down at the complaining rhinos trying to reach him to no avail. "Hey...you guys realize you're working for a _fish_...right? A freaking fish."

"You outsiders continue to badmouth Mistress Mugan?! She is one of the most revered and well-respected Kung Fu Masters in all of China! You should-" The rhinos stopped ranting when they saw Monkey balancing on his tail and scratching his head with one paw and scratching his back with the other. "...Are you even listening?!"

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that. I was too busy not caring."

"YOU STUPID APE!"

"Noooo, my name is MONKEY. Sheesh, they never get it right." Monkey shook his head as one of them threw a lance at him, which he dodged easily. He noticed a second one coming his way, this time dodging by back flipping with ease. When another one came his way, he caught it with his tail. "Oh...so close." He tossed it upwards, as Peng jumped up and caught it in midair.

"Here, you can have it back!" He tossed it right into the center of the group he faced, scaring the wits out of them when actual cracks formed in the ground upon impact. Then Peng came down himself feet first, knocking one of them out and making him crash into one of his allies. They will recoiled a bit when he effortlessly caught another lance and through it right back at them, almost slashing one of them on accident. Peng definitely intimidated them. He noticed Lian was jumping off of their heads and knocking them inti the ground, repeating the process with each new rhino in her way. He smiled a bit, which she noticed and returned.

"What's with those two!? We can't even get near them!" One of the groups shouted in shock. The attention went to Po and Viper, the latter being securely wrapped around his neck whike his eyes were shadowed by his hat. Every time one of them tried to attack Po, Viper would lash out with her tail acting as a painful whip to one part of their body they would hold in pain, and Po would go in and knock them out. It didn't help that either of them could take these rhinos out on their own. Po continues to deliver crushing blows to each rhino that he passed by, usually knocking a few of them out in the process.

One of them tried to pry Viper away from Po in an attempt to weaken their cooperation. This was met with a black furred fist shattering his jaw and sending him spiralling into the house across from them. It was then and there that the rhinos were smart enough to call it quits when it's been made clear they weren't arresting anyone. Po backed up as he showed his eyes to them.

"...Beat it."

That was all they needed. They scrambled and fell over one another as they tried to get away from the warriors that obviously outclassed them.

"See, why can't all thugs be that smart?" Lian asked.

"Becuase many of them aren't weak." Peng answered her honestly.

Po took a deep breath and sighed. And just like that, his seriousness was gone. "Whew...they weren't much of an issue, were they?"

"They we're just the patrollers, Po. We would have had a few issues if we ran into the actual palace guards. They might be just a bit tougher." Viper informed him.

"Meh. We'll be fine. We'll totally be fine." Po waved it off, making his sister figure sigh. "Anywaayy...how ya doing, canine buddy?" He turned towards Ànyǐng, who was watching the entire thing while keeping close to Mrs. Yoon.

"Uh...thanks for helping me, I guess? But why would you suddenly burst in helping me despite the consequences that are very much possible?" He asked.

"Eh. We'll worry about that when we get to that part." Po shrugged. "So, should we get going back to our friends? We're totally safe for the moment. Until Mugan sends some more guards after us, that is. Can't attack her head-on if we're dealing with her guards."

"I STILL think that's a terrible idea!" Crane shouted.

"Oh relax, Crane. It can't be that bad." Monkey shrugged as he followed Po and the others away from the area where they caused the chaos. Crane could only sigh as he covered his face.

"Now then, I believe we have a lot to talk about." Mrs. Yoon patted Ànyǐng's leg, gaining his attention, and a nervous smile.

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Have a nice day, everyone!" Mr. Ping waved to the entire crowd as they all left with full stomachs and much better attitudes. His grin was as wide as ever, and he turned to his friends. "I appreciate the assistance. You can all take a breather-"

"Zzzzzz...zzzzzz..." Bian Ziao didn't need to be told twice. He promptly placed his apron on the noodle cart and passed out on the ground, snoring away his exhaustion. Taotie sighed as he sat down and rubbed his forehead.

"Shifu...I really do wish my son was more like your daughter. Actually being more active...and other stuff..."

"Lazy Ass has been trying his hardest to help Mr. Ping out with this. So I think he deserves a bit of relaxing for the moment." Fenghuang said, preening her feathers. Then she burped in an unladylike fashion. "He does have his skill in cooking. Maybe he could learn a thing or two."

"Do you even care one bit about manners?" Shifu asked with a sigh. "I already know the answer, and yet I keep asking in a sense of false hope..."

"I wouldn't see it as false hope. More like hopeful persistence. Eventually you'll get an answer you like. Maybe. I dunno." Song shrugged as she sat in a chair with her parasol over her head. "But it really was nice to feed all of these people."

"And there was plenty left for us, which is also cool." Fung added, licking his chops. "Having plenty leftover to feed ourselves after feeding like one part of a neighborhood of people is definitely a win-win."

Tigress folded her arms. "As long as we're doing good, our own pleasantries should probably remain second." She says with a serious face...right before licking noodle juice from her lips. "Now that we've pleased the crowd, they seem a bit happier now. So that's excellent progress on it's own."

Fung tapped his chin a bit, then groaned in aggravation. "Aw man...we forgot to ask them what was the deal with this Valley in the first place!"

"Hold on. We were only supposed to be passing by. I know it's unfortunate for them, but we can't get involved in a Master's business with the status we have. It'll be disastrous at a later time, I'm sure." Shifu said.

"Have a bit more faith, will ya?" Fenghuang yawned. "They'll be fine. So long as _our_ faces aren't seen, we'll be alright. It won't matter too much of their faces are seen. No one here knows them. But they know us. Which one will be more disadvantageous to us, I wonder?" She said under her cloak.

Shifu also made sure his hooded-cloak his his face, as he stroked his beard again. "They'll be seen as suspicious citizens alright. My guess is our kind of visit seems a bit too mysterious. But on the other hand, if Master Mugan hears about the two of us appearing in her Valley, she'll use all of her resources in order to eliminate us with extreme prejudice."

"She'd really go through with that crap?" Fung asked, curiously. "Why would she do something like that just to get rid of the two of you?"

Fenghuang made a small wave gesture with her wings. "Look at us kid, we're Kung Fu Rogues who left the honors of Kung Fu for the others. She doesn't take kindly to those who back out like that."

Shifu nodded. "It's true. She takes it even more seriously than I ever could. Exceot if it doesn't meet to her likings, she criticizes it greatly. I used to hold a great amount of respect for her...but I changed my mind." He clenched Oogway's staff. "And I'm glad I did. It allowed me to see her true colors..."

"True colors...?" Mr. Ping asked curiously.

"Lemme break it down for you." Fenghuang offered. "She puts the 'Alpha' in Alpha Bitch."

"...Oh."

"It's not an exaggeration, Mr. Ping. She thinks she's a better Kung Fu Master than she really is. She always puts others down because it doesn't suit her 'views' on it. Anything that doesn't meet her satisfaction is merely scum to her. And that's everyone who has ever tried to learn from her." Fenghuang sighed. "I at least know when I'm lacking something. Plus spending the years with you and Po mellowed me out a bit, not gonna lie. But she wants to view herself as some sort of sage, when she's clearly NOT."

Fung sat up a bit after hearing her out. "Wow...she sounds seriously unpleasant."

"It's because she is. Plain and simple." Tigress growled. "She has no resoect for people's hard-earned efforts. That and my own personal experience meeting her...I can't stand people like her. I might never be able to."

"Oh yeah. You and Shifu we're kinda grinding your teeth whenever you mentioned her. You two have some personal grudge against Master Mugan or something, do you?"

Tigress and Shifu looked far off, at the Garnet Palace where Master Mugan resides, quietpy glaring at it with resentment. This was all Fung needed to confirm his theory, hut he still doesn't have any idea as to why they would intensely dislike her, besides the attitude they described her with. Though the dislike seems to be stemming much more strongly from Tigress for some reason. He also noticed that Zeng shifted nervously every time her name was mentioned. There was no doubt about it, something has definitely went down between them.

"We probably won't figure out too much if we stick around too long. I'm gonna go search around." Song said as she stood up and picked up her parasol. "Fung, you wanna come with me?"

"W-Wha?!" Fung sputtered in surprise. "Do I have to?"

"Why not? For the time being we're pretty much in the dark. Plus we've all eaten and rested well enough."

Fung blushed slightly as Song tilted her head slightly in wonder of his nervousness. Looking away seemed to be his only remedy for the blush on his face. "Aaaahhm...well...it would be easier for you to go on your own, you know. You're much sneakier than I am. While I can be a bit sneaky myself, I'd hold you up."

Song seemed to accept this excuse, as she sighed with her ears slightly folded. "Guess I'm going in solo. I can make do with that." She shrugged as she used her parasol to give her shade and walk away casually.

"Hey! You better not steal anything while we're not watching you." Tigress warned.

"Oh come on, Tigress! Po trusts me fully, why can't you?"

"Because she's many times smarter than he is." Fenghuang deadpanned. No one spoke up to argue with the truth.

"...Okay you've got me there. But just be a pal and trust me anyway, kay?" Song smiled cheerfully as she turned and continued on her way, with a skeptical Tigress watching her leave.

"It'll be fine, Tigress. Sometimes we just gotta take risks." Fung said.

Tigress sighed as she rubbed her neck. "With our current status, risk-taking is kind of a necessity."

"Excuse me. I was told that someone was serving noodles around here?"

Tigress turned around to the source of the voice. Then her eyes widened. She recognized this goat very easily. His eyes were yellow-brown, fur color was tan, he wears a gold tunic with maroon and cream accents.

"Wu Yong."

The goat's eyes brightened at the sight of her. "I recognize those stripes, those eyes, AND that scarf. It's you, Tigress?!" Tigress practically pounced upon Wu Yong and hugged him tightly and happily. Relief also seemed to emit from the sight of this goat. "And the strength...you're Tigress alright..."

"Wu Yong. I can't believe I'm actually seeing you again!" Tigress happily stated. "I mean, I knew you'd be around somewhere, but I didn't think we'd run into one another."

"Wu Yong! You're okay!" Zeng said gleefully.

Shifu nodded. "I'm glad you're alright, despite what's happened."

Wu Yong nodded and bowed to the three of them. "Master Shifu...Tigress...Zeng. it's wonderful to see the three of you. Especially you, Tigress. You've matured into quite a young woman." He saw her blush in response to this, and he chuckled lightly. "And you're still just as shy as I last saw you. Just as well, I see you've brought some friends. However I didn't expect one of them to be Master Fenghuang."

"Well damn. Look who's so smart to figure that out so quickly." Fenghuang rolled her eyes.

"Not to worry, I'm not planning to tell anyone of your presence here. I honestly just wanted some noodles." Wu Yong grinned.

Mr. Ping smiled. "Bah, I've got plenty of material to spare. Why not?"

Quickly, a bowl of noodles have been served to Wu Yong, and he was seen eating them enthusiastically. "This amazing!" He grinned cheerfully. "Now I'm supposing that you all would like to know how me, Shifu, Tigress, and Zeng know each other." He then looked down at Bian Ziao, who was still sleeping away. "Besides this young man right here..."

"Oh. Thats just Lazy Ass. Don't mind him." Fenghuang waved.

"My son is most definitely NOT lazy! He's just...highly motivated to not to do anything." Taotie weakly defended.

"...that's laziness."

"No it isn't!"

"Anyway..." Fung interrupted them both to make sure attention is back on Wu Yong. "Mind telling us the story now?"

"Right. The story." Wu Yong sighed. "It's gonna explain a lot about how the dynamics between us and Master Mugan have been dramatically affected by our interactions. Tigress opened my eyes to what kind of person Mugan really was...but it was too late for me to do anything about it. As a result, I've received quite a long lasting injury...and it sparked a grudge within Tigress. A powerful one."

"Indeed." Shifu sighed. "Master Mugan and her servants came to visit the Jade Palace and stayed with us for a month. Tigress was fifteen at the time...

 **(Seven Years Ago)**

"I still have a few kinks to work out. But other than that, I should be doing fine." Tigress said as she wiped sweat from her forehead. She had been spending quite a lot of time balancing her overwhelming strength between knowing when to restrain it and knowing when to release it into her strikes. So far, she had completely devastated her training dummies on one end, and left some mostly intact on the other. She was definitely improving.

She went over to the rack near the entrance to the training room and wiped her sweat off with a towel Zeng always made sure he left behind for her. She places it back on the rack, and puts on her scarf. Whenever she's doing truly strenuous training, or when she was eating, she would take her scarf off in order to not damage it too much. It was her only connection to Po besides her memories, and she was not going to let it get tainted for any reason whatsoever.

And speaking of eating...thanks to having tasted Mr. Ping's cooking for an entire week before his departure with Po and Fenghuang, Tigress had been eating much more than she usually did ever since then. Tasting Mr. Ping's food at seven years old, and she still misses it dearly. Though it did persuade her to more often. She was usually a bit too timid to eat a lot, but now she's grown much more confident. She heard(from a distance) from some women in the Valley of Peace that they don't usually eat much in order to keep their figure. She didn't understand the big issue. When there was enough to go around, she usually stuffed herself after a hard day of training. Sure she wasn't as big an eater as Po, but it was definitely noticeable. And she never gained any weight from it, not that she noticed or cared much. Most who have seen her wonder how she hasn't gained weight, and where that food actually goes besides her stomach.

...she _did_ feel her chest getting a bit heavier without her wrap on...maybe...nah.

Tigress turned to the sound of flapping noises as she heard Zeng fly into the room...and smack into one of the pillars because he didn't stop himself in time. She watched with a sweatdrop as he slowly slid down onto the floor and then hold his beak in pain.

"Gagh...that hurt...that hurts a lot...I really messed up that landing..." Zeng groaned. Tigress rolled her eyes and helped the goose stand up. "Thank you, Tigress. I come crashing in here sometimes because I always try to get here quickly, only to hurt myself on the landing..."

"It's alright, Zeng." Tigress sent him a warm smile, which made him feel a bit better. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh! Right! Master Shifu sent for you to meet him in the Hall of Warriors. We have a special guest!"

"Special guest...?" Tigress repeated. "What kind of guest?"

"Ah...I dunno, really. He just said that it was important. Come on, let's go!" Zeng hurried her along, much to her confusion. Realizing she wasn't getting much answers from him, she decided to just follow through for now.

A couple minutes later, Tigress, Zeng, and Shifu we're waiting in front of the doors for their guest to arrive. "Father...who is this guest that's coming here?"

"Ah. Her name is Mugan. Master Mugan." Shifu stated. "She is a very well-respected and revered Kung Fu Master, known all over China. It's quite interesting that she's taken her time to come here, as she very rarely leaves her Palace. This makes her very mysterious."

"Mysterious, huh?" Tigress repeated slowly, her gaze returning to the doors.

When another few wandering minutes passed by, the doors have finally opened. A group of goats were escorting some cloaked box through the doors, as they set it down gently in the middle of the floor. Each of them then stepped away from it a bit, before pulling on the sheet cost along the box. Tigress was honestly surprised that there was a fish inside of it. The box was more like a fish tank. And within the tank, the fish opened her cold green eyes. Her scale colors consisted of orange, black, and white. Her long flowing fins waved slowly in the water, keeping her in one place at all times.

Anyone would consider Mistress Mugan as a majestic and beautiful creature of a kind.

Tigress however, thought differently. Something about Mugan's gaze greatly unnerved her. It's as if she was analyzing the tiger right where she was standing, as if she were determining her worth toher. Needless to say that Tigress definitely did not like it. Nonetheless, she was polite enough to bow to her in respect, like Shifu and Zeng were doing. Her head turned slightly to see one of the goats taller than the others, and much stronger. He looked strong, he felt strong, and judging by his position right by Mugan's side, she took a wild guess that he was her star student.

However, she didn't miss the faraway look in his eyes. Its as if he's physically at his peak and growing, yet he was completely and utterly drained on the inside. If she didn't focus on it, she'd have missed it beforehand. Mugan didn't seem to care how spiritually exhausted her star student looked.

Tigress was not one to disagree with her father often. But where he saw a very well-known Kung Fu Master, _she_ sensed serious trouble.

"Greetings, Master Mugan. It isn't often that you take the time to leave your Palace in order to visit another." Shifu greeted politely.

"It's of no trouble. I was merely curious and wondering how the Valley of Peace is faring. From what I hear, you lot have quite the unfortunate luck." She replied. Tigress's eyes narrowed further. Even her voice was sending her warning signs. There was definitely a condescending tone in there somewhere when she mentioned the Valley of Peace's lack of good luck. "If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to speak to you in private."

"Of course. Tigress, Zeng." Shifu gestured for them to leave, earning a sigh from them as left out the door.

"That's far enough, Wu Yong. Wait for me outside." Mugan stated emotionlessly. The goat nodded and made his way out the same door the other two walked out of. When he closed the doors behind him, he almost fell forward inti the ground. The exhaustion was safe to be shown without her wandering eyes. Tigress and Zeng we're fast enough to keep him from hitting the ground.

"H-Hey, are you alright?!" Zeng quacked in surprise of how fast the goat almost completely passed out.

"Ugh...I'm sorry...it's just that...my body's a bit exhausted, you see. And I have to hide it from Master Mugan at any cost." Wu Yong said, getting into a small coughing fit. Tigress gently patted his back and waited for him to recover and continue. "I think...it's finally beginning to be too much for me to handle."

"Wait...have you ever taken a break before?" Zeng asked.

"Of course I take breaks. No one of my level can train for a full twenty-four hours. However, my training is so intense and so severe that it hardly matters if I rest or not."

"That doesn't sound good for you at all." Tigress narrowed her eyes. "Maybe you should rest for a long while as the Masters are talking. I think it would be best for you."

"You don't need to worry about me...I'm fine..."

"I think we can agree to disagree." Tigress said with finality as she picked up the goat with ease and carried him over to the barracks. He was slightly surprised that she could lift be my so easily. He wasn't the lightest person ever, so it came to a shock that she would be able to do it as if he were. He was pretty helpless as she carried him over to her room amd set him down. "There. You can rest up here."

Wu Yong looked around, as if expecting something from it. He noticed the raised eyebrow from Tigress, and shook his head. "Sorry. It's not meant to be an insult...but I thought your room would have much more to it."

"I'm not exactly skilled at being feminine, if that's what you mean." Tigress deadpanned.

"No no, it's not that at all, I swear!" He shook his head rapidly, earning small chuckles from Tigress and Zeng. He groaned a little before he noticed the scarf wrapped around her neck, and pointed to it. "That's a rather nice scarf you have."

"Oh, this?" Tigress ran a paw across the soft fabric, smiling a little. "Yeah...it was a Winter Festival gift from my very first friend. I've sworn to myself that I'd always hang onto it, no matter what. That was my first present from a friend and my first present in general as well, so I really feel like I should be wearing it around constantly. It sounds a bit weird at first, but the feeling is definitely there."

"Is that so?" Wu Yong smiled. "From a friend. The way you're saying it, you make it sound like a prsent given from one lover to another."

Tigress's eyes widened and she blushed. "W-What?! N-N-No way is that the case. I was just really grateful for the present!" She lowered her ears. "Although I did kiss his forehead before he left...but that's some sort of farewell gesture, isn't it?"

"It's also seen as a romantic gesture if you squint." Zeng smiled.

"You're not helping, Zeng. You're REALLY not helping." Tigress sent a small glare his way, before turning her attention back to Wu Yong. "So what's going on with you? You said something about being heavily exhausted. You still look like it, by the way."

"Yes well...Mistress Mugan has a rather...severe training régime that really takes a toll on the body. Of course I can endure it for as long as possible, this is what I asked for. I'm not one to go back on my word."

"But can't she cut you a better break that what she's giving you? You were about to collapse if we didn't catch you!" Tigress said, finding new reasons to dislike Mugan as he keeps telling her these things. "She can't just force someone to keep on going when they're at their limit. That kind of training can severely harm your body! You we're about to collapse a couple moments ago if I didn't catch you in time!"

Wu Yong sighed. "I might get a bit more exhausted than other days...but I can endure it."

"...No. No you can't." Tigress said strongly, getting a surprised look from him. "I know you know this. If you keep going like this, you'll fall apart from the inside. You're working far too hard if you can keep yourself standing. I at least know when it's time to stop, and Father knows it too. He always stops me when he knows I need a break, because he cares about my health. Does Master Mugan ever give you a proper break that properly rejuvenates your body?"

Wu Yong sighed a bit, she was a persistent one. "No. When I'm awake and able to move, I train. I asked to be trained like this, so she doesn't care about how bad my condition is. She expects me to continue on, regardless of what becomes of me. No compliments. No positive reinforcement. No mercy. Just the path to a perfect warrior. Anything less...is not worth her time. I want to be worth her time..."

The words 'perfect warrior' struck her mind in a negative light. Zeng sensed her tense up, and he knew why. Her eyes shadowed over in anger, which didn't go unnoticed by Wu Yong. "...She's not a good Master, Wu Yong."

"What?!"

"You're telling me she likes Kung Fu to be mastered at the greatest precision, to the point of perfection. Me personally...I don't believe in perfection."

"Tigress...?"

"I always strive to become better than I was before. But perfection...that's a losing battle right at the start, Wu Yong. There is no such thing as a perfect warrior. No matter how hard one tries, that kind of status can't be attained." She clenched her fists. "Tai Lung was trying to aim for that kind of status in order to become the Dragon Warrior. Hearing that he trained so hard for nothing...it didn't end well for any of us. Trying to attain something like that can only end badly. So you see, Master Mugan is utterly delusional if she thinks such a warrior exists."

"Tigress. I know Mugan can be very harsh, but she's only-"

"OPEN YOUR EYES WU YONG!" Tigress roared, startling the goat and scaring Zeng. "Look at you! You could fall apart at any second and she won't even care! How can I tell? She's been training you for years, and you said she hasn't praised you ONCE. Her arrogance is absolutely astounding if she actually thinks that she can train someone like that! There's no reason for you to break yourself for someone like her!"

Wu Yong's eyes widened in surprise as he listened to her rant. It appears that Mugan's way of teaching was poking at her childhood trauma involving Tai Lung. The strive for perfection forced his heart into darkness, and she witnessed what that kind of obsession does to people who CAN endure it. The main difference that Shifu didn't intentionally drive Tai Lung to that point. Mugan simply didn't care about her students, period.

And that angered her rather than make her afraid.

"Tigress. Master Mugan would like to see you." Shifu said as he slid her door open. Tigress growled quietly as she calmly walked past her father. The angered steps were not missed by him, and he wondered what could be the matter.

Tigress eventually found herself face-to-face with Master Mugan, who was again had that analyzing look in her eyes. "Tigress, is it? Master Shifu has told me quite a lot about you. You show a lot of promise as a warrior."

"I suppose that's not really a compliment, right?" Tigress said distastefully. This made Mugan quirk her eyebrows in amusement.

"You already know how I operate? That will make this much easier then." Tigress folded her arms and waited. "Master Shifu has been through wuite the trauma losing his orevious student to the folds of darkness, due to not having enough discipline pounded into his skull. He thought he was ready for a title that was never within his reach in the first place." Tigress narrowed her eyes at this. "Without discipline and proper precision, one can never become a great warrior, like he aspired to be. That's why he was reduced to what he is now. Which brings me to my offer."

Tigress again raised an eyebrow. "Offer...?"

"It's quite simple. Its been made clear that Shifu is incompetent at properly training his students. He made the mistake of bonding so deeply with his students that he didn't have the steel mind to let him know that he can never get overconfident. It deeply corrupted his better judgement. I can save you from a fate like that. Train under me and I can help you reach your potential. You have such raw talent, it'd be wasted on someone like Shifu who wastes time trying to achieve emotional bonds with his students. That emotinal connection prevents people from reaching their potential." Mugan grinned. "Yes...I can see it now. You'll be the perfect replacement for my previous student, who is beginning to really outlive his usefulness."

Now Tigress was mentally grinding her teeth together. First Mugan bad mouths her brother for trying to be a great warrior, then accused her father of being a terrible teacher just for trying to bond with his students, and now she was asking her to replace Wu Yong. She had no regard for his feelings, or even his life. She was willing to throw him away without a second thought, in favor of someone better.

She could never allow herself to be a student to someone like that.

"Sorry Master Mugan...but I'm going to have to turn you down on that offer." The fish's servants gasped at her blatant refusal to Mugan's offer. She narrowed her eyes at this.

"Is that so? For the record, I'm not used to being denied something I want."

"There's a first time for everything." Tigress shrugged. "Besides, why should I become a student if someone who works their disciples until they literally break their bodies under the strain?"

"Its my way of doing things. If they break under the strain of my training, they were never meant to be great warriors in the first place."

"And that's the exact reason why I wouldn't ever wanted to be taught under someone like you. Sorry, but I'm not interested." Tigress huffed.

Mugan seemed highly irritated at her answer and her attitude while delivering it. It was then she spotted Wu Yong coming out of the corner and bowing to her. _They spoke to one another, did they? He told her things...this will not go unpunished._ "Very well. If that's your answer, then I'll be taking my leave. Wu Yong, we're leaving." Without another word, the goats began carrying Mugan out of the palace, with a bit of a worried look from Wu Yong. Before she was actually left though, Mugan left these stinging words:

"Its that lack of discipline...that creates worthless scum like your brother."

It took up most of Tigress's willpower to not charge at her and shatter that glass she was swimming in...

 **(Flashback End)**

"Wow. There is some serious bad blood between you two." Fung said after they were done.

"And it looks like she took it out on Wu Yong." Shifu stated as he noticed the tighter wrappings around the goat's leg.

"She heavily tightened the already strict training regime as a response to Tigress's vehement denial. It got more difficult to keep up...until I dislocated and injured my leg." Wu Yong's ears lowered. "I'll probably never perform Kung Fu again. She was disgusted with me, and lowered me to a mere palace servant without much care. You we're right all along, Tigress."

Tigress clenched her fists. "If she has a problem with me, she should say it to my face! Not take it out on someone else! She did this to you just to spite me!"

"It's not just me. She makes sure this entire Valley is living as she says they should, and she won't hear any objections."

"What if I have an objection?" They turned to see Po with a raised paw, the others gathered around him, and the wolf prisoner being one of the new additions. "I kinda went against her code and set this innocent wolf free."

"I don't know what you did, Po. But I'm sure it will soring bad luck desoite being a good deed. Kind of." Shifu sighed. "I believe you have a lot of explaining to do..."

 **(Meanwhile)**

Song was casually walking down an alleyway, sighing in exhaustion. "Bah...all these people are dull and none of them are talking. How am I supposed to get info now?"

"...Song."

"!" Song turned around instantly to see two snow leopards just like her, but slightly shorter, a d they too have parasols shadowing their eyes.

"Playtime is over, Song. It's time for you to return, it's urgent."

All of a sudden, the emotion drained from Song's face, as she held her parasol over her shoulder and nodded emotionlessly. "Understood. I'll be back as soon as I can. I have a couple things to finish up here." The two snow leopards seemed to accept this answer, as they disappeared into the shadows.

Song sighed heavily. "I was beginning to really like those guys, too. How they're always causing a ruckus and such..it's never boring to travel with them. Maybe when I'm finished with my business, I can ask to rejoin them. Po should be okay with that..."

"Stop right there! Who are you?!" A rhino guard shouted at her from the other side of the alleyway. She slowly turned around, with her eyes lowered and slitted. "Where are you-"

 _SLASH!_

"GAH!" He fell to the ground, blood dripping from his chest as three claw marks we're now visible. He was then forcibly knocked down by a swift parasol swing, and he fell to the ground. Groaning in pain, he attempted to reach for his axe, but a foot stepped on his hand, hindering his efforts.

"Don't you know that it's rude to sneak up on a lady like that?" Song said slyly, as she stared down at the helpless rhino. "I can't exactly have you blabbing on to your friends about me, or trying to put further trouble on my own friends."

"What...what's that supposed to mean...?"

"Two words." Song closed up her parasol and picked up a nearby brick, as she wore a cheerful smile. "Goodnight."

The rhino felt the brick smash into his head with brutal force, and he lost consciousness...


	35. Fallen Fish and Saddened Song

"So...Po. Mind explaining to us what has been going on during your little spree?" Shifu asked while Po was eating through the remaining noodles from the food spree that Mr. Ping started. "As soon as you're done eating...perhaps?"

No one really knows how Po can have such a swift change of attitude in the down of minutes. He seemed pretty serious about the matter that Shifu was planning to discuss with him, but then he decided he was hungry and had almost immediately forgot about the seriousness of the situation they placed themselves in. Ànyǐng definitely seemed to be surprised by the panda's lack of focus on the subject. The only one who had no problems at all with this were Mr. Ping. Fenghuang didn't care much because she tends to act the same way.

"I got into a fight with the guards guarding Ànyǐng. Then I got hungry." Po explained simply. "Then I heard that Dad was just giving food away to the villagers around here...and I hated myself for missing out om such a good deed! And I was also glad that some food was left over!"

"Dude, seriously? You work with your Dad on this stuff! You don't have anything to worry about if it relates to food!" Monkey pouted as he was casually eating his own noodles while balancing on his tail. "I don't understand why you found it so relieving..."

"...Because I was hungry?"

"...Eh. Works for me." He shrugged. None of the guys had any complaints when it came to food. They welcomed such a thing wholeheartedly. "So, Ànyǐng. Anything you'd like to tell us about yourself? You are kinda stuck with us after all."

The wolf shifted nervously in his seat, as the others gve reassuring looks that they would not be doing anything to harm him in any way. He sighed as he gained the courage to look everyone in the eye. "Ànyǐng is my name. It tends to translate into 'Shadow' sometimes. As for why I was imprisoned here...well...that should be a bit obvious, shouldn't it?"

"Nah. Not really." Po shrugged. "You're gonna have to tell me what that's supposed to mean."

"Ha...Mr-"

"No Misters for me, man. Just Po will do."

"Right. Um...Po. It should be rather obvious why I was arrested and thrown in the cage the moment I stepped into this valley. I'm a wolf. Wolves...aren't always on their best behavior, and they assumed that I would be like that, too. Considering what's been happening the past couple weeks, and what's already happened during that time, I can't exactly blame them."

"Yes you can." Lian argued. "Whatever happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'?"

"Guess it doesn't apply to wolves that much. They gave wolves plenty of chances to fit no in with them, but all they've been doing is ruining those chances every time they tried to work with them. They're too chaotic for control." He looked down. "And I was in the Lin Kuei...no doubt the absolute worst offenders when it came to chaotic wolves. There are many people hoping that eventually they would be brought down. And eventually I'll have to disband from them."

"That's when the massacre happened, isn't it?"

"Yes. Not that I wanted to join them in the first place. Circumstances...left me unable to leave them behind when I had the opportunity. But that was the last straw. So while the chaos was happening around me, I took Mrs. Yoon away from it when I came across a couple wolves about to kill her." He looked down in shame. "She was the only one I could save. Everyone else...I couldn't do anything about. I'm...I'm sorry I couldn't do better..."

Fenghuang eyed the young man before her. Then she looked down to Shifu. "He speaks the truth, Midget." He twitched slightly. "Even when he was with the group of mad dogs, he was clearly never interested in them. But he had his paws tied until a proper opportunity presented itself. Unfortunately...it was quite a bad time for everyone else. He's not guilty of anything, yet he finds himself apologizing for something he couldn't possibly prevent by himself."

"Dude, it's fine. Really." Fung said with a small yawn. "You clearly don't like the Lin Kuei, just like we don't like them either. And not only that, but you're on the friend list."

"...Friend list?"

"Check it." He held out the scroll to the wolf, who read around all the names presented to him. His eyes widened when he saw his own name on it.

"That's...that's my name. And Oogway wrote this...?" He said to himself as he grew curious about how Oogway could have known about him. _Did...did we meet before? Did he know something about me...? But how could he have...?_

"It's already been established that Oogway chose the names on the list for a reason." Fenghuang said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "And I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that this is a pretty good reason to me. Saving one is better than saving none, child. And you'd have to have quite the skill to sneak away from the Lin Kuei close to undetected. However...I hear that abandoning the pack is the same as commuting irreversible crimes. They'll be quite frustrated with you."

"Good. I never wanted to join them anyway. Something like that wasn't my choice for the longest time." Ànyǐng snarled quietly.

"You should probably stick with us then." Po said, having his cheeks puffed with bean buns. He swallowed before stuffing his cheeks with more. "You're on the friend list and you never wanted to be part of the Lin Kuei in the first place. Do you have anyplace to go?"

"Well...I do have to return to my mother and little brother to return to. I have to let them know that I'm alright. In person."

Po swallowed the bean buns in his mouth again, nodding. "Right. So when we deal with Mugan, we'll go with you to make sure the Lin Kuei don't try to jump you or something." He sat back a little and patted his belly, his hunger sated, but only slightly. "Now that we know that you're not a bad guy, we'll have your back."

"Wait...you're serious about Mugan?!" Ànyǐng said in surprise. "Are you sure she's someone you want to mess with?!"

Po shrugged. "Tigress doesn't really like her, and now I don't like her either. Hearing what she had to say, paired with what the people have been telling us, we gotta do something about her before we leave. I don't think that whatever she's putting through will end soon, which is why I say we do it ourselves."

"But isn't messing with a Master...dangerous? I mean, what are other Masters going to say to this?"

Monkey patted his back. "My man...we don't really care about authority that much. They BARELY get anything done. Not that I don't respect them for doing their best, though."

"Her revered status is the exact reason why we have to take her down today. Because no one else will." Mei Ling said, kicking her feet back and forth slightly. She looked just slightly bored. "But Tigress has her own personal issues against Mugan to work out, so of course she volunteers to go and take her on."

"Yeah. She's just a fish. How much damage could she do inside a tank?" Mantis said.

Fenghuang turned to him. "That's just like saying that because you're so small, you can't be recognized as a threat."

"What?!"

"Mugan is a Kung Fu Master for a REASON. Do you actually believe that just because she inside her tank most of the time that she can't fight? She can improvise quite well without her tank."

"...How...?"

"Go ahead to the Garnet Palace and fight her yourself. You'll see what I mean."

"Indeed. I beg of you." Wu Yong pleaded in desparation. "I know that attacking a Master might probably warrant some unforeseen complications for all of you in the future, but these people can't take her abuse anymore. She's not fooling anyone at this point. She's not just a perfectionist, she's a sadist right on top of that. She'll keep working them until they literally cannot move anymore. She crushes their spirits and throws them into the wind. And she won't stop because she truly believes she's a greater Master than she really is. I used to believe that." He rubbed his injured leg, lamenting how horrid his training was, and the physical and emotional damage it did to him. "But I was wrong. And it cost me dearly."

"Don't worry, Wu Yong. She's going to pay for this." Tigress stood up and untied her scarf, giving it to Crane. "Hold onto this for a bit. I can already tell this won't be an easy fight."

"Tigress...you asked me to let you handle this. Are you sure?" Shifu asked, obviously concerned about her well-being.

The feline stayed quiet for a couple moments. Then she sighed. "I'm not bothered by her taunts towards me or you. At least not much. But I can't just take her mocking my brother's name down lightly. WE'RE the ones he connected with, and vice versa. So she has no right to stamp out that connection like it's trash." She looked towards Shifh quietly. "My brother is a lot of things. I'm not going to lie and say that all of them are positive, he has negative aspects, too. But he is not scum." She seemed quite attached to that part of the conversation. Needless to say that it ticked her off. But it also went to the back of her head because she thought she'd never see Mugan again. She thought wrong.

And she was almost glad for that.

"I'll come too. You'll need a bit of help." Peng raised his paw, earning a raised eyebrow from Lian. He turned to his girlfriend with a shrug. "What? I have to find SOME way to connect with my Aunt. This is a decent enough start." Tigress couldn't fight back the smile growing on her face when he said that, nor did she try to. It felt far too nice.

"Well in that case, I'll come too."

"What?! Why?!"

"That depends. Are you gonna try and stop me?" Peng stared at Lian for a couple moments, then he sighed, which brought a smile on her face. "Thanks for understanding~"

"Hold on, don't go yet! I wanna come too!" Po said quickly. "Just wanna have a snack, first~"

 _Didn't he JUST eat most of the leftovers...?!_ Ànyǐng thought with a sweatdrop, seeing just an example of Po's eating habits.

Po grabbed the rest of the bean buns in the bowl(after Monkey snatched a couple, more prepared this time) and nodded. "Alright, let's go!"

"Understood." Tigress nodded as she lead the group of four to the Garnet Palace, where the Garnet Valley's tormentor would lie in waiting. Tigress was eager to knock her off her pedestal and see how SHE likes being mocked.

Ànyǐng was still feeling rather uncomfortable about the entire thing. But he was salso surprised that no one was moving. "Aren't you all worried about them?"

"Of course we are." Crane answered. "But they both already made their decision, so we can't really do anything else." He tilted his hat downward so that it shadowed his eyes. "But to sit back and wait for the results." Everyone seemed to share the idea, as they we're all either kicking hack and enjoying the rest of the food that Po didn't practically inhale, or taking a nap, or just waiting for something to happen. Fung was the one wondering where Song could be, though.

Everything was silent...

"...Ugh...this is BORING!" Monkey complained while lying on his back. "I hope they kick her ass quickly." He added while sighing. For a while, he just lied there. Then an idea hatched in his head, and he grinned mischievously. This didn't go unnoticed by Viper. "Welp, I know how I'M gonna spend my free time. I'll be back later, guys." He jumped over the rooftop and away from the group.

Viper sighed. "We're going to regret letting him go like that, are we?"

"It's very likely." Crane sighed as well.

 **(Garnet Palace)**

"So this is the Garnet Palace, eh? It looks more like a fortress than anything else." Lian said. She did see it from a distance when entering the Valley, but seeing it up close was a different experience in itself. It looks a bit more militant-like than the Jade Palace. Tigress didn't know what to think about, and she didn't really care too much either way. She's just interested in getting inside and finding Mugan.

"So how do we get inside?" Po said, licking his paws as he finish all of the bean buns he brought with him. "I wonder if it has a larder in there...?"

"And he's still hungry. Big surprise." Lian chuckled.

"Can't be helped." Po shrugged. "Are you sure about this, Tigress? I could lend you a hand."

"I just might need it, Po. Thanks for offering." She looked towards the door. "Though I don't think she would be hanging around in the courtyard."

"That's because it's deeper inside." Wu Yong said from behind them, lightly shocking them. Tigress especially.

"W-Wu Yong?! What are you doing here?"

"I kinda live here, Tigress." He responded with a smile. She blushed a bit for forgetting such a detail. "Plus, you tend to beat Mugan and bring her down...I want to be there to see it happen. After all, we both have reasons to heavily dislike her, so I would be going either way. The difference is that I'm no longer strong enough to stand up to her."

"...Understood, Wu Yong. Just stick close to me." Tigress nodded. "Do you think you can open the door? For the moment, I wouldn't want to damage the Palace itself. Damaging relics, despite someone distasteful living within them, is not something I want to do."

"Yes. I have keys, which many palace servants would have. Just give me a moment." Wu Yong walked up first and opened the door quickly, allowing the quartet to enter before him. "This is it. Do you have anything else to do before you begin?"

"Is there a larder somewhere inside?" Po asked politely, eyes sparkling with high expectations.

Wu Yong stared at Po oddly. "You're still hungry? Well...we do have a larder room somewhere around Mugan's dining room, but she'll get angry if someone eats her food without her consent." He paused. He just remembered that the servants never had her consent to eat with her. They had to get their own food down in their Valley with the money they barely gain. But thanks to Mr. Pings generosity, they should have eaten their fill today. Suddenly changing his mind, Wu Yong gave Po the keys. "...You know what? Knock yourself out."

"Awesome! Larder room, you are mine!" Po cheered. "Oh, Tigress! Be careful. We haven't fought a full-fledged Master yet. We don't know what could happen."

"You can trust me, Po." She nodded. He nodded back.

"Alright...now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna find that room and have a fourth helping. And maybe a fifth. Then I'll see if I can keep going at tenths-"

"You skipped five numbers."

"I did?"

"...Just get going."

"Okay!" Po nodded again and left them at the spot, where they went in a different direction.

"I'm...gonna make sure that he doesn't get into even worse trouble." Lian said, following after him.

Wu Yong lead them inside a different hallway than Po ran down, as they passed be multiple rooms...if they can really be called rooms. They look more like jail cells than actual rooms, the metal doors prove that much well enough. Tigress couldn't help but stare at a couple of the metal doors, as if she felt nostalgic. And not in the good way:

 _'Look at what that rotten child did to my wall! She smashed it!'_

 _'She had another temper tantrum in the market...a couple of children are hurt, and so are the adults. They must have been messing with her again.'_

 _'Who the hell cares! She bit my son for something as harmless as name-calling! I want her punished!'_

 _'Someone like her belongs in a cage where she can't hurt anybody.'_

 _'What do we expect from Tai Lung's sister? How do we know she won't turn out like him? She has many reasons to do so.'_

 _'Shifu is growing rather attached to her. Its only a matter of time before he makes the same mistake and we have another large-scale rampage on our hands.'_

 _'She should have just stayed back in her cage back at the orphanage. It would save everyone much less trouble.'_

 _'I really don't see why Shifu would take in a problem child like her.'_

These thoughts and voices passed through her mind, yet she did not say a word. However, Peng could sense her discomfort in her lightly twitching tail, and ran up beside her. "Are you feeling alright?"

She blinked and shook her head. "I'm...I'm fine, Peng. Just...unpleasant memories trying to make an unnecessary return."

"There it is. Her room is up ahead." Wu Yong pointed at a door that was painting to have a lot of likenesses to Master Mugan, which certainly exposed her somewhat narcissistic nature. "She's definitely in here. She hasn't left in quite a while."

"..." Tigress walked up to the door and pushed. Whether it wanted to or not, the door gave in to the force Tigress out behind her push, and it opened for her. From there she walked up to the fish herself.

Master Mugan floated in her tank, surrounded by many other containers of water that seemed to be used as hopping places. They were spread out so that people couod move around the room easier. And that seems to be Mugan's method of moving around in her room. Tigress glared up at the fish before her, while the latter didn't even open her eyes.

"...Now how did I know that you'd show up here?" Mugan spoke quietly, still having that condescending tone behind her voice. "You've certainly grown a bit, Tigress. And you've certainly gotten more powerful. That I can sense. Its rather extraordinary."

"I'm not falling for your false praise." Tigress said impatiently and angrily. "Why would you do such a thing to Wu Yong?"

"...He was inadequate. He was no longer worthy of being my disciple the day he injured his leg. The goat is worthless to me now."

"That goat tried his hardest to make you happy. He had exhibited so much blood, sweat, and tears just to get some praise from you. He permanently damaged his body trying to please you, and you have a nerve to call him worthless?!"

"Yes. I do." Mugan opened her eyes. "Kung Fu must be done with the utmost precision. It requires complete perfection to be truly acknowledged. Anything less is not worth positive critique. Why should it be praised if it hasn't reached it's goal yet? If Wu Yong could not handle the strain the path he took placed on him, then he was never meant to be a warrior."

"That's the same kind of crap you tried to feed me last time. And yet somehow it left an even worse feeling behind than before." Tigress glared. "You tear these people apart, slowly. Piece by piece. Their spirits couldn't handle the abuse you place on them AND the lack of positive reinforcement. It breaks them completely at some point and then they just become a shell of their former self." She did a side-glance to Wu Yong. Indeed, when she first met him, he was definitely exhausted. But at least he had that fire in his eyes that kept him moving. Looking into them now...you'd be surprised if there was ever warmth in there in the first place.

"If that is the result, then that is their fate."

"How can you be so damn heartless?!"

"Kung Fu must be practiced with the utmost precision and discipline. Without that, everything is sloppy and disorganized. That's not what it's about at all." Mugan sunk to the bottom of the tank to meet Tigress's eyes. "I am the only one who can truly understand how important discipline, precision, and perfection really are. Kung Fu is the only reason us Masters exist. Nothing else." She floated back upwards. "Oh, by they way. I got the message Shifu sent everyone. And I must say...it's about time."

"What did you say...?"

"Shifu has failed as a Master the moment he started showing Tai Lung affection. Not enough discipline, not enough precision. They result was releasing a creature that could destroy anything in China that it wanted to." Tigress's eyes darkened and slitted when she referred to her brother as a 'creature' and an 'it'. "I must say that he might have failed once again with you. You have a much more defiant look in your eyes than before. It's not too late for you though, Tigress. You can make up all that lost time and become my disciple now. Shifu's made a mistake that cost China the Valley of Peace. An incident that will irreversibly change China for the worse. He used to be so talented, I admit. Then he failed his talents and Kung Fu itself in exchange for emotional bonds that have no meaning."

Peng noticed the air around Tigress getting noticeably more tense and heavy. He could also hear her growling lowly to herself while listening to the fish put down Tai Lung, Shifu, and herself all at once. She was seething on the inside.

"Oh dear, look at you. You've definitely developed an anger issues haven't you?" Mugan continued. "I'd be careful if I were you. With your power and that temper, people could mistake you for a complete beast with no self-control or sentient thoughts at all. It's official, Shifu did a horrible job with you and the Valley of Peace. He is now forever a shame to Kung Fu in it's entirety. Oogway placed so much trust in him as well...he must have been very disappointed in him when he passed away."

That was the limit.

Tigress's claws shot out the moment the sentence was finished, and she held one paw out to Mugan. "Get out here you damned fish...and let me gut you. I'll be surprised if I find a heart in that hollow body, though."

 _That got dark really quick._ Peng said nervously.

Mugan merely stared at Tigress with intense disappointment. "...So that's how it is...Tigress? Very well then. As I said...you are an untamed beast on the inside."

Tigress didn't know what happened. Mugan hopped out of her tank at such a fast pace, fell down and slashed at her arm with her tail, which left a slight but very painful cut. She then bounced back up and into another container of water as the feline fell to her knees, holding her bleeding arm. She turned towards Mugan, her eyes still filled wit defiance.

"Before they can do significant damage...beasts like you need to be put down..."

"Oh no, Aunt Tigress!" Peng shouted. "Have to help her-"

"Stop right there, intruders!" Peng turned around to see more of the rhino guards heading their way, with immense annoyance. "They're attacking Mistress Mugan! Take them down and lock them up!"

 _This seriously can't wait...?!_ Peng thought angrily.

 **(Meanwhile)**

Po was busy looking around for the larder room to he can eat up again. He didn't seem to mind that Lian was riding on his back as he was walking around. "Where's the food, where's the food...?"

"Hey...do you think that Tigress and Peng will be okay?" Lian asked him, her voice obviously laced with concern for the duo. She didn't have anything against their choice, she just wanted them to be as careful as they possibly could.

"It'll be seriously tough, no doubt. But I believe that those two can handle it. Just to be sure though, as soon as I've had some more food, we can go back to help them." Po answered her, tipping his hat up.

"Why don't we just go help them now?"

"You heard Tigress AND saw how she looked. This is a personal matter that she wants to handle with her own paws. That's why I'm taking the time to eat first. When I'm done, I'm gonna go back and offer my help, if she needs it." Po scratched his neck. "Wonder if it'll have something good in there...I sure hope it does." Po stopped in front of of another door which lead to a larger room. He blinked. "Heeey...this isn't what I was looking for..."

They stood in front of the rest of the guards that occupied the Garnet Palace and protected it and Mistress Mugan. They all noticed the snow leopard and lands almost immediately, and they all gathered their weapons. "More intruders! Surrender yourselves or-"

"Hey, way of you guys know where the kitchen is? I don't know why I've been saying the larder. Maybe that's right...? I dunno. I'm just following the scent of food for the moment. But it looks like we stepped into the wrong room."

"LEAVE AT ONCE!"

"Hmmmm..." Po tapped his lip as an awkward silence took over. He then shook his head. "Nah, sorry. Don't feel like it."

"WHAT?!"

"You guys serve some sort of slave driver. I really don't feel right listening to you."

"Mistress Mugan is NOT a slave driver!"

"Um...she kinda is." They no longer tolerated his attitude, and they all charged in in a fit of anger. Po jumped up and kicked one in the face as Lian hopped off his back and tackled another one to the ground. The panda lands on the ground and again rubbed his neck. "Well...this didn't work out as well as I though it would. We're already being attacked..I just wanted to get some more food..." he dodged a side swipe of a lance by ducking just in time. "I guess we can't really ignore them." He thrused his belly out and bounced the rhino away from him, watching him crash through the wall. "Gah! I didn't mean to wreck the wall!"

"I think it's too late to worry about that." Lian said with a sigh. She jumped up to punch one of the guards in the face, then kicked him aside with little effort. They tried to grab her from behind, failing when she ducked and tripped them both. Getting back on her feet, she again jumped up and allowedno the rhino to run past her and into the wall, dazing him.

Po dodged many of the attacks that headed his way, as he kept then at a fair distance. "Okay seriously, guys. Can you tell me where the ktichen is? I just want a nibble." It didn't take a genius to realize that he was lying. Even the enemy knows he's terrible at it. "Am I asking you wrong or something? That might be it. Okay, may I _please_ have the directions to the kitchen?" Po asked with a slight bow.

"DO YOU SERIOUSLY EXPECT A DIFFERENT ANSWER JUST BECAUSE YOU ASKED NICELY?!" Most of them shouted at him, which made him look up in confusion.

"...Yes."

"DUMBASS!"

"Who?"

"YOU!"

"You mean you're calling yourselves dumbasses?" Lian asked the rhinos. They all nodded furiously...before they realize that they have been trolled. And it wasn't appreciated at all.

"LITTLE BRAT!"

She tapped her cheek. "I realize now that rhinos that aren't Master Rhino...they shout a lot, don't they?"

"They do..." Po scratched his head. He then bend backwards as he dodged a spear thrown at him, caught it, and tossed it back at the one who through it. It just barely cut the rhino at the side, but no real injury was present. "You guys have a really good aim."

They all stood up, breathing heavily as they glared at the panda before them. "You...you're not taking us seriously, are you?! Is that it?!"

He blinked. "...Was I supposed to? I'm sorry if I didn't"

They all just sighed and lowered their weapons. "He has us beat and he's barely aware of it..." The one in the front and looked at the panda before him. "Panda...what do you really want here?"

Po's belly shook a little as in growled out with hunger. He patted it and looked up. "Like I tried to keep saying...just want some food."

"...You were serious about that? Why didn't you just get something from the village?"

"I already took all the way over here no with my friends, now I'm a bit too tired to just walk all the way back. And like I said before...I don't think Mugan is very nice to you guys. So...you wanna have lunch with me. _Proper_ lunch?" Po asked nicely. All the rhinos looked at one another as they considered Po's request. She doesn't really eat most of the food anyway. So...

A couple moments later, Po walked out of the kitchen, patting his now properly filled belly, and the rhinos were either asleep or picking food out of their teeth. Lian groaned a bit as she ate a bit of the food too. "I can't believe that we just had lunch while we broke into the Garnet Palace. Really didn't expect that...

Po snickered. "Anyway, now that I've eaten up, I'll be able to help out a bit more. Now we gotta get back with Tigress and Peng and help them out."

"Yes, please do take her down. We can't take her presence anymore!" The rhinos all agreed, now speaking honestly. "We can't stand her and her overbearing and sadistic nature! And the whole Valley agrees! Nobody likes her, no one wants her here, we want her GONE! We honestly don't care what you do, just make her go away!"

"That we can do. Or we can at least give it a shot. Alright, Lian, let's get moving!" Po ran, with Lian on his back, towards the direction where Mugan and Tigress were fighting one another. What he didn't noticed was that they both passed right by a hiding snow leopard known as Song, who was stealing nearly all of the treasure that was in the treasure room. It made sense, she was using their attack as a cover for her theft. She did her best to hide her face as she sneaked out of sight and made her way out of the palace.

 _I'm sorry, guys..._

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Impudent...wretched...little..." Mugan growled from in her tank.

She and Tigress have been fighting one another for an extended period of time at this point. The both of them were covered in scratches across their bodies, and the both of them were bleeding. It was more obvious on Mugan's side, her blood filling her tank. Tigress kept breathing heavily as she too was bleeding from her various cuts. Peng breathed heavily from dealing with the guards that tried to stop his aunt. Tigress made the effort to stand up, and managed to do so.

Mugan was seething. She had Tigress out matched in pure skill, they both knew that. But she just refuses to stay down. Instead just doing continuous damage to her with her claws, as the opponent does vice versa with her fins. It was clear that Tigress would not be falling to her, and Mugan was really beginning to hate that. She was supposed to be the superior one by _default,_ yet Tigress refuses to realize this and surrender. It was frustrating beyond comprehension.

"...Why don't you just be wise for one...AND GIVE UP!"

"I'm not gonna lower myself to taking orders from a slave driver. Because that's basically what you're doing to these people. They're not your disciples at all. They're slaves." Tigress stated with a glare that still stayed defiant despite her injuries. She was about to move to attack once again...

"Hey hey, Tigress! Peng! I made it just in..." Po waved, but his paw fell to his side when he saw the state the tiger was in. "Yeesh, you look terrible."

"Now's not the time for that, Po." Tigress mumbled as she faced Mugan again, while Po and Lian were taking a look around the room. He noticed that most of the bowls stood on pillars. Pillars that were the same height as her tank. Po had to try hard to think for a little bit, but he eventually got it.

"Knock those pillars over so she can't keep jumping around. Eventually she'll be trapped in one place and she won't go anywhere." Po said as he ran over and pushed one of the pillars over, letting it crash into three more as all the water bowls broke and water splashed onto the ground. Mugan's eyes widened as the others began doing the same. She tried to jump in and slash at them in order to prevent this, but she was repelled by Tigress at every turn. Bit by bit, Mugan was rapidly losing ground. Until finally, she landed in her original tank, as the quartet stood around her in a circle. She was utterly cornered.

"This...this will not stand!" She yelled at all of them. "This shouldn't be happening, not at the hands of you worthless scum!"

"Not so tough when you can't go anywhere by yourself, Mugan?" Wu Yong snarked, walking up to her tank with a smug look. "You...are a sadistic, cruel, unforgiviable fish who doesn't deserve to be a Master. As for me...I quit." He folded his arms as all the Palace Servants were behind him, staring blankly at their tormentor. They realaized that she couldn't go anywhere unless they helped her...but why should they?

"WE QUIT TOO!" They all shouted, before bursting into cheers and walking out of the room, leaving the fish to curse them all.

"Everyone is gonna know about your harsh treatment of everyone here, Mugan. You're gonna be stripped of your title, and you'll be swimming in a dirty pond instead of clean elegant water." Tigress got in her face behind the glass, tapping it twice and grinning. "Who's scum now?"

"GRRRRAAAAGH!" Mugan screamed loudly, constantly banging her head against the glass in fury and frustration.

"...She has some serious issues to work out." Lian said casually. They others nodded in complete agreement.

 **(Back with the others)**

"You defeated Mugan, huh? It was a rather simple way of doing so, but it's impressive nonetheless." Fennghuang said to them. "People usually don't get the chance because she'd already cut them down. Luckily the four of you we're skilled enough to pull it off. Her credibility is shot, and she's on her way to prison."

"Yeah, great. But...what's that about?" Lian pointed to Monkey, who was lying on the ground with comical bumps on his head, with Viper being the one to give them to him.

"A sheep had come around saying that her wool was sudenky assaulted with blue paint that came out of nowhere. But then I saw a slingshot..." Viper hissed angrily at Monkey.

"I just wanted to lighten the mood a little...and I didn't fail. She laughed like everyone else...ugh..." Monkey groaned in pain, trying not to pass out.

"Hey guys...this reminds me of something important..." Fung said, gaining everyone's attention. "Song...she hasn't come back yet, and I don't know where she could have gone..."

"She didn't come back while we were out...?" Po said, incredibly worried all of a sudden.

Just then, Crane landed beside them while breathing heavily. "I circled around the entire Valley...at least five times...I couldn't spot her anywhere. She's completely vanished."

 **(Outside the Valley)**

Song was outside the Valley by now, walking beside the two snow leopards from before. She would occasionally look back towards the Valley, where her friends would most certainly looking for her, she didn't doubt that.

One of the snow leopards noticed her downed mood, and sighed. "I know you really liked hanging out with them, Song. But this is the way it has to be. We just need a little bit more treasure to swipe for our urgent business...then when everything is said and done, maybe you'll be able to travel with then again someday."

"...Yeah...you're right. I can't quit now. I just need a little more..." Song nodded, as she gripped her parasol. She's done this many times before. Travel with a group, spend some time with them,steal a couple of valuable treasures along the way, then when they've outlived their usefulness, she'd disappear from their sight.

However...this was different. It's the sole reason why the snow leopards had to remind her that she couldn't stick around. Song had truly grown attached to the band of misfits as they journey around China for the short time they hung out. So much..that she feels utterly awful having to do so again. It left a feeling of emptiness in her heart. Po, Fung, Viper, Monkey, Mantis, Crane, heck even Tigress(despite the striped feline's distrust of her, which wasn't necessarily wrong). She gripped her parasol even tighter as she tried not to cry.

Song had finally found true friends. And now she was being forced to abandon them.

 _I'm sorry...I'm so sorry guys. One day I'll make it up to you. I promise. But for the time being...we can't see one another anymore..._

 **(Unknown)**

"GAH!" In an unknown area with many mountaintops, another snow leopard fell to the ground, chained up. She was struggling intensely, but her strength was all but gone from the beating she's taken. Now she was incapacitated by the Lin Kuei, as they all stood over her cackling at their success. They've taken quite a beating themselves, but their numbers eventually wore her down. "Unhand me you filthy mutts!"

"Haha! She's a feisty one, Boss! And she's not too bad-looking. Wonder if I can bribe her into a date?" One of them snickered, making her pretend to gag.

"Now now, men. No romances with our targets." Heilang chuckled as well, as he kneeled down and gripped her chin with his paw so she'd be forced to look at him.

"What do you cretins want with me?" She growled at them.

"Me personally, I don't care too much about you. My men have more...dirty ideas, but I've already decided that's not allowed with our targets." The wolves behind him groaned in disappointment. "So, allow me to ask you a question. Are you Master Snow Leopard, a member of the now disbanded Furious Five?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What if I am...?"

"Your old pal Master Ding...he wants to have a little reunion with all of his old buddies who turned on him and sealed him in the ghostly mountain that he allows us to live on. And since Oogway's already kicked the bucket, he's gonna have to settle for second best. And you, my dear...are our first stop. Me, I don't like the guy either. But he has Jong, and pay is pay." Her eyes widened in shock and horror, which made him grin wider. He then took out a scroll, opened it up, dipped his claw in ink, and used it to cross out an image. "Captured the first target. One down..." He said quietly.

The scroll had a picture: A snow leopard, an elephant, a rooster, Fenghuang, and Shifu. All of them in their younger days. And he just crossed out hers. The ghost of Master Ding has ordered a hit on the disbanded Furious Five.

"Four to go..."


	36. Awkward Encounter and Quick Stop

"This...why did she suddenly up and leave?" Fung asked in debelief.

Everyone was gathered around in the center of the Garnet Valley, trying to rethink the events of what has recently happened. They of course achieved a major feat, bring down Mugan and ending her cruel ways for good. However, in the midst of the events, Song seems to have disappeared without anyone's consent. Everyone's looked around for her one more time aside from Crane and Fenghuang's aerial view. She was nowhere in sight.

"She just upped and ran, did she? Well she always seemed to be quite a sneaky one." Monkey said while rubbing his chin and balancing on his tail. "Maybe we we're wrong about her liking to hang out with us."

"No way." Bian Zao yawned, stretching his arms off. "She was a bit of a pain, but she's honestly been having fun ever since the two of us joined you at the same place. I'm guessing that she possibly had something to do that she couldn't stay any longer. Must have been hard for her to suddenly just leave without even saying goodbye."

"How would you know about that, Lazy Ass?" Fenghuang raised an eyebrow.

"I don't. Just a guess. After all, she is a thief. What we don't know and only she does...is what kind of thief she is. She could be a usual run-of-the mill scumbag thief. Or she's maybe of the very few good ones that are hard to understand. And they sometimes like to keep it that way."

Taotie blinked and stared at his son in disbelief. "Those...actually sounds like reasonable explanations. How could you have thought about those?"

Bian Ziao shrugged, scratching his back. "You say that sometimes, the smart people are the laziest. That seems to suit me quite well."

"Hah...you ARE a genius just like me! You're just...highly unmotivated."

"Dude. He's lazy." Mantis deadpanned.

"My son is not lazy. He's just highly unmotivated."

"Okay...just...just tell me something...what the heck is the difference? "

"Lazy people have no desire to do too much. Highly unmotivated people have the goal in mind, by they're just not feeling up to the task." Taotie folded his arms with a grin. "He doesn't have the motivation, but that doesn't mean that he can't do it. It just means that he has to be convinced that he needs to get his rear in gear!"

"Don't you realize how wrong the last part of the sentence sounds?"

"...You're right. That's a strange sentence. There are no gears around here!" Bian Ziao could only sigh and shake his head.

Tigress turned to Bian Ziao. "You defended her without hesitation, Bian Zao. May you explain why?"

The warthog shrugged and managed a small smile. "I actually think she's pretty cool."

"Huh. You really think she's cool?"

"She's not so bad. Troublesome sure, but nothing about her can be considered totally lame."

Monkey snickered. "It almost sounds like you like her." Fung blinked noticeably at this.

"Nah, not really. Just thinks she's pretty cool."

Viper managed a sly smile as she slithered up to him. "You're a better friend than you think you are, Bian Zao. But just out of curiosity...what did you think of Xiao Niao back in Muchang Township? She seemed to be a nice enough gal."

"What? Her?" Bian Zao huffed, even though the blush in his cheeks spoke his true colors. "She's seems far too bubbly once she reunited with her dad. Other than that...she doesn't seem so bad to be around...I guess."

"Well then, I know what I'm gonna do if we somehow manage to meet up again." Viper smiled widely and cheerfully...and it made the teen very uncomfortable, because she was directing it directly at _him_.

"Hey, can we get back to the important subject, please?" Fung asked in annoyance. Honestly, nobody knew how they got so far off-topic. "We need to know where she went, and we gotta follow her. I am not just gonna sit here and accept that she just abandoned us with a cold heart. She must have a reason for leaving like BZ said. And I'm gonna figure it out."

"Calm down, Fung. We'll find her. The rather difficult part will be how to do that." Shifu stated, ears slightly twitching. "However, you all will have to go on your own. The rest of us will stay here and reside in the Garnet Palace for the time being. The matters and reason Song may have for leaving are still unknown...I have a feeling you folks have a better chance at making a connection and understanding her than we do."

"Yep. You younger brats are flying solo on this one. Helps you move quicker." Fenghuang said while preening her feathers. "You've been doing very well so far without too much of our interference, like I expected. I have a feeling you can manage just fine without us for the time being. Mr. Ping will also stay behind with me. It could be more dangerous than Po will allow him to be involved in. Although I do disagree with one thing. Shifu should still go with you lot."

"Hm?"

"We need at least one capable elder to accompany them. You also have free time on your hands, and you're also always the one nagging about their safety. So you make sure they'll be alright. But Taotie, Zeng, Mr. Ping, and Mrs. Yoon will just have to stay here with me, where they'll be safe under my protection."

"Since when did I become someone who needed your protection?!" Taotie yelled in frustration.

"Throw a punch and see if it can hurt me." Taotie didn't say much after that. The owl could only smirk at her small victory.

Po just about wakes up from his nap, yawning and scratching his belly. "Hey...ya figure out how we're gonna follow Song, yet?"

"Still nothing...this really sucks. She left us no clues to draw leads, and no tracks to try and follow. What are we supposed to do?" Fung sighed.

Ànyǐng shifted a bit in his seat...then looked up to everyone. "Did she leave anything behind? Anything at all?"

Crane looked around the area around Ping's noodle cart, and managed to find a piece of Song's parasol on the ground. "Hey...I don't think that she knew that a piece of her parasol broke off."

"...That'll be enough." Ànyǐng nodded as he held the broken piece in his hand. This couldn't have happened on it's own, she'd have to to be hitting somebody with it. "It still has her scent. Even if it's slight...I can still track her easily enough."

"Even with such a small line of scent, you can track her without any issues at all?" Po asked curiously. He them smiled widely and hugged the wolf to his rather fluffy and cuddly fur. "You can totally be the tracker! Though Viper could do that easily enough...doesn't make you any less cool though!"

"Of course I could do it too, brother. But I'm forced to admit that Ànyǐng's tracking ability outclasses mine. Tracking isn't impossible for me to do...I just have a really hard time doing it." Viper admitted without really having anything against the thought.

"That's all well and good, but we won't be staying behind, Shifu." Mr. Ping folded his arms. "We all have formed quite a liking to Song, in different ways. Some stranger than others. So as a direct result, we all want to go find her and help her with whatever troubles her."

Shifu turned towards Mr. Ping, sighing. "I was afraid you'd say that. Alright. It looks like no one is being left behind. We're all going to continue traveling together."

"You're giving in already?" Fenghuang asked.

"Would you like to persuade him, then?" The owl had no retort to that, and she accepted the new arrangements with no vocal complaints. "Very good. Now if it isn't too much trouble, we'll be moving forward, to follow Song."

"Wait. Hold it. What about your mom?" Monkey asked Ànyǐng. The wolf shook his head.

"I have plenty of time to see her. Finding your friend is the higher priority for the moment, and I wish to help you do that sooner rather than later. It's not easy for me to say, but she'll have to wait." The wolf said as he made sure his hood and tantō were secure enough. "On any case, we should get moving as soon as possible. More time spent here is the farther she moves away from us."

"Good point, we will be off." Shifu placed his cloak over himself to conceal his face, with Fenghuang doing the same. After that, everyone proceeded to follow the wolf, as he was the one leading. They made sure not to leave behind Mr. Ping's precious noodle cart...

 **(The Next Day...)**

"We covered a lot more ground than we expected. She must have really covered some distance between us while we were distracted." Peng said while scratching his ear. "We still have no idea what would be the reason for her leaving. It must have been pretty serious if she had to leave without a farewell at the least."

"She must have reasons. We'll figure them out when we confront her ourselves." Lian yawned, her arms behind her neck. "I think she's cool too, so I am not a fan of just giving her up."

"I agree. We'll have to help her through whatever is troubling her so much that she feels like she had to leave without warning."

Lian smiled as she grabbed his paw with her own. "Yeah we are." Peng smiled back and gently squeezed her paw in return. Viper smiled widely at the sight.

 _"Young love...how I missed thee..."_

That wasn't Viper's thought. Shifu's ears flickered when he heard the voice in the area around them, and he halted everyone. "Someone is watching us..." They all stiffened at this as Fenghuang and Shifu kept their guards high, observing the area around them with increased focus. "...I'm going ahead to see what it is. The rest of you stay here." He ordered quietly as he moved forward swiftly out of view.

He jumped into an open area and kept looking around with caution. His eyes and ears were on high alert as he wondered who could be spying on them. He hoped it wasn't the Lin Kuei already, that would prove to cause serious problems. Waiting a bit longer, he spotted movement to the west, and he turned around just in time to jump back as something struck the earth where he stood, picking up dirt and creating a small crater. His feet skidded backwards as he glared at the cloaked figure before him.

Then he felt his heart begin to pound faster, and not from adrenaline. He sensed that it was coming from nostalgia, but he didn't know how or why that would be. Both his mind and his heart we're certain that this person was someone who knew him.

...then he took a second to try to sense the Chi of the person, and he was surprised to come up with absolutely nothing. Because this one was purposely concealing it, matching the feeling of mysteriousness.

He was left with little time to ponder this feeling as the figure rushed forward and aimed a kick at his head. Snapping out of it in time, he caught the kick and threw the person aside into a bamboo tree, watching the person using the momentum to swing around the tree and slingshot back at him to kick him once again. He moved to defend, but was surprised when he sees his opponent cancel his kick, spin rapidly and thruster their palm at him instead. Once again he dodged by jumping backwards with appropriate timing. Dirt was once again kicked up, and yet another crater formed.

Shifu was trying to keep focus as he found that his heart wouldn't allow him to strike back. He had no idea why this sort of thing would be happening, but once again he was not given much time o properly think about it. Shifu looked up to see that his attacker once again moved to kick him from above, and he again grabbed them by the leg and threw them aside away from him. This time he followed them with a high jump of his own, and with still a bit of doubt in his mind, thruster his palm forward into his attackers midsection, and watched them fall to the ground, dazed.

He landed right on top of the cloaked figure, glaring hard at his attacker. "What brings you here? Why have you been following us?" He didn't realize it until he took time to think back. Besides the familiar feeling of nostalgia welling up within him, he remembered that this person was fighting in a similar fashion to his own style.

...but that couldn't possibly be. There are only two people who could fight exactly like him and be on equal grounds with him. Junjie, and...

"My my...doesn't this bring back memories?" His eyes widened at the feminine voice. It couldn't really be...? The cloak was removed to reveal the face, and he could no longer deny the thought in his mind.

Mei Ling. Not Crane's Mei Ling. HIS Mei Ling. Mei Ling the rogue vixen...

And he was RIGHT on top of her!

Shifu's thought process was broken up for a little bit. The first thing he should have done was ask what the heck was she doing all the way out here and why she had been following him and the others. But his body betrayed him before he could utter a word. The redness now present on his cheeks can properly back this up.

"Well Shifu...what do we have here? After a little playful scuffle, you seem to have ending up pinning down quite a beautiful woman. What will your next move be...? Hm? Oh, your cheeks seem to be getting a bit warm..." The vixen reached up and lightly caressed his cheek, which did very little to calm his nerves. "Are you alright?" She asked with a sly smile.

"Huh...? I just...I mean...I...wait...um..." Shifu's mind was a bit fried at the moment. He knew he had promised to seek Mei Ling out and ask her to return to his side. However...he now realizes that he has forgotten one very crucial detail.

...he definitely NOT READY. He thought he had a bit more time, but this would be quite a serious inconvenience. Not to mention this was incredibly awkward. How would one react to just bumping into their ex without having a plan on how to speak to them. He was heavily unprepared for a confrontation this early.

He was even MORE poorly prepared when the vixen suddenly flipped them over so he was on the bottom and she was on top, pinning his arms down in the process. She gave him her sly fox-like smile, paired with a bright twinkle in her eyes. He could do nothing but stare at her while panicking on the inside, that was her tell when she was going to do something highly mischievous. Luckily for him, they were interrupted.

"SHIFU! We heard fighting from where you leapt off, is everything-" Monkey started, then his words got caught in his throat. Along with a majority of everyone else, who had also decided to follow him. But they we're silent for a very long period of time when it finally passed through their minds that Shifu was being pinned down by a beautiful female fox...and he was doing nothing about it. "...okay...?"

"Oh, this is going to be DELICIOUS." Fenghuang grinned evilly, finding immense amusement at Shifu's embarrassment. The red panda glared at her, while the Mei Ling pinning him down blinked in surprise.

"Huh. I didn't expect them to pick up so quickly. I was hoping they'd take just a bit longer...oh well." Mei Long sighed as she eased off of Shifu and bowed towards the others. "Fancy meeting you lot officially. My name is Mei Ling."

"Oh cool, she has my name!" Golden Cat Mei Ling said a bit amusingly. Po blinked in confusion as he thought about the repercussions of the two of them having the same name. That...was going to be confusing. What's still even more confusing was that Shifu was on familiar terms with this woman, something that Tigress was especially eager to know.

Shifu recovered from his semi-frozen state to see that everyone's eyes we're on him, as if waiting for him to explain. Except for Taotie and Fenghuang, who already knew the entire story. He sighed silently as he had no other choice but to comply with their silent demand. He wouldn't tell them the entire story, but he would tell them the more important details of it.

They were continuing their discussion on the matter as they continued on their current path.

"Wow...that's pretty surprising, Shifu. There is quite a lot we don't know about you, after all." Crane said, still trying to wrap his head around the details he's been given.

"So in the end you chose honor over love...and that didn't work out very well for either of you." Viper said sadly as she was coiled around Po's arm, looking at Shifu with sympathy.

"It was one difficult decision out of many, many others..." Shifu said grimly. "And yet I still ponder whether I did the right thing or not."

"I don't think that choice even HAD a right or wrong answer." Mantis cut in. "It didn't matter what you picked, you'd still lose!"

"...I know..."

With the revelation of Shifu and Mei Ling's relationship, they we're slowly beginning to understand just how taxing that trying to uphold the honor of Kung Fu was on poor Shifu. He was forced to give up someone that he really loved. And that was just one painful decision out of many.

As for Mei Ling herself, she had a bit of troubled times herself. Always being on the run from authority figures and trying not to get captured. Her thieving habits have persisted, even after all of these years. She had run into a bit of misfortune when she was traveling. She DID have a lot of treasure on her, but that was lost when they caught up to her and she was forced to leave it all behind. Once again she's left with very little in her possession. And he could tell this was no lie. Her clothes were torn and dirty under her cloak, and she wasn't left with any money at all. It's difficult, being a fugitive.

But now with this rather unexpected reunion, they've reached a new problem. What was he going to do now? Ever since they met up again, Shifu has been very quiet. He would keep his distance from his old flame as much as he possibly could. Whether he knew he was doing this or not was up for speculation. The awkward silence was staggering. Fenghuang however, was enjoying every moment of it. It wasn't often that she got to see Shifu feeling _completely_ on edge because of a fellow female.

Taotie finally decided to interfere, talking his shoulder. "Hey!" He then pulled them to the side, telling the others to keep moving, then faced his best friend with annoyance. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

"...nothing."

"Nothing huh?"

"Not a thing, Taotie."

"Sure about that?"

"Absolutely."

"Oh, then we can just keep going then since you seem to be completely alright."

"Really?"

"NO!" The warthog grabbed his shoulders forcefully. "Why are you so silent?! Your ex-girlfriend is traveling with us now and you can't even look her in the eye! Didn't you say that you were interested in getting back together with her?"

"I know what I said, alright. I just...didn't expect to see her again so soon...I don't think I'm ready."

"Okay, this is reasonable. When do you think you _will_ be ready?"

Shifu scratched his ears awkwardly and smiled weakly at Taotie. "Um...a couple...years?"

 **PINCH!**

"AH!" Shifu yelped in pain as the warthog harshly pinched his ear and pulled him towards him to talk directly in his ear.

"Shifu, I know you're horribly nervous, but you need to get over that REALLY quickly!" Taotie sternly told him. "First you managed to somehow reconcile with me, then you got a second chance by meeting Tai Lung's nephew, and now there's this! Do you seriously think that you can just sit around and not take up these opportunities?"

"...You make a valid point..."

"I know I do! You don't have to go all lovey-dovey again, but for heaven's sake say SOMETHING!"

Shifu managed to get his ear back at last, flinching slightly from the pain that was just caused on it. He then gazed at the vixen ahead of him...she was patiently waiting for the two of them to catch up. He sighed as he readjusted his cloak and gripped Oogway's staff. "I suppose...speaking with her shouldn't be that big of a problem..."

"There, see? One step at a time."

"Woah! I wasn't even paying attention to that!" Mantis suddenly said aloud, as he raised a foreleg and pointed straight ahead. "Yo guys, there's my village up ahead!"

"No way, are you for real?!" Po said with awe and surprise. "Ah sweet! I can't wait to check it out!"

Mantis sighed a bit. "Meh. Don't expect too much. Without me and Lidong to liven things up around here, the place is honestly pretty boring." He hopped on top of Po's head. "But hey, at least I have my Mom to visit. That's definitely a plus. However...I may have...caused a bit of trouble for the villagers with my...overconfidence in my speed. I wasn't a complete jerk, but I was really annoying about it. I'm not sure how they'll react to me coming back after a couple years."

"I'm sure you'll be fine."

"MANTIS!"

The insect sighed as he recognized that annoying voice anywhere. "Guys...might wanna just...spread out and have a look around? This is personal stuff." All of them we're confused by what this meant, but they shrugged and moved away from Mantis. The only ones who stayed were Po and Crane. Mantis then turned towards the voice with a rather bored face."Hiii...Dosu."

"Don't 'Hi Dosu' me you girlfriend-stealing jerk!" Another mantis hopped up to him and shouted in his face. Unlike him, he was brown. In both skin-color and she color."So you finally decided to show your face after three years!"

"Dude...I didn't steal your girlfriend. SHE DUMPED YOU! Then she tried to throw herself on me, and she failed." Mantis groaned. He has been through this so many times that he's beginning to lose his patience over it. And his patience is very low to begin with.

"Exactly! She keeps preferring you over me! So I'm trying to prove to her that I'm better!"

"Dude. I'm not interested in her. Or in ANY female mantis ever! Seriously, you can have her, I don't care!" Mantis sighed. "I've been repeating this for so long...I swear I'm not gonna keep dealing with it. Oh I wish that Lidong was here..."

"Why you...darn you for acting like the bigger person! You're not better than me, Mantis! Hao Ming doesn't deserve you!"

"...Dosu. Do you...do you live in your own little world?" Mantis asked him. "Does your world consist of some crazy messed up worship towards Hao Ming, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure that she hates how clingy you act towards her? While I don't really hate her, she should really fix her attitude." Crane raised his head to stare at him strangely. "Trust me Crane, I'm on the mark."

Dosu kept walking around Mantis, glaring angrily. "She just can't stop talking about you. How good you are, how cool you are, your amazingness...and she says these things right in front of me! Do you have any idea how that feels?!"

Mantis groaned. "Have you ever thought about...oh I dunno...getting over her?"

"I can't do that, man! I love her too much to just let her go like this, letting things end as they have! But she'll never come back to me if she's constantly thinking about you!" Dosu kept getting in his supposed rival's face, who wasn't paying too much attention to him.

Mantis's face became more bored than before. "Well tell her this: Just forget about me, find someone else, and leave me alone. Because unlike Dosu, I plan to live my entire life with my head intact, thank you very much! I can, and always will, love only one female mantis in my life. My mom." Mantis sighed. "Now Dosu...can you just back off for a while, I wanna introduce my friends here to my mom. Then maybe we're gonna get some grub or something." He mumbled the last part as he rubbed his currently empty stomach. Po seemed to really like this idea.

Dosu shook his head furiously. "You're not going anywhere until we settle this! She'll be back eventually, and she'll finally see that I'm the better one suited for her!"

"You mean she MOVED AWAY?! And you still insist on pulling this act on me? You're crazy!" Mantis sighed in aggravation. The poor jerk was so obsessed he was willing to pick a fight over someone who isn't there to see it. Hao Ming must have ditched him and just picked a different place to live. Mantis actually felt sorry for her.. Then he pointed his foreleg forward. "Look, it's Hao Ming! She's back!"

"My sweet is here?!" Dosu shouted as he turned around with hearts in his eyes.

"...Now's our chance guys, let's make a run for it!" Mantis whispered. With no other prompt needed, they ran off as quietly as possible, trying not to draw Dosu back to their direction. They left him looking around hopefully for Hao Ming.

Mantis allowed them to slow down when they were finally out of sight, and allowed them to follow him to his mother's house. With a couple of well-placed knocks on the door, it opened up to reveal the female mantis behind it. His mother looked very much like him, as well as an older version of Hao Ming. She gasped when she saw her son standing before her.

"Mantis...? You actually came to visit your mum?" She said in surprise.

He rubbed his neck slightly with a nervous smile. "Yup...hi Mom." She didn't hesitate to hug him tightly, as she looked overhead.

"Oh? These two aren't your usual company. Where's Lidong?"

"We went our separate ways for now. He's gonna try and get his act together. As for these two, they're Po and Crane respectively. The Big Guy, and the Mamma's Boy."

"What do you call yourself, then?!" Crane retorted.

"My mom didn't try to shelter me from the outside world, dude." Mantis smirked. Crane glared at him for this. "Anyway, these are my friends. I have plenty more just looking around the village, ya know? Checking out where I grew up, that kind of stuff."

"Well then, it's nice to meet you two boys. I'm Qiǎncǎo." She smiled at the both of them. "Would you boys like to come in? I didn't really expect visitors today, but I still have quite an amount of snacks for you three."

"Oh really? Cool!" Po then twiddled his fingers and rocked back and forth. "Sooooo...is it true that you ate your husband?"

 **SLAP!**

"You don't just ask something like that out of the blue." Crane grumbled, his wing pointed sideways, as he had just slapped Po upside the head.

"No...it's quite alright. I've fully accepted what had already happened." She said with a sigh. "I truly did love that man. He was such an understanding and kind person, as well as an outstanding lover. He didn't even resist when instincts kicked in and I couldn't stop myself...he was completely willing and understanding. Yes...it was quite a sad day." She looked up at the ceiling. "...At least he was delicious..."

Po and Crane once again had immense shivers go up their spines. Especially Mantis. Thinking back to his father's fate always made him uneasy. Her mother always noticed, and did her best to comfort him. Crane shook his head and attempted to change the subject. "Anyway...how about the snacks? How are they...?"

"Oh yes! I don't know if it will suffice, but I have plenty of apples that I gathered from the trees around here. They're very fresh."

"That'll do. That'll do nicely."

"Yep. Nothing like fruit to brighten up your day." Po smiled.

With an air of relaxation taking over the once tense air, Po and Mantis were currently munching on their fruit as a whole. Crane preferred to have them sliced into a couple ǎncǎo continued to smile at the trio as they ate their snacks. "So what brings you boys here, aside from my son visiting me?"

"To tell you the truth, mom...we're having a bit of a rough time. One of our friends kind of...ran out on us, and now we're trying to find her. One of our other friends has her scent and we're currently following it. We just happened to pass through here and I figured, why not say hi to Mom while I'm here?" Mantis looked to the side. "I already ran into Dosu, and that was unpleasant enough."

"Oh you poor, poor baby." She said with immense sympathy. She knew that his confrontations with Dosu were totally pointless and he'd rather not deal with them. She wasn't particularly fond of Dosu either, but her patience has much more endurance than her son's. "That aside, you said you were looking for a friend of yours?"

"Yep. She's a snow leopardess. Comes with a signature parasol, she's sly thief, also pretty sneaky. Not to mention, she is pretty cute."

"Snow leopard...? Thief...? Signature Parasol...? ...Cute...?" She repeated for herself, as she turned her head to look at the boys. "She wouldn't happen to be a member of the Ladies Of The Shade...would she?"

"Eh? Ladies of the Shade?"

"...I see." Qiǎncǎo sighed. "If you're thinking of bringing your friend back, it will prove to be quite a difficult task."

"Why do you say that, Mom?"

The female Mantis hopped off their table so that she could close the door slightly. She then turned towards the boys again. "The Ladies Of The Shade...they're a nomadic group of thieves that usie their skills of dancing, trickery, thievery, and deception in order to improve their own sense of living. And as the name suggests, it's an all-female group. All of them are snow leopards. It appears that this 'Song' is a definite member of the group."

"No way...are you serious?" Crane asked. "Song isn't just a regular thief...she's a professional at it. And there's an entire group just like her. Sheesh...how are we supposed to deal with that?"

"Isn't it obvious? We go and get her." Po said simply, still eating plenty of apples.

"Seriously? Po...are you sure...?"

"Course I am. Besides, Fung seems pretty determined to go and get her. He'll probably go without us if we give up chasing her. So we'll just follow her and see what's up. And if things play out nicely, we can take care of her business AND get her to keep traveling with us. Win, win, and win!"

"Sounds like a decent enough plan to me." Mantis agreed.

"That's not a very detailed plan though." Crane sighed.

"Well nonetheless, we got our answer. Now we just gotta figure out where she's going."

"If I recall correctly, their most recent camp is somewhere around the Canyon of Shrieking Wind. Though it might be a matter of time before they get moving again, so you might want to be quick."

Mantis smiled. "This is definitely gonna help us out! Thanks a lot, Mom!"

"Oh, you're quite welcome, dear. Also, you don't have to stay here longer than you have to. Your friend here seems eager to chase after your retreating other friend." Qiǎncǎo nodded honestly. Mantis having many more friends was enough of a status update for her. She now knows he's doing well, and that's all that truly mattered to her.

Mantis wiped his mouth and stood up. "Thanks for the refreshing apples, Mum. I really do wish I could stay longer and just chat. But I got places to be, ya know?"

"I got it, sweetie. I just want you to stay out of trouble. Well...more trouble than what you already place yourself in. Heard a bit about your occasional rampages because someone mentions our...miniscule presence." Mantis sighed a bit from that. It was definitely true that he tends to go out of control when his size is mocked. It doesn't end well for the ones who mess with him over that.

Po stood up. "Really wish our chat could last longer, really. You seem like a super cool lady. But we have to keep moving before we lose Song's scent trail."

 **(Meanwhile)**

Shifu was feeling understandably uncomfortable with the current circumstances. Mei Ling the rogue, his former lover, was sitting in literal spaces near him, and he couldn't muster up the bravery to look her in the eye. Despite Taotie's 'encouragement' he still felt far too nervous to actually say something to her. He feels utterly pathetic, because this was one of the goals he had set for himself.

In total honesty...he didn't feel as if he deserved to talk to her, much less try to reconcile with her. Despite the obvious signs that she was more than ready to do the same. He lacked the bravery after all, despite what he promised himself. Guess this was one of the burdens he's placed himself by giving up on his title. He still had to make difficult decisions that would still have a major impact on his future.

...oh how he wished Oogway was still in this world with him.

"...hey." He blinked and turned around to see the vixen he was thinking about, looking at him with her paws clasped together and her ears flattened to her head. His own ears flattened to his head as he smiled weakly at her. She returned the weak smile. "Can...can I talk to you...?"

"Um...of course..." Shifu patted the ground beside him, and she silently complied. There was a long, awkward silence that passed over them, as neither of them could find the motivation to start a conversation.

...

...

...

...

"...Hey!" They shouted at the same time. The realization of this made them blush and look away from one another. They slowly returned to gazing at one another after a minute."...So I was wondering if-" Nope, still speaking in sync. "My apologies for-no MY apologies-wait who's apologizing-can you stop that plea-how is this still happe-"

...This was getting them nowhere.

Shifu cleared his throat. "Uh...ladies first?" He said, very weakly.

"Ehehehe...thank you..." she said with a weak laugh. "Listen, Shifu...I'm sorry about earlier. I was honestly planning to approach you more carefully and with more subtlety...but I got too excited and that plan suddenly destroyed itself. I heard about your...situation. and I was honestly worried about you."

"Yes. I was going through quite a difficult time, and Is didn't have a lot of choices left. I have eventually disbanded the fact that I needed to keep bearing the honor of the Valley of Peace...seeing that it has been has been eradicated...something I might have been able to stop if had been there. I have thrown my pride into the wind, and I'm sticking to that choice. Though I'm finding myself still burdened with a heavy feeling, still. My friends have recently attacked and defeated Master Mugan to free the Garnet Valley from her abuse. I didn't have a big issue with it, besides the fact that it could bring unwanted attention."

"They didn't see your face, did they?" Shifu shook his head quietly. "Okay. So as long as they don't connect that kind of conflict to you, I don't think you have too much to worry about aside from cautious eyes looking at everyone in suspicion."

"I agree. If a pattern like that continues, we may have a difficult time moving around. Though I might not have too much of a say in it, with these young ones deciding our paths."

"Hm. They're quite a handful, is what you're saying..." she snickered quietly. He nodded with a slight chuckle. "Shifu...my behavior before...again, that was a bit unnecessary, I agree. But I really am glad that you're safe."

"The same goes for you. So...are you still up to your thieving ways...?"

"Somewhat."

"Figures. Though now I'm not being so harsh about it, sense I'm somewhat abandoning the code of honor I placed in myself. That died with the Valley, and with Oogway." Shifu sighed. "That was a rather unfortunate day..."

Mei Ling scooter over closer to him, and ensnared him in a soft embrace. "I'm honesty very sorry about your loss. I knew how much they meant to you, and how much you tried to keep the peace. Unfortunately that wasn't going so well..."

"I know. Oogway did his best. Though I sensed even he was growing doubtful that he could keep it for so long. He could do a lot of things...but he couldn't do everything. I may have made the mistake of thinking that he could..." His ears once again pressed against his head. "There are times when I figure it would not matter if I did something different back then or not. Some things are just bound to go horribly wrong..."

Mei Ling couldn't find a proper retort to this at the moment, as he seems very convinced by this line of thinking. Without another word, she kept him within her soft embrace. She didn't cross any boundaries, yet she didn't let go of him, either. He was content with this, as he just closed his eyes and allowed her to hold him.

If there was some plan on them getting back together...enacting it now would not be a proper time.

"Finally." Fenghuang sighed as she saw Po, Mantis, and Crane returning. "You three are finally back. Did you find out anything aside from meeting familiar people?"

"We sure did. We now know where Song is going, and we should be heading there soon if we want to catch her." Mantis noted.

"Good. Lets get going right away!" Fung sat up quickly. Everyone seemed just a hit puzzled by the croc's ever growing eagerness, but they chose not to bring it up. They had better things to do for the moment. One of their own had just run off without an explanation or even a goodbye.

They were going to find her.

 **(Meanwhile)**

Song sighed. She had forgotten that from her position with her friends back at the Garnet Valley, her base was a very far distance. But it didn't matter to her anymore. She had made it past the Canyon of Shrieking Wind by now, and she had reached the Ladies Of the Shade camp.

She was WAY overdo on her return time.

"...I'm late." Song said quietly as she continued to walk towards the camp. She had the treasure she gathered in tow, now she just had to finish up here. Though she was still worried about the possibility of things going wrong. Everything had to progress smoothly, or else her efforts would be for nothing. She sighed. "Girls...please be alright. This isn't a time where we can be reckless. Were almost there..."

"Well well, look who it is!"

"AH!" Song gasped in pain as she was roughly knocked to the ground by the swipe of a rough tail. She groaned as she tried to recover, only to find the same tail wrspping around her neck and lifting her up painfully, leaving her struggling to breathe. "Gck...wha...?"

"If it isn't our favorite delivery girl, Song?" A large croc folded his arms as his tail choked Song, and his much smaller subordinates were taking apart her bag of treasures.

"Wow! She's brought a really big haul this time! She must have been really determined this time!"

"Is that so? The boss will be very happy to hear that." He grinned as he brought Song closer to him, caressing her cheek...she felt disgusted. "Very good, Song. You're contributing very nicely to your mission, aren't you? Yes indeed, you're doing a great job. The Ladies of the Shade have quite a big advantage having you around. You'll be able to free them all in no time!" His tail uncurled from her neck, and she collasped onto the ground, gasping for breath. He laughed cruelly as he called his men over and had them return to the camp with her treasures. "Ya coming or what, Song?! Don't wanna keep the others waiting, do you! They're VERY worried! Hahaha!"

Song growled as her eyes slitted. She stood up and followed the band of crocs quietly. _They're acting a bit more obnoxiously than usual...well it doesn't matter. I've kept my end of the agreement._ Her claws slid out slightly. _I_ _f they double-crossed me at the last moment, there **WILL**_ _be hell to pay..._

 **(Unknown)**

"Well boys, look at what we have here?" Heilang smirked as he held up a tied up Master Rooster by the feet. It was once again a somewhat difficult battle, but again they we're ultimately successful. "Our target was quite the resourceful one. He really knew what he was doing when we confronted him. Unfortunately for him, I usually come prepared for a fight, too."

"...I got careless. Silly me." Rooster sighed in embarrassment. "Age must have made me sloppy if I got myself caught and subdued by a bunch of dogs..."

"Save your big talk, Rooster. You're lucky we don't consider you dinner." Heilang rolled his eyes. "Anyway, let's get going. We have both Master Snow Leopard and Master Rooster in tow now."

"Wait...Snow Leopard...? What are you mongrels up to?" Rooster said cautiously, and a bit worriedly. Hearing that they have also subdued one of his old comrades was a surefire way of confirming that something was up.

"What are we up to...? Eh, I don't feel like explaining into you, as I already did not once. Snow Leopard will fill you in on other details." Heilang grinned. "Long Story short...you and your old team...are gonna have a little reunion." One of the other wolves threw a punch at the helpless Roosters head right when the sentence finished. Groaning in pain and blood now slightly dripping from his head, he could do nothing as unconsciousness took over him. He was then stuffed in a bag and thrown over another wolf's shoulder, as Heilang began leading them to their next location.

"Whether you want to or not..."

* * *

 **Again, not too much happens in this one. However...once the next chapter hits, things begin to get a bit more serious. As you can see with Song situation and the Lin Kuei's movements. Hopefully I do well.**

 **...I dunno.**

 **Welp, this is farewell...for now...**


	37. The Ladies Of The Shade

Song was still visibly aggravated with the way she was shown into the village. How rude the manner was, how disrespectful the action was, and how disregarding the mood was. And it could all be simplified like this:

"Get inside already, wench!"

Yes. If Song wasn't in such a difficult position right now...she would be clawing these guys eyes out. Being treated in such a manner was enraging. But she would have to keep biting her tongue, as she was in no suitable position to resist them.

Dusting herself off and sighing in exhaustion, Song regained her composure and began making her way through the camp.

The Ladies of the Shade Camp tends to be larger depending on where they move. Sense there was a lot more space out here, they we're able to expand their camp just a bit and avoid ending up cramped and uncomfortable. Thoroughout the area, there were multiple tents that housed many of Song's fellow comrades. Some were simply chatting with one another over the strange turn of events. Others were honing their skills in thievery, dancing, and seduction. During the third, they usually get _really_ into their roles. Sometimes on the male guards, and even each other. It sometimes produces rather...interesting results.

...Very...interesting...results. Results that the male guards tend to enjoy from a distance...

...

...ANYWAY!

When the other snow leopards caught wind that Song has finally returned, they all got out of their tents and stopped whatever they were doing. They all focused on the girl walking past them as they waved and called out to her in happy and relieved manners.

"Hey look, Song's back!"

"We haven't heard from her in a long time! I'm glad she's safe."

"Hey Song, over here! What took you so long to get back! You took longer than expected this time!"

"Oh good, not a scrap of your beauty has been tampered with during your absence! I would have been crying so hard!"

"Song! Don't be rude, alright? We all know that anyone who returns from an expedition is welcomed back with kisses!"

Once again...interesting images for the male guards...heh...

Either way, Song smiled playfully as she smiled and waved through the crowd of her sisters. That's right. The Ladies of the Shade are all sisters, through and through. They have been thinking that way for many years now, before and after Song joined up with them. They also treated each other as such, to double that kind of bond.

But right now, Song had one to see.

Song walked right up to the largest tent that was also more eloquent and fancy, as well as clean. By just by a slim margin. She took a deep breath, placed her paws through the tent, and there she was.

Su was the leader of the Ladies of the Shade. Or to be more precise, the latest leader of the Ladies Of The Shade. But that's a story for much later. Her eyes were a deep blue,and unlike many of the other ladies, her vest was also blue. But other than that, she looked much like the others. Yet somehow she manages to be the most beautiful of all the snow leopards in this camp.

And there was another thing special about her. Well not really too special, but...interesting.

Her eyes were currently closed. But when she heard Song entering her tent she opened her eyes slowly, and calmly observed her. "Well well well...looks like my daughter has finally returned. I'm relieved."

Song rubbed her neck slightly. "Oh thank goodness. I thought you we're going to be mad at me."

"...Oh don't misunderstand. I'm mad. I'm very...VERY mad."

Song shivered quietly from this, as she attempted to explain. "W-Well-"

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!" Su suddenly shouted, looming over Song with comical sharp teeth. Song had fully expected the outburst, yet she was still very much terrified. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE BACK HERE THREE DAYS AGO! I WAS JUST ABOUT TO GO FIND YOU MYSELF!"

"I...I...I-"

 **BOP!**

"OWIE!" Song was now nursing the lump on her head lightly where Su had struck her, crying comical tears streaming down her face.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUT THERE?! YOU HAD EVERYONE WORRIED SICK!" Su roared. She placed her paws on her hips and glared at Song like a mother reprimanding their children. "What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

Song whimpered slightly under Su's gaze, staring at the ground in slight shame."...I'm sorry, Mother..."

This caused Su's anger to simmer down, and her glare softened considerably. She then sighed as she kneeled down and petted her head. "Alright, alright, that's enough. No tears." Song kept whimpering quietly, which made Su pull her into a complete hug. "Okay okay, you win. I apologize, alright? I just got really worried about you when you weren't back at your usual interval. You're usually on time or really early. You've never been late before, and that greatly troubled all of us." They pulled away a bit, as Su rustled the fur on her head. "Come on, I didn't hit you THAT hard. I bet half of that is just an attempt to guilt-trip me, isn't it?"

Song sniffled a bit as she wiped her tears away, kept rubbing the bump on her head and chuckled softly. "Maybe I did. But it did hurt just a bit. Just thought I'd milk it.~"

"Hahaha! You've learned a lot from me about deception. Like I keep saying, Song."

No, it's not how one might initially think it is. They are not blood related. In truth, Song was adopted by Su, a very long time ago. But again, that is a story saved for a later time. For now, these two had a slight catching up to do. They sat down side by side, as their smiles we're full of warmth, the tension between them and the anger from Su now completely gone. After that, they got into the subject a bit more seriously now.

"For real, Song. What was taking you so long?" A small pause, and they both laughed aloud, slapping their knees. "Ah jeez, I didn't mean to rhyme!"

Song took a moment to calm down her laughter, because her stomach would start feeling cramped if she laughed too hard. She regained her composure and gazed at her foster mother. "I meant to come back earlier with my treasure horde...but I found myself wanting to stay longer...a lot longer..."

Su blinked as se turned to her daughter with a curious look in her eye. She was actually getting attached to the ones she was plotting to steal from? Now the elder snow leopardess was very intrigued, because this has never happened before. "Really...? I'm fully interested now. Do tell."

"Well...you see..." Song sighed, her head now rising up to stare at the ceiling of the tent. "Its not that I'm particularly close to them or anything like that...but I found myself wanting to hang around them. They're not like other people I stole from. They seem to be wandering about, trying to find some way to spend their time. Usually it's by helping somebody out or something related to that. All of them are silly, crazy, weird, and interesting in their own unique way." She scratched her ear a little as an excuse to pause for a moment. "Especially these three people...a Panda named Po. A Tiger named Tigress. And a crocodile named Fung. Out of everyone there, they are the ones that somehow confuse me the most."

 _A Panda...?_ Su thought with inward surprise. "Is that so...?"

"Fung...he seems like a seriously awkward guy. Every time he's a bit too close to me, or I ask him to split up in teams, he freaks out a little and tries to create distance between us. He usually turns a little red in the face too." Song folded her arms. "That's a bit rude. If he doesn't want me to be too close to him he should just be up front with it. He didn't have to be so jumpy."

 _He's jumpy around you because he might be smitten with you._ Su guessed with little to no effort at all. And she also had a certain feeling that Song is unaware of this 'Fung' and his feelings. He must be trying to keep it that way. She chose not to share her suspicions with Song, and allowed her to continue.

"Although I heard that he was personally trained by Master Croc. I don't know what his connection to him is or how deep it is though. I just know that he seems fond of him. Fung didn't tell anyone much other than that." Song tilted her head. I'm still wondering if there's something else about him and Master Croc that he's not telling me..." Su narrowed her eyes slightly at this. Seems to her that Song is not the one who's keeping possibly dangerous secrets.

"Next is Tigress. She seems to be a rather serious and focused individual whenever the situation calls for it. She was immensely distrustful of me from the get-go, and she was not completely wrong to feel that way. She sensed and knew I was a thief from minute one. She's really smart, and crazy powerful. And I'm not going to lie...she's very, _very_ beautiful." Su raised an eyebrow when Song started laughing after that comment. "Though she gets really really shy when someone compliments her on her looks. It always made me laugh on the inside." Song lowered her eyes. "The two things that really stand out about her is the scarf she's immensely protective of, and that her older brother...is Tai Lung."

"What?! Tai Lung is her older brother?!" Su shouted in honest shock. 17 years earlier, she heard that he went on a major rampage that killed many people, because he wasn't chosen to be the Dragon Warrior. But she was NOT aware that he had a little sister who witnessed it. She guessed she was around, five/six years old at the time. That isn't something a child should witness, especially by a family members paws.

"She was clearly deeply hurt about it. It disturbs her greatly because the only thing that kept Tai Lung from killing Shifu was her walking in on them at the wrong time. He stopped when he saw her stare at him in fear. Even after only knowing her for a few months, it was clear he loved her dearly. Then he turned tail and ran before Oogway could capture him. Not only was she traumatized by the incident, but her troubles didn't end there." Song looked at the ground. "Apparently being Tai Lung's sister was more than enough to give her lots of trouble as she was growing up. And Shifu, her father, wasn't paying much attention to her. She was becoming quite a, miserable, bitter, and angry child..." Su listened on, her mind now clearly into the details Song was given to her. It was unbelievable how much emotional torment one tiger cub could take. "...And this leads to the last one. Po."

"The panda?"

"Yes, the panda." Song repeated. "Po is...I don't know how to describe him. At least not accurately enough to give away a very clear answer. Because it turns out, no one can really grasp a true deep understanding of him, or how he thinks." Su once again raised an eyebrow at this, seemingly confused bu Song's wording. "Like Tigress, Po is an adopted orphan. Adopted by a goose named Mr. Ping. He's a bit...no...he's VERY ditzy in the head, and I bet a lot of that rubbed off on Po. So much that it's close to impossible to tell who's the diztier one. They both also make some pretty amazing noodles, dumplings, bean buns...cakes...tofu...oh gosh I shouldn't be talking about their food. I'm getting hungry now." Song rubbed her stomach with a small pout on her face, earning a chuckle from Su. "Though it seems that Po didn't really have an easy childhood, either. It's obvious that being a certain species seldom seem around this part of China is bound to cause him problems on making friends. Being kidnapped didn't really help him much either. Luckily he was able to return home safely. And as an added touch, he managed to make friends with Tigress and Fung, so they weren't alone anymore. They also had something to return to when their fifteen years of preparing to face the harshness of the world have passed. And then he just gets more unpredictable..."

"Even MORE unpredictable? How so?"

"I don't know how to explain it." Song shrugged. "Not trying to be mean, but Po isn't very high in the intelligent department. In fact I'm was a bit surprised about how he was the one technically leading the entire group, while the elders around us usually gave advice or are bickering amongst themselves. After hanging around them for a while...I've begun to see it for myself. Most of the people in that group were there in the first place because of _him._ Turns out, in one way or another, he's helped them out in one special way after another, and he gained their friendship as a result. I could hardly believe my eyes. Despite them occasionally calling Po out for being such a moron on certain things, I could see deep down that they are REALLY beginning to care very much about him, as well as one another. And according to them, that haven't even known him for that long yet, aside from Tigress and Fung. Its just...really strange..."

Su blinked as Song described Po in such a manner as she did. Processing it and getting susupicious, she turned to her with a questioning look. "What exactly did he do?"

"Well...he saved Mosho Town, the place we met up, from going into a famine by having the others expose the culprits and give away cakes he and his father made. Then a little while after that, he set a fugitive free so that he could reunite with his daughter. And that was after the story that told us that he was innocent. Then he went toe-to-toe with the Kung Fu Express to keep someone's secret safe, or else he wouldn't have been the target of a manhunt. And there was also his fight with the Qidan King to free a princess from a short life of slavery, because she would have died before the year ended. And recently, he and Tigress took the fight to Master Mugan in retaliation for her harsh treatment towards the people she was supposed to protect. I used that conflict as a distraction to get away undetected. And that's all that I've seen up to this point."

Su had her eyes lowered as she began to process what was being told to her about the panda Song was describing. After a minute of silence, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Song...what was his reaction to you joining his...wandering group?"

"Huh? Well...he gave me an 'initiation hug'. He hugged me tight, and apparently that's how they officially count you into the group. It's quite silly when I actually think back."

"...Song. He'll be coming for you soon." Su said suddenly.

"What?! But why would he do that?!" Song shouted in surprise, standing up abruptly. "I mean, look at what I did! I stole from them when their backs we're turned and I left them to deal with the trouble themselves! Why would they come back after me even after that?"

"By the way you described him, this 'Po' person values his loved ones above all else. It's no different for how we all treat one another as the Ladies Of the Shade." Song's eyes widened at this. "I know how hard it is for you to trust other people besides us, Song. But you actually had true, genuine fun with people that aren't us. And that's a feeling you haven't had in years.I believe that this panda sensed this with nothing but his heart, and that will be his reason for coming here to you."

Song remained silent, her eyes just slightly shadowed. "But we're so close to just... _buying_ our freedom from these stupid crocs...if he interferes now, it'll ruin everything."

"I'm afraid I have unfortunate news about that." Su stated seriously, and sadly. Song's ears picked up, but she didn't look at Su just yet. "These loathesome crocs...they were lying to us this entire time."

Song's eyes widened and dulled significantly when she heard these words. She turned towards Su slowly, her body trembling with slight fear/anger at those words. She could only mouth a small, weak, barely audible: "...…What...…?"

"All that treasure and money we've been gathering for them...they've been trading it with 'business partners' across the land, while still forcing us to keep stealing for them. We were being decieved while we were decieving. The irony hurts..."

"But why would they do this?! We're doing what we asked of them, why won't they fulfill their end of the bargain?!"

"The truth is...they never said anything about not keeping us from reaching our quota. The twisted logic is that since they've been giving away the treasures and money to their mornic friends. In other words, we technically haven't achieved the goal of gathering the maximum amount we needed...so why should they fulfill their end of the bargain if they can keep us from fulfilling ours?"

Song allowed these words to sink through her mind, and realized that no matter how much it angered her...it was the truth. She clenched her fists angrily as the reality of their situation has finally been accepted by her.

They were never going to let them go...

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Eh...? Are you serious...?" Monkey stated dully as they we're once again on their way. "There's an entire organization of highly skilled thieves...and they're ALL female snow leopards?" He paused for a bit as he managed a small grin on his face. "Interesting...very interesting-OW!" Viper swiped him in the head hard, making him recoil and nurse the bruise.

"Don't make me regret bringing you." Viper scolded with a reprimanding look towards the primate. "You and Mantis might be the only ones whom I don't think will allow this to go smoothly. And possibly Fung."

"WHAT?! Why me?!" He shouted, clearly offended.

"Why not you?" Fenghuang shrugged. "We're headed towards a camp filled with skilled thieves that are also beautiful women. So of course us females have to make sure the guys behave yourselves." She raised her wing and lightly rubbed her beak. "However...I DO advise against bringing Shifu, Mr. Ping, and Taotie."

"What? Why would you say that, Fenghuang?" Mr. Ping asked, but was inwardly ho poo ing she wouldn't answer, for some reason. Unfortunately for them, she did answer.

"They might mistake you three as dirty old men. Wouldn't want to have an incident like that, now would we?"

 ** _CRACK!_**

That there...was the imaginary sound of their composure cracking. All three of their eyes have turned blank white like dinner plates, as they processed what Fenghuang was accusing them of.

"Dirty...?" Mr. Ping whispered, blushing in embarrassment as the accusation.

"Old...?" Shifu scowled, his teeth tightly clenched grinding together in anger.

"Men...?" Taotie jaw dropped at such a matter, which served as sight amusement for Bian Zao.

The owl then huffed. "Then again, Shifu's precious Mei Ling has finally decided to show her face to him again. So he might be off the hook. Key word being _might._ That and I still don't know where the Palace Servant stands." Zeng's eyes widened and he looked away, clearly not wanting ANYTHING to do with this subject whatsoever. This was a smart move on his part, because she seemed to give up after that.

"I do agree that we might get a bit of backlash if we just show up there uninvited. We'll have to be very careful when it comes to approaching them. Which means we shouldn't do anything that might rouse their anger. Because I can be pretty sure that we're vastly outnumbered." Crane broke down some of the details regarding their plan. "Let me repeat. Let's try to do this quietly first, THEN we'll take more assertive action if the situation calls for it. Understand...Po? Fung?" He turned to them with a blank stare. They both nodded affirmatively. "Good. Now that's out of the way, we can pick up the pace and proceed along."

"We'll be following behind you lot and see what happens. We'll also keep anyone one who could disrupt your progress off your backs." Fenghuang nods.

"Actually Fenghuang...I believe we should trust them to manage this in their own. There is another matter that I want us to get to, and we should have a head start on it." Shifu stated quietly, to the confusion of the owl beside him. "Will you all excuse us for a moment?" Shifu said as he dragged Fenghuang along, prompting Taotie, Mrs. Yoon, Mr. Ping, and Mei Ling to follow him with questioning looks on their faces.

When he managed to get them a decent enough distance away from the others, Taotie folded his arms. "Alright Shifu...what's this about?"

Shifu took a deep breath, and turned towards everyone. "I think it's time that me and Fenghuang made our way towards Mugu Mountain."

"Eh? That dark and creepy place where you imprisoned Master Ding all those years ago?"

"The very same. We'll be going off there...alone."

"REJECTED!" Mei Ling shouted, prompting Shifu to cover her mouth and harshly shush her. When the fox managed to calm herself down enough to speak quietly, he removed his paw. "Why would you want to go back there now after all of these years?"

"Back at the Qidan Village, me and Fenghuang we're given some...unnerving information about the current status of that mountain and who's occupying it. I don't believe it's something me and Fenghuang can ignore at this point. We must return there...and see if Master Ding is truly pulling the strings on everything that's happened so far. We need to be sure. Plus, the Lin Kuei is said to be there as well, which is all the more reason to go there and settle things with them."

"You want to just stop them altogether by yourselves? What about Po and the others?" Mrs. Yoon asked, worriedly. Seeing Shifu getting reckless was not a common sight.

"Once their business with Song is completed, they can catch up with us. I know that she's the main thing on their minds right now, so let's have them focus on one thing at a time. In the meantime, like I said, we'll be going on ahead first. Just tell them to continue as they were, then find the time to catch up."

"Shifu, allow me to go with you. I don't like the vibes this decision is giving off." Mei Ling stated strongly, though on the inside she was highly concerned. She had just met up with Shifu again and she had a bit of a rocky start with their reunion, so she didn't want something like this to make it several times worse.

"No, Mei Ling. You should stay behind and look after the others in our absence. If anything goes sour, I'm depending on you to provide them support. Besides, a matter like this...is personal to me." Shifu said with finality. The vixen lowered her ears in sadness, but she didn't argue further.

"If that's what you want, I'm not gonna argue with you over it. I was getting a bad feeling as well. It's never left my mind ever since we heard it." Fenghuang nodded silently. "Very well. We're heading to Mugu Mountain. The rest of you make sure Po doesn't anything TOO stupid. Wish us luck." With this, Fenghuang gripped Shifu by the shoulders with her talons, and swiftly took off with a mighty flap of her wings.

"Gah! Must you dig your talons so deep into my shoulders?!"

"I need a good grip on you! Just be glad you're not bleeding, and enjoy your flight!" Even when discussing a serious matter, they still manage to find a way to bicker and conflict with one another. Jeez...

Taotie sighed at this development. "I really hope they know what they're doing. So anyway, you heard them. Gotta make sure they get Song back before we can follow them. Does anyone else have something they want to say?" All eyes shifted to Mei Ling, who lowered her ears and shook her head as her answer. "Very well, time to regroup."

The others noticed that Shifu and Fenghuang were now currently absent. "If you're wondering where they went, they're heading to Mugu Mountain without you." They all gasped at this information. "Not to worry. As soon as Song is taken care of, we'll all head that way together." Mr. Ping nodded, though Po could see that the goose was worried about the elder Masters going there alone.

"There's nothing we can do about that. They made their choice, so we should finish up here and follow them." Tigress spoke up, snapping everyone out of their shock and they nodded in agreement.

Ànyîng was again put back on the spot, as he was the one following the scent. But he did not carry on without first visibly flinching from hearing the destination they would have to take next. He was actually going to have to go back to Mugu Mountain. He's already well-aware that he's been branded a traitor to the Lin Kuei, he wouldn't be surprised if he was now branded a 'kill on sight' target. He dreaded going back there where an entire clan is now set to kill him.

But these people had saved him regardless of his connections or his species. Po and Mrs. Yoon both sensed that he was far from a bad person. And from the looks and actions from the former, he seemed fiercely prepared to defend the wolf if harm was aimed at him. One thing that he's learned by now is that this goes for all his comrades present, not just himself. The others seem to be starting to share the same sentiment. He wonders if the panda himself inspires such a nature and if he even knows it.

Ànyîng must have been thinking for quite a long time, because it took three consecutive taps from Monkey for him to return to his senses and actually look ahead of himself. Luckily the Canyon of Shrieking Wind was not active at the moment, so they passed through that unhindered. No sooner than that, they've finally discovered their destinationd ahead.

"I see a camp up ahead...that's got to be it." He said quietly. "...But look, there's also a huge fortrees right in front of it...and crocs are all over the place guarding it."

"I see...so that's going to explain a bit of the situation." Lian nodded quietly. "If it's all the same to you guys...I think us gals should handle speaking to Song. Whatever crap she's dealing with, it's serious enough to make her break off from us." Fung looked like he was about to object, but after seeing the crocs for himself, he kept his mouth shut. "So it's settled. Tigress, Mei Ling, Viper, and I will be going after Song. The guys are going to go after the boss of this little operation...if there is one."

"Alright, y'all heard the lady, we're gonna sneakily try to find the boss man while they go and look for Song. If something is going on here, we're gonna shut it down!" Po grinned with folding arms.

"I thought we were going to be cautious about this, first." Crane reminded him with a stern look.

"We are! I did say we would be going in _sneakily,_ didn't I?" Po said as if it were the words of a genius. Crane just stared at him, completely deadpan at first. Then he shrugged, granting the panda a feeling of false victory. "Alrighty boys, move out! _Sneakily._ "

"Stealth mode!" Monkey pointed out, causing the panda to clap at the word.

"That's it! We're gonna do this while in... _stealth mode_." Po said, with a slow swipe of his paw.

"Though that might be a bit difficult for you, Po. You're quite an easy guy to spot."

"Pfft! I'm plenty stealthy! Just you watch!" The panda declared with shining confidence...then began to tiptoe towards the fortress as quietly as he could. Crane just sighed as he and the guys followed the panda. But Peng was held back a bit by Lian, who was giving a rather, at least to him, adorable pout.

"This area is supposedly filled with beautiful women...will I have anything to worry about?" She asked, jokingly.

Peng chuckled in amusement, as he took her paw and lightly kissed it. "Not a worry in the world." He smiled as he let her go and followed the other guys.

Mei Ling rolled her eyes while smiling. "Did you really need to worry about something like that?" The question made Lian shrug.

"Not really, but it doesn't hurt to joke around." She smiled. "Now, let's go and find Song for real." They nodded to one another as they made their way towards the camp.

Mei Ling the fox, Mr. Ping, Zeng, Mrs. Yoon, and Taotie stayed where they were, watching the two factions plan and then separate. Worry was clear on their faces for the younger troops. Well, all but the vixen's. Her mind was still mainly focused on Shifu and what he was planning to do. Though she couldn't really stand the silence either, so she broke it with this...

"...Are you guys really dirty old men, like Fenghuang said?"

"NO!"

 **(Female Team)**

Tigress has been in this camp for quite a time at this point. And she can say with confidence that she's not that big a fan of it. Maybe because she didn't have the desire to be totally feminine like Viper tends to bug her about recently. It was the attitudes most of the snow leopardesses gave out...that as well as the smell of perfume being all over the place. It was agitating her rather sensitive nose to varying degrees that she strongly disliked.

Viper, having worn perfume many times before and had many types of incense around her home, has gotten rather used to the various smells that should be uncomfortable to her. She noticed her friends discomfort, and turned towards her with worry in her eyes. "Tigress? Are the smells bothering you too much?"

"No Viper...it's fine, truly. I will endure and adapt to it with little to no difficulty...-CHOO!" Tigress started, then she sneezed. She sniffles as she sighed in irritation. "...Moderate difficulty. That snow leopard better be here."

"She's here alright. Just gotta keep looking sharp for her. She's gotta be here somewhere. Right around...HA!" Lian pointed to the largest of most of the tents. "Larger tents than the others? I bet someone important is in there."

"Lian made the call, girls. Let's see if she's right." Mei Ling whispered as she stood up slightly while sneaking through most of the tents to get to the largest one. With luck on their side, they were able to make it through each of them undetected, getting to the large tent through the method of a sort of waiting game. Be patient enough to wait for the snow leopards to pass by, then dash silently when the coast was clear. And every time Tigress passed through a tent, she wrinkled her nose slightly due to the many types of incense used to make them smell nice.

Eventually reaching the large tent was within their reach. Mei Ling sighed. "Okay, what a relief, we didn't get caught. Now we just gotta go get Song-"

"There you are, Song." Tigress said nonchalantly. The girls gasped in surprise as Tigress had already entered the tent without their consideration. They quickly followed after her, but the confrontation has already begun.

"W-W-What?! T-Tigress?!" Song shouted in surprise and slight anger. Su's eyes rose in amusement and also curiosity.

"Oh? This is one of your friends, hm? I told you they'd come for you."

"Tigress, what the heck are you doing here?! Better yet, how the heck did you get in here?!" Song shouted.

Tigress shrugged new nonchalantly. "We found our other recruit, he's a wolf. A wolf with a very effective nose. More effective than mine, at least. We tracked you all the way over here...to your camp. And who would have guessed you we're part of the Ladies of the Shade?" She sighed. "Truth be told, I've never heard of them until just recently. Its very surprising."

Song blinked. "Is everyone else here?"

"The guys are somewhere else, Shifu and Fenghuang left for a bit, and our mentors are outside the camp. I did bring Viper, Mei Ling, and Lian, though."

Viper slithered in nervously, waving with her tail as Mei Ling and Lian also walked in. "Hehehe...hi Song."

"Hello there." Mei Ling smiled.

Lian waved casually. "Sup."

"Are you kidding me?!" Song shouted in frustration. "You all are gonna get us in serious trouble-"

 _Poke_

"H-Huh?" Song winced as Tigress poked her gently in the forehead with her claw. She rubbed the itching spot in confusion. "What, are you mad at me or something?"

Tigress folded her arms. "As a matter of fact, I am. I'm most displeased with the fact that you just ditched us without warning. Fung seemed visibly upset with your disappearance, as well as Po. You couldn't even spare us a farewell. And even despite all of that...I'm mostly upset that you thought you could just break away from the group to deal with some problem yourself and not allowing us to assist you."

Song blinked in confusion as she slowly moved her paws away from her forehead. "Wait...you know what's going on here?"

"You ladies like to talk. When I was sneaking around to get to you, I happened to have my ears open in case I needed to know something important. These crocs have been giving you all a lot of trouble. I'm volunteering to assist in getting rid of them." Tigress said as the other women behind her nodded.

Song continued to blink at the feline before her, and she got up to meet her eyes. Su watched the scene from where she was, with interest in her eyes. "But...you don't even like me."

"Nope. I sure don't."

"Then...why help me?"

"Because regardless of whether or not I like you, you're my comrade. And now that I've been assured that you're not a bad person...just really...REALLY annoying...that's the only reason I need."

"Yeah! You didn't think you could get rid of us that easily, did you?" Viper smiled. "There are more guys in our little band of misfits than there are gals. We gotta stick together or else their immaturity will drive us crazy."

Lian rubbed her neck. "But to be fair...we're not totally mature either...except Tigress, maybe. But the rest of us...not so much."

"We have a higher maturity level than _they_ do, at least. Even Crane has his moments." Mei Ling jokingly added. They, minus Tigress, giggled lightly at this, as the mood lightened up a bit, as Su smiles from where she stood. If they were so adamant to assist all of them, then she knew what she had to do and say. But for now, they have to get rid of these troublesome crocs.

"Obviously these hoodlums take orders from their leader. If you can deal with him, then obviously the rest of them will run off as well. I've seen the looks on their faces, they hide behind their boss when things don't go their way. That'll change pretty soon, won't it?"

"Indeed, Po and the other guys will deal with it. If there are any serious issues, we'll go assist." Tigress said confidently.

"Very well. In the meantime..." Song clapped. "Who wants to see how good Tigress looks with makeup!"

The color temporarily left Tigress's face when Song said this. She waved her paws in denial. "No no no no...that's alright, I just-hey! OOF!" Viper swiftly wrapped around Tigress and pinned her arms to her sides, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud. "Viper, let go of me!"

"I got her pinned but not for long! Get to work!" Viper said with a mischievous giggle.

"No! Let me go, dammit!" Tigress struggled against Viper's grip, but it was no use. The feline silently cursed Fu-Xi for being the one to train Viper. The serpent's coils were very close, but not exactly, to be considered inescapable.

"Oh come on, Tigress, you hardly ever wanna do something remotely feminine. Think of this...as a small step forward." Song said with a mischievous smile of her own.

"Small steps?! What is small about this?!"

"Hush up and hold still." Song and Viper said in unison, with mischievous...no wait...they we're evil smiles now. Tigress was extremely nervous as Song drew closer to her with dangerous star-like eyes. She was flabbergasted when Mei Ling and Lian did nothing to help her. They seemed very interested in seeing how this would turn out. This eliminated any other chance of escape.

 _Oh dear..._

 **(Meanwhile)**

"So this is the fortress, huh? I swear it looked a bit more impressive from a distance. Don't know whether to be disappointed or glad about it." Mantis said atop Crane's hat as the guys stared up at the large structure before them. "Well, this shouldn't be too hard, really. Pretty sure we've done severe damage before."

"Obviously. Shall we head inside while we're still unnoticed?" Peng said. Then he noticed right at the top, there were two guards watching out for intruders. "No wait, patrollers at the top."

Ànyîng silently gripped his tantō, looking towards them. "I'll deal with them, the rest of you should head inside and find the boss."

"Right! Inside fellas!" Po said. "...But ya know...sneakily. _Stealth Mode..._ "

Crane rolled his eyes. "Eventually that's gonna get old."

"That is where you are incorrect, my avian friend. _Stealth Mode_ is gonna catch on. You'll see." The panda said confidently as he snuck into the fortress as quietly as he could. The others followed him just as sneakily, while Crane still didn't think that _Stealth Mode_ would catch on. Ànyîng suddenly jumped down from the wolf and also followed them inside. The two crocs we're now beaten and unconscious. They saw the blur of a wolf coming at them, then all they saw was black.

Monkey was still mumbling on about how they got stuck with this assignment. "I can't believe this. All those beautiful women are out there...and I'm stuck in here dealing with some stupid crocs. I thought I would get a chance to mingle, especially since Fenghuang isn't around to squander my efforts."

Crane resisted the urge to facewing while he listened to Monkey's complaints. "Viper knew you would be acting like this, that's why she didn't want you going in there at first. You're not very trusted when it comes to an arrangement like this one."

"Oh come on, have some faith! I...have a mild interest in women, that's all."

"That depends on your personal definition of mild."

"Why you-!"

"Hold it, guys. I think I'm hearing something..." Po said quietly as he pointed towards another hallway. They all pressed against the wall and slowly looked around the edge, trying not to be seen. They peeked over to see that a group of crocs were speaking to one another.

"I heard that Song is finally back, and with a larger haul than ever before. How did she pull it off?"

"Heard she was mooching off of some pack of suckers she happened to come across. Funny thing is, she was actually beginning to _bond_ with those guys. You'd almost feel sad for her when you see the disappointed look on her face when she walked by."

"Oh wow, she was called back as she was actually beginning to like them. That must've hurt her quite a lot."

"Yeah...oh well. She got us the loot, that's all that seriously matters. But I do wonder how many times she'll have to keep doing this. Having to keep lying and lying like this...then she ends up actually liking the people she lies to...then she vanishes out of sight without a word, therefore breaking their hearts that they mysteriously lost a friend, vice versa for her. It took her a longer time for this one. She must have really begun to like them."

"Yeah..." they chuckled nastily, wiping tears from their eyes. "Too bad she'll never see them again."

The glares from the guys were very intense. These crocs have been using the Ladies of the Shade for s very long time, as this information reveals. It also seems that Song was the one doing the most lying. She's been doing this many times in her life, and it's apparent she's was hating it intensely with each passing moment. Bet she didn't expect that one of the group of friends she betrays would actually come back and get her.

Crane glared angrily. "I'm beginning to ignore the whole 'let's do this quietly' idea."

"Same here. They were using her this whole time. They don't actually care about how she does her job, as long as she gets it done." Monkey narrowed his eyes. "I say we take them down. What do you think, Fung?" Monkey turned to the croc for his thoughts, but he only saw a flashing, dotted outline of him. He blinked in confusion. "Uh...where'd Fung go?"

 **SMASH!**

They almost jumped at the sound, before turning around to see what happened. Fung had swung his tail and it smashed right into the group of crocs with slightly terrifying force.

"SONG ISN'T SOME EMOTIONLESS TOOL TO BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAIN HER ENTIRE LIFE, YA BASTARDS!" Fung shouted, enraged. "And neither is the rest of the Ladies of the Shade for that matter!"

"Hold it right there!"

One of the other crocs jumped on his back to try and restrain him. This proved erroneous, Fung slammed his tail on the ground and used the momentum to push his back into a wall, smashing it and the croc. Fung then threw him off his back and kicked him aside into the other wall in front of him. With a small growl, he turned around and moved forward with small stomps. The other guys shifted a bit nervously as they followed him into one of the other rooms. While they had no qualms with Fung beating down those crocs, they didn't expect him to snap so randomly.

When Fung reached the end of the hall, he busted down the door and looked around in a fit of anger. He was angry, and he really wanted to take it out on someone. Luckily for him, there was a target right in front of him. He stared up at the large croc sitting atop a seat. He was not as large as Lidong, so Fung was not intimidated.

"Here's the thing...I don't approve of the crap your doing here! So I'm gonna tear it down while you sit there quietly and watch."

The large croc suddenly stood up from his seat and stomped his feet, snarling at Fung. "A little whelp like you is trying to kick me out of my own territory. I have ways of dealing with distractions like you."

"This territory isn't yours and you know it!" Fung shouted, as he pushed his helmet off his head, allowing it to land in Po's hands. "Hold that for me, will ya? I need to do this guy in myself."

"You think it'll be that easy?" The Croc Boss made it clear that he was well aware that something like this was very possible and could happen at any time. So he allowed his men to hide in the shadows until the appropriate time was given. They all snarled at the boys as they loomed towards them.

"Oh look at that, he has extra dudes backing him up. Nice." Monkey nodded in slight approval, but it was quickly silenced by a glaring Crane. "Anyway, these guys won't be much of an issue. Seriously, this looks pretty easy.

The crocs around them heard these demeaning comments about their difficulty to be combated, and they continued to snarl at them. Fung folded his arms angrily. "He's right. I've been personally trained by Master Croc, and he used to be like all of you. A bully who picks on those weaker than him because it benefitted him better. But he eventually figured out that that kind of thing was wrong, and he changed his ways. It took a bit of help, but he managed to turn himself into a fellow hero like Master Ox and Great Master Rhino. But you guys...you're not gonna change, why would you?" Fung shook his head. "I'm well aware that I'm no saint, but I know I'm better than all of you."

They all snarled lowly at him once again, as Fung watches the boss flash his sharp teeth in anger. "You don't know anything! Master Croc...he used to be a decent fellow and he was quite the skilled thief. But he gave up the good life all because he lost a fight to Rhino. If you ask me, that kinda makes him a sore loser."

Fung's growl deepened slightly, his own teeth beginning to flash. "Alright...you want to play that game? It's your call, buddy." He sees his enemy get up from his position and jump up as high as he could, and bring his fist down to strike the younger croc down. However, he saw nothing but cracked ground where his fist lied. His eyes wide with surprise, he looked up to see that Fung has jumped up with the momentum of slamming his tail on the ground. Fung didn't waste the opportunity, he came down on the boss and slammed his tail upon the leader's head. The result was his head crashed into the ground and he felt his skull crack slightly. As a result, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he laid upon the ground, unconscious.

All the other crocs stared at him in utter disbelief, as they fearfully looked towards Fung. He dusted off his helmet and placed it back on his head. He then turned around and glared angrily at the remaining crocs. They seemed a bit demoralized and much more fearful to see that their boss has been taken down so easily. With uneasy faces, they made their way towards the exit. However, all they did was run into their enemies who blocked their way.

"Yeah...sometimes we'd like to bring the hurt upon the entire group of hostiles." Monkey stared at them, clearly angered by them. "Harassing a lovely group of ladies is unforgivable in my book. Hope you're prepared for a beatdown."

"Yep. I heard Peng has a hard time holding himself back." Po said with a slight shrug. To demonstrate this, Peng struck the wall next to him, cracking it slightly. This action continued to build fear in them. Po merely grinned. "Guys...these dudes deserve everything that's coming to them."

They nodded in agreement with slightly evil grins, which drained the color out of the crocs faces...

 **(Back with the girls)**

 **"** There we go! Now you're all pretty!" Viper smiled cheerfully.

Tigress seemed to disagree. Makeup was not her thing, she feels too similar to an overly dressed doll that little girls tend to play with. She didn't enjoy feeling like that. Her displeasure was clear on her face when she saw her own face in the handheld mirror, a vein pulsing on jer forehead.

"I look ridiculous. "

"You look great! Come on, give it a chance!" Song pouted at her playfully, though the striped felines face didn't change at all. "You're a real spoil sport, you know that?"

"I don't care. I want this stuff off of my face, right now."

The guys we're just getting back from dealing with the crocs, and we're about to discuss their success with the girls. But they were met with the frustrated growls of Tigress and the amused laughter of Viper and Song, which indicated that they did something silly while they were away.

"Ah boy. It was our fault for leaving them alone. And they say WE lack maturity." Mantis rolled his eyes.

Po rubbed his chin, seemingly in deep thought. Then he clapped once. "I know what to do!" He declared as he ran right into the tent. The other guys looked at one another in confusion.

Later...

"Okay he's been in there for far too long. What is he doing in there?" Monkey finally asked after ten minutes. They see the curtains separate, and they watch as all the occupants of the tent came out into the open.

They did not expect what they saw next.

Po had as much makeup on his face as Tigress, he was using Viper as a makeshift parasol with his straw hat on her head, and he was doing a playful sway of his hips like some of the felines we're. He then set his 'parasol' over his head and batted his eyes rapidly.

"Meet Po, the new member of the Ladies of the Shade. Ha-ha~"

...

...

...

"Pfft...TAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Monkey and Mantis burst into laughter first, then the rest of the guys followed suit. They found Po's terrible attempt at acting as a female oddly hilarious. Po pouted playfully and placed his paw on his hip.

"Why ya laughin', boys? Ya jealous because I look...beautiful?~" He sounded, once again batting his eyelids, one could see he was trying not to laugh as well. "They made me an honorary Lady of the Shade for kicking those crocs out of their camp. And now I'm all pretty, just like Master Fenghuang!"

"Po...dude...that's just..." Fung tried to say, but he couldn't finish due to his constant chuckling.

"Ha...hahaha...I can't...I can't breathe...tahahahaha...!" Crane wheezed, his hat falling off his head and he was holding his stomach from laughing so hard.

Su noticed what the panda did there. Give himself a fair share of the embarrassment so that Tigress could have a bit of a break. While it was incredibly silly, he didn't look like he cared. He was a strange one, indeed. And this also told something about the rest of them. They were willing to go far for one another, even for a thief like Song.

...Su has made her final decision...

 **(Mugu Mountain)**

"Sheesh, you all look terrible." Master Ding stared blankly as Heilang came back with his pack of wolves with Masters Snow Leopard, Rooster, AND Elephant...and all of them looked battered and terribly bruised. None of those battles were easy, he took it. But Heilang was the only one who wasn't ready to completely collapsed, and he has taken the most damage. "But nonetheless, you've done a splendid job. You won't need to go after Shifu or Fenghuang...they'll be coming to me."

Heilang wheezed, having a difficult time. "Ha...thanks...Ghost Pig...we'll be...taking...our reward now..."

"Of course of course. Take as much as you like from Jong's treasury."

"But won't that piss him off?" Master Ding stayed silent. Heilanf got the meaning, and he smirked. "You are such an unfair schemer, Ghost Pig. Alright men, when you can all stand up again, we're raising Jong's treasury! Then we're outta here!"

Master Ding stared outside, the Spirit Orbs rotating around him. He sighed as he recalled his memories. "The Furious Five...five of the greatest Kung Fu Masters in all of China. Personally trained by Master Oogway. They we're known far and sides by other Masters and many citizens cheered their names." He placed one orb in front of him. "However...their will to stay together as a team fell apart. Due to Shifu's strict procedures to stick to the rules, and Fenghuang's chaotic tendencies..." The orb showed an image. Many years ago...a younger Ding was practicing using the Spirit Orbs, and was always getting a bit frustrated. Fenghuang always mocked him for it, and Shifu criticized his impatience even more than Oogway. He smirked madly.

"And the third reason...was me. So it would be fitting. I'm the one who drove the final wedge in their disbandment. It's only fair that I also be the one to put them out of their misery..."

* * *

 **Sorry this took so long. I was rummaging through my head trying to decide what to use and what not to use...then I decided on this. Here's to hope that it doesn't do too badly.**

 **Now we've reached a very major event. The Furious Five: Part One. You may have ideas on where this may be going...keep it to yourselves, tho. :3**

 **Until next time...**


	38. The Furious Five: Part One

**This took longer than I thought, and it's not even that long. Real life has kept be quite busy, and giving me quite a hard time lately. It wouldn't let me get to this story no matter how hard I tried. It's getting really difficult to keep updating when I want to.**

 **...Not that it's gonna stop me, though.**

 **It might not be too good, so I hope you won't hold that against me too much. Thisis what being away from it for so long can do to me.**

 **Let's begin, anyway.**

* * *

"Wait...what? Are you being serious right now?" Song asked in slight disbelief at what's being presented to her. After the entire camp managed to quiet itself down after the uproar about their croc oppressors getting kicked out, Su wished to talk to Song privately. They've discussed the past jobs she's been assigned on, and how much help she's been for them and that she was a very important part of their family.

Then Su said that it was probably time to let Song go.

"I know you know it too, Song. I've seen it in your eyes for a very long time now. You love all of us dearly, and the feeling is certainly neutral. Its also the exact reason why we're relieving you from having too much to do with us."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Song. These people found out that you were a thief that has stolen from people of all classes and ranks...but they came for you anyway. When they found out what was always giving you trouble, they sought to get rid of it quickly. And now they seem determined to stay put in this camp until they're sure that you'll be coming with them. They won't leave otherwise." Su explained all this while taking a couple moments to resd Song's face and try to see what she's thinking. She definitely saw that confusion was very present on her. "You've found yourself another group to travel with. A group that will give you many more beneficial experiences than we ever could."

Song stood up a bit. "More beneficial...?"

"You'll actually have more fun with them than you ever did us. I know you feel same way. It's as we've gone over a while ago. You smiled a lot more than usual while you were here. Even when you were gritting over how those crocs conned us more than we conned them...the thought of your new friends kept you from going into complete depression. Just...major annoyance."

"You could really tell that I was thinking like that?" Song asked, her head tilted to the side.

'I'm your mother, Song. Foster or not, mothers pretty much know just about everything."

'What? Pfft, no way. That's just a myth!"

"...Are you sure about that?" Su smirked at her.

Song raised a paw to try and argue...but she lowered it nervously while her ears lowered. She still thought the entire notion was childish, but since she wasn't that mature either...it was a bit difficult to come up with a straight answer. "I'm...I'm not...sure...I'm not...wait a minute!"

Su laughed, slapping her knee in amusement. "Hahahahaha! You're getting sharper, Song. Ether that or I'm becoming a bit too obvious."

"Don't pull that crap, Mom! You did that on purpose just to screw with me!"

Su laughed again, as she patted the top of the feline's cheerfully. "Sweetie...you gotta remember our occupation. Screwing with people is in our job description."

Song gasped, her ears and tail shooting up in shock. "Mom! That's dirty!"

Su grinned evilly. "Is it dirty because of the way I said it? Or...is it dirty because of how _your_ mind interpreted it?" The classic script-flip. Song fell for it, and now she was blushing madly from being deceived so easily.

"T-That's not fair! You tricked me!"

"And do I feel guilty about something that small? Not even a little bit."

"MOM!"

"Ah yes, the embarrassed wails of the foster daughter...it's music to my ears."

"You did all of that on purpose..." Song pouted in annoyance.

"You can't pin it all on me, sweetie. You left yourself exposed. Rookie mistake."

"But I-"

"Shhhh..." Su placed a paw on Song's lips, shushing her as her daughter stared at her in disbelief. "Compared to me, you're still a roooookiiiieeee..." She snickered as she patted her head. "Love you."

Song folded her arms and pouted immaturely. "That just isn't fair. Thieves can't lie about loving their families. Now if I say something mean after you said that, I'll appear to be in the wrong, when it _should_ be you!"

Su shrugged. "That's a tricky part of life, Song. It doesn't have to be fair, you just gotta try and live through it."

"Hmph."

"Oh hush. I'm the one who taught you that cute little pout of yours. It's not gonna work on me." Song just grumbled at this point. The chances of her coming on top during this interaction was as high as Mantis.

Yep.

That didn't mean she would give up without a worthy battle, though. She was just about to continue, when the sounds of a fist impacting skull, and skull impacting the ground, made itself known outside the tent. Su shook her head in amusement as Song slid the entrance of the tent open so she could see what happened. The only thing she saw was Monkey holding his head in pain as Tigress folded her arms.

"We're not over staying our welcome here, Monkey. Unlike yourself, we're actually focused on something more important than an all-female camp which is filled to the brim with female thieves."

"Exactly, Tigress! An all-female camp! Chances like this don't come around often and I intend to take the time to linger around a bit and...you know...mingle. These ladies are actually nice despite being thieves." Monkey looked upward. "They like to role play and stuff about romantic scenarios. There are very few guys in this camp, and they're only serving as guards. That doesn't seem to stop them though. They practice with each other. The possibilities...the many possibilities..." He seemed to be thinking about scenarios like these in detail. And he looked happy about it.

"...Pervert." Viper muttered under her breath. Ignoring that he was visibly hurt by this, Viper turned to Tigress. "So we managed to deal with what was bothering them. We'll be leaving soon, right?"

"Of course. We still have to catch up with Shifu and Fenghuang. As soon as possible will be the most preferable time. But first, I need to speak with Mei Ling."

"What is it?" The Golden Cat's ears picked up at her name being called. Tigress's stoic face faltered a bit due to the confusion.

"N-No...the _other_ Mei Ling."

"What do you need to talk to her for?" Fung was lying on his back, one eye opened as his helmet was lying on his chest, and his tail lied limply ln the floor. "Well she has known Shifu for quite some time. You think she knows what's so big about that Mugu Mountain place?"

"I'm positive she knows. She wouldn't have nearly had a panic attack if she knew absolutely nothing about it." Tigress responded confidently. "And the mere notion that she had a panic attack because of that, means that something bad must happened on that mountain."

"Do you really believe that's why she's shaken up about this?"

"It's the only reason I can think of. The only way we can know for sure is to ask her, which I plan on doing." She shrugged. "Since she used to be Shifu's...er...lover...I think I can figure out a bit more about him and possibly Fenghuang. Maybe even more things he hasn't told me about the past. I know he has his reasons for keeping some things a secret...but my curioustiy is getting the best of me."

Fung chuckled. "Curiosity, huh? Don't you know that-"

"I've already taken that joke from Po. I'm not going to hear it from you too."

"Fair enough. I'll go with you. Po won't be joining us. He's...occupied at the moment."

 **(A couple moments ago)**

"-And then we saw that our home was burned down and everyone who was in it was dead." Po said solemnly as he placed his hat on his chest. He was recalling the tragedy of his home being destroyed with the Ladies of the Shade, and each of them had the same reaction: Sympathy, sadness, and excessive crying. "Now me and my friends are wandering place to place, no clear destination. We just feel like we have to keep moving. For our own sakes."

"Awwww..." They all said at the same time.

"You poor, poor panda!"

"It must have been so painful for you to bury your villagers..."

"I can't imagine what I'd do if any of us were caught in a situation like that."

"You're a very strong panda, Po."

"Girls! This panda needs a comforting hug! Altogether now!" One of them sad as she hugged the large panda from behind. After that, many of the other snow leopards began group hugging Po, cooing at him and saying many comfortable words to him.

He was terribly confused. Especially since Mantis was glaring at him with a heated sense of jealousy.

"Damn it, Po. You can't go hogging all the women for yourself!"

"I'm hogging them? I thought they were just hugging me." Po blinked.

 _And once again, he's clueless. Oh Po...so much wasted potential..._

 **(Return)**

"Well...I suppose it shouldn't be too much of a bother to leave Po with them. We already confirmed that they're not going to be openly hostile. Now to speak to Mei Ling." She turned around and walked off to find her. "And Monkey...stay right where you are. Or else."

"Or else what?"

"I'll harm you."

"But _how_ will you harm me?"

"Do you feel like finding out?"

"No ma'am. I'm good." Monkey raised his paws in surrender.

"That's what I thought." Tigress huffed as she marched off to Mei Ling.

Mei Ling was sitting in a tent of her own, with her eyes closed. Her tail was sitting limply behind her as she was taking calming, controlled breaths while she was thinking about the situation that they were currently in. She was trying to keep her calm for the others sakes. She was intensely worried about Shifu, but the only way she was going to be able to help was to get the to get onto the mountain. She knew that it would be dangerous, which was why she would have to warn them of the dangers beforehand.

So she found it coincidental when Tigress entered the tent and sat down behind her. She didn't Eve turn around to meet her eyes, she knew what she wanted. As well as...

"While you're at it, you can tell the other three to come in, too."

Tigress raised an eyebrow, before she heard the sound of stumbling and groans of pain. She turned around to see Lian, Peng, and Bian Zao lying in the ground. The former two looked nervous, while the third was looking neutral about their new situation.

"Uh...this totally isn't what it looks like."

"Lian...I'm pretty sure she's aware of what we're doing."

"Honestly, I don't know why you thought that would work." Bian Zao got up and dusted off his arms. "Mei Ling. We have something to ask you."

"Yes yes, I know. You want me to tell you what I know about Mugu Mountain and what exactly is on there. As well as why I didn't want Shifu going there alone." She turned around towards them, eying them with a blank stare. "This was in the distant past. Oogway had a special elite team of Kung Fu Masters. They were meant to be the most powerful Kung Fu Masters in all of China. Shifu and Fenghuang were part of that team, with Fenghuang being the most powerful."

"Shifu and Fenghuang...?" Tigress repeated.

"In their younger days, yes. This was a time when he was still best friends with Taotie, and I was still his girlfriend. And there were also three other Masters. Elephant, Rooster, and Snow Leopard. When you place them with Shifu and Fenghuang, they make up the elite force that used to protect China all over...the Furious Five."

Tigress looked on at Mei Ling, keeping as quiet as she could. Peng and Lian seemed very interested in the story as well. Bian Zao was keeping a close eye on Mei Ling's facial features...he could tell she having trouble recalling these specific memories.

"And of course...when life gets too good, sometimes it throws somethint bad at you to make sure you don't get too comfortable. That's what happened to us." Mei Ling pawed gently at her ears, sounding quietly frustrated. "Oogway met this weirdo on the streets who could...do some pretty impressive stuff with his mind. Telekinesis. And it's powerful. He was able to easily manipulate these Spirit Orbs and use them to do all sorts of amazing things. Oogway sensed quite a bit of potential in him, so he sent him to Mugu Mountain to train with Monks to properly channel his powers. And like some irritating little brat, he got impatient with the lack of progress and turned on his teachers. I don't know what he did to them, but Oogway couldn't sense them in our realm anymore."

"Wait a minute...realm?" Bian Zao raised an eyebrow as he placed his hooves on his lap and leaned forward. Now he was _really_ interested in the conversation.

"Yes, I said realm. There's our world, the Mortal World. Ya know, world of the living and all of that stuff. Then there's the Spirit Realm, where the name once again implies, is where the spirits reside. Oogway has deep connections with that realm, as well as it's Chi. Anyone who's able to make a really deep connection with the Spirit Realm can wieod extraordinary powers. I have the suspicion that Ding did something to those monks that involves the Spirit Realm, but I don't know for sure. And then there's the realm with the most evil chi than any of the other realms, the Underworld. Anyone who has powerful chi from that realm is bound to be trouble. After all, the Underworld is a dark and sinister place." She shrugged. "And, ya know, you can call it Hell. Whichever suits your fancy." She regained focus. "When he got rid of the monks, Ding went on to rampage in the Valley of Peace, mentally driving the villagers mad and fixing them to attack one another. Including the Five. The only ones who were unaffected by his mind powers were Oogway do to his own powerful Chi, and Fenghuang due to her free will being stronger than the others. They managed to put a stop to his rampage and seal him in Mugu Mountain without his Spirit Orbs to help him. But...the damage to us was already done."

"Mei Ling...what happened?" Peng asked softly.

"After that, things...went downhill really fast. Since she was the only one of the Five who could properly stand up to Ding, she felt as if she didn't need the others anymore, and quit the Five. She went on to challenge Oogway, which I'm sure she told you the result of that duel. After that...one by one...the Five went there separate ways due to the seed of distrust Ding planted in them. Only Shifu was left at the Jade Palace. And of course he was still deeply hurt by how harshly the team was disassembled, so he tried to relief himself through intense training. When he almost ceased to spend time with me, I had to resort to my thieving ways just to regain his attention. Though that was bad timing on everyone's part, since days before that, Taotie walked out on the Jade Palace too, thinking that Kung Fu has become harmful to everyone instead of helpful like it was meant to be. The stress of his best friend walking out of him intensified his anger at me for dishonoring Kung Fu by using it to steal. He didn't even want to hear the reason for doing it. He just told me that we were over...couldn't even look me in the eye. I could only curse his name and run off into the shadows, since that was his decision after all. Everyone in the Jade Palace just...fell apart. Oogway was quite exhausted with the entire ordeal, because he was unable to prevent the consequences..." Mei Ling's ears flattened against her head. The Furious Five managed to defeat Master Ding...but the mental damage he did to them with his powers managed to tear them all apart, including driving away Taotie and Mei Ling.

Tigress was now sure that the vixen was finished with recalling the story. She slowly felt the softness of her scarf as she closed her eyes to think it over. Peng, Lian, and Bian Zao were watching her quietly, silently trying to guess what she was thinking. They jumped slightly when she finally opened her eyes and stood up.

"Well now we know why Shifu and Fenghuang wanted to go alone. It changes nothing about our destination, but it does give us another reason to go there. I'll go tell the others about this." Tigress stood up and walked out the tent. "Peng, let's go. Lian, Bian Zao, you two as well."

"Right." They all said as they followed her out the tent. Mei Ling could only sigh as she got up and followed them. She knew that this could only lead to more trouble.

 **(Tigress relays the story...)**

"Wait what?! Are you serious!?" Monkey shouted. "Even after the crap that happened on that mountain, we're still gonna go there?!"

"Yeah Tigress, this is crazy! Isn't Shifu and Fenghuang enough?! I'm sure they can do this themselves!" Mantis backed up. They both seemed to be panicked about this.

"How sad...their entire team fell apart because of Master Ding's mental manipulation." Viper said sadly as she stared at the ground. "You don't think...they feel responsible for this, do you? Maybe that's why they wanted to go there on their own..."

Crane tilled his hat silently and stared out towards the mountain in question. "I wouldn't put it past them to do something like that. What they been through is not something that they can just get over, no matter how many years pass."

"The Lin Kuei use that mountain as one of their bases of operations." Anying recalled. "And Jong should also be there. He's been seen there, I'm sure of it."

Suddenly Monkey wasn't so against the idea anymore. His arms lowered and he he stared out against the mountain. "That's where he's hiding, huh? In that case, I wanna head there straight away."

"YOU CHANGED YOUR MIND?!" Mantis shouted in disbelief.

"Course I did. Jong is up there, and I'm looking to kick his ass. And while we're at it, the Lin Kuei. If they haven't ran off already."

"SERIOUSLY?! THAT WAS AWFULLY QUICK OF YOU!" Mantis quickly turned to Po. He was lying on the ground with his hat covering his eyes. The insect hopped onto his belly. "Hey, come on Po! You gotta realize how crazy this idea is! Master Ding took the Furious Five apart by himselfx and they're supposed to be the toughest around!"

"..."

"Po...? You there, buddy?"

"See Mantis, I've already decided that I would go on and beat Jong and the Lin Kuei for their affiliation with my home being burned down. And if Master Ding also has something to do with it, then that's just how it's gonna be." Po said quietly. "I think we'll be fighting more guys. And it also looks like they'll be tough. But we'll do it anyway."

"The panda has spoken." Mei Ling said, shrugging. "Regardless, Mr. Ping, Mrs. Yoon, and Taotie will be staying in the camp. Even if they can fight, they'll be in a much more troublesome bind than the rest of you. They'll just stay with the Ladies of the Shade. They'll be safe here."

"It's always so troubling that we'll keep getting into trouble no matter what happens." Taotie grumbled. "Hey you two! Peng and Lian! Be sure to look after my son! He's so lazy he has no idea how to keep himself safe."

"I don't need babysitters, Dad." Bian Zao grumbled.

"Don't worry, we'll look after him." Peng nodded.

"Yeah, we know he's kind of a lazy ass, so of course he'll need to be looked after." Lian grinned.

"Are you seriously taking his side?!" Bian Zao said, surprised.

"Oh hush up, warthog! I've finally decided!" Lian wrapped an arm around him, as well as Peng. "You're gonna be our best friend!"

"Uh...uh..."

"She's not gonna give this up, Bian Zao. Resistance is futile." Peng said with a nervous chuckle.

Bian Zao didn't realize it at the time, but he would figure out that Peng was _not_ joking about this.

"Okay. So Dad, Taotie, and Mrs. Yoon would be staying here. Everyone else, we're heading out to Mugu Mountain!" Po stood up, adjusting his hat and staring up to the mountain that signifies their destination.

"But first, we'll have to work something out. For now on...we'll be doing this." Mantis stated aloud. He pointing to the smaller fox, and the golden cat. "The former will be Fox Ling, the latter will be Golden Cat Ling. That way we won't get confused."

"THOSE NAMES SUCK!" The vixen growled angrily at the insect, kicking him into a nearby tree. He hit it facefirst, and fell on his back, dizzy and distorted.

"It won't be that bad. At least we have _some_ way of telling us apart if our looks aren't involved. Until we have a simpler way, this is how we're doing things for the time being." The Asian Golden Cat nodded in support.

"Tch...fine. But that doesn't mean we have to to like it."

"All I'm asking."

Tigress nodded quietly and was the first one to begin moving. "Then it's best that we begin right now. The more time we waste will be the longer time Shifu and Fenghuang will be in trouble. Let's move."

"Right!"

 **(Later...)**

"So, Master Ding as telekinetic powers?" Viper said as she was slithering alongside the others. "And that they're incredibly powerful as long as he has those Spirit Orbs in his possession?"

"So a rather troublesome task would be to somehow sever his connection to those orbs, or else the battle's going to be even more troublesome." Crane deduced, holding his hat steady, as Mantis was riding on it. "Although I don't know how'll we'll be able to pull that off. Someone like Shifu and Fenghuang had a hard time against this guy, and Fenghuang was immune to their mind games. Our luck won't be much better."

"Any chance we have is a chance we'll have to take. There's a way to take him down, and we'll find it eventually." Tigress said bluntly, her scarf gently flowing in the wind.

"Well you're certainly optimistic about this, aren't you?"

"Someone has to be. You don't seem to be up for it."

"I'm just saying it won't be easy. I didn't say that it'll be impossible."

"At any rate, we have to make it up there. Shifu and Fenghuang are strong, but they might still be in a lot of trouble. We have to catch up to them, quickly." Peng said with urgency. "We can't afford to waste too much time."

"We know, Peng." Lian said, holding his paw gently.

Po had his paws behind his neck, staring blankly at the skies. Normally he would see Fenghuang flying around in the skies and enjoying the wind in her face. But now he couldn't see her anywhere, nor could he get a grasp on her chi. This was troubling for him. Ever since she taught him how, he was able to get a sensible grasp on her Chi anytime he wished, and vice-versa. If he can't sense her Chi, she was definitely in trouble.

He'll have to fix that soon enough.

There was a soft glint of light noticable to Anying's eyes. He drew his tantō and stared silently at the soft glow. His eyes grew slitted as he growled lowly at the glint. He knew what that glint was far too well.

 _I know that you're there...I know that glint in your eye, and I know your scent. You can't fool me._

"...heh. Hehehehe...so this is where the traitorous pup ran off to. Right to the targeted panda. How convenient." Anying slightly ground his teeth as his uncle slowly came into view from the shadows. Heilang came out first. And later, the other right after him. "Of course you'd run to these guys. Where else would you go? Stupid bastard nephew."

"Huh. So you're the leader of the Lin Kuei? You have the same symbol on your close as Anying." Po said, scratching his belly. "Mind getting out of the way. Sure I wanna beat you guys up...but I'm kinda more worried about my teacher and Shifu. So I'd _really_ appreciate it...if you would get out of my way."

"Oh yeah? That crazy owl and that stupid midget." Heilang cocked his head to the side and grinned. "They've already been taken down. They couldn't put up much of a fight against Master Ding. The white furry midget couldn't protect his mind well enough, and the owl was ganged on by...well...that's a surprise you'll have to see for yourselves."

Tigress and Po seemed to tense up when they heard that their teachers have been captured. Now their motivation to get to the mountain as soon as possible. The former stepped forward ready to force them out of the way. But then he shrugged. "If you want to go after them, we won't stand in your way. Our job quota has already been fulfilled so we don't have anymore obligation to help that Ding pig." Everyone raised a questioning eyebrow at this. He was willing to just let them pass just like that? "But for us to let you pass...the wolf boy has to stay right here. He's defied the honor of a wolf pack...he has to die."

"...He has to die, huh?" Po said lowly. "Well...you see, I can't really allow that."

"Oh...and why not?"

"Because he's part of my friends now. You can't go doing stuff like that."

Heilang growled in amusement. "Is that right? What? Is he a part of _your_ pack now? Your little Panda Pack?"

Po's eyes were shadowed by his hat when he was asked this. Just a couple moments of silence passed after the question was asked, giving the impression that he was pondering it. After a minute his face began sparkling and his suddenly gave a wide grin. "That sounds like a totally awesome name! Can we name our group that?!"

 **SLAM!**

"NO FREAKING WAY!" Fung slapped the back of Po's head with his tail, sending him face-first into the ground and causing his hat to fall off his head. "That's not fair to the rest of us you jerk!"

"Mmmf! Mmmf! Pmmmf!" Po managed to dig his face out of the ground, and he stood uo and glared at Fung. "What'd you do that for you crappy croc!?"

"Crappy Croc, am I...?" Fung gritted his sharp teeth at the panda.

"STAY FOCUSED OR I'LL BREAK BOTH OF YOUR JAWS! WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Monkey shouted over the both of them. "These stupid dogs are in our way, we need to get past them in order to help Shifu and Fenghuang! Er...no offence to you, Anying."

"I'm alright."

Heilang growled lowly as his men began to move towards them. "We tried asking nicely, but that chance is over now. We'll be killing the boy...and all of you. _Especially_ him and the panda. The latter managed to get away from us because of that owl, but he doesn't have that protection now." The wolves all twirled their chain hammers, and shot them all towards the panda at the same time.

The reflexes from Peng served them well. He leapt right in front of the chain hammers and kicked them all in different directions, sending them into different parts of the forest. They were able to pull them back regardless, but still, they were awfully surprised. Peng lifted himself from the ground and stared at the wolves.

"I was honestly willing to take that offer of not having to battle you wolves. But after hearing that condition...I don't think I can walk away from this without beating you into the ground." Peng said while cracking his knuckles. "Po, Aunt Tigress, Fung, Song, Crane, Viper, Monkey, and Mantis. You six will have to go on without us for a while. We can't have these wolves distracting all of us."

Tigress still began walking forward, passing by the wolves. "Very good work, Peng. I'm trusting you with this."

"Right!" Peng didn't give them any headway. One the others managed to get past the wolves, he jumped up and blocked their path so his friends will remain unhindered. "So to recap...you're the ones who destroyed my aunt's home and killed everyone in it?" He didn't wait for an answer, for he was well aware of it by now. "You've made my aunt and my friends very upset with that. And since they're more concerned about getting their Masters back, we'll have to deal with you in their place."

Heilang growled. "Annoying little punk...just how do you plan on doing that?"

Peng's eyes again turned into dangerous slits, allowing him to closely mimic the appearance of his uncle when angered. "You're about to find out..."

 **(Meanwhile...)**

They weren't aware of it yet, but Master Ding already knows they're here. And there was a highly likely chance that they may be coming for him and to free their Masters. Oh yes, he knew all of this. He's scanned their minds using the power of his spirit orbs. He was prepared for them.

Fenghuang however, thought differently.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE YOU STUPID GHOST PIG! YOU LEAVE THEM OUT OF THIS! IT'S ME YOU"RE PISSED AT, NOT THEM!" The owl was using her anger at being captured, due to a _cheap shot_ no less, to disguise how immensely worried she was about Po. He was heading right their way. She had made sure that the panda would be strong, but she wasn't too sure that he would stand a chance against a telekinetic master like Master Ding. He wasn't ready yet, not for this. And he was bringing the others, too. It might help, but she wouldn't know how, or for how long. She didn't feel like finding out, but it was too bad she was stuck in telekinetic coils AND a bubble. He couldn't breech her mind, so he was keeping her restrained, instead. "If you hurt that panda, I'll send you to hell. And I'll make sure you **_STAY_** there!"

Master Ding paid no heed to her as he stared into his Spirit Orbs, which were showing his new guests now entering his mountain. His face was neutral. _Oogway...this little band of children...THIS is what your betting the next era on?_ _Why is Fenghuang so protective of that panda amongst them...?_ He lowered his eyes, then turned towards his captors. Shifu, Elephant, Snow Leopard, and Rooster all had blue glowing eyes, signifying their mental state being controlled by him. Since Fenghuang's free will leaves her immune to that, he's content with just keeping her in a telekinetic bubble until further notice. But right now, he had guests to attend to. He nodded to his mentally manipulated servants, watching them disappear into the darkness.

 _Let's see what they can do..._


	39. The Furious Five: Part Two

"Welp...this place is depressing."

The primary group of six have been making their way up the mountain after splitting up from their friends. They noticed how quickly the atmosphere changes the moment they step into the area. To take from Monkey's current thoughts on the place, it was filled with doom and gloom.

This was surely a place that _used_ to be inhabited by monks. The nearby houses looked ancient and a couple of places were surrounded by special incense that's well past worn out it's purpose. Nobody bothered to move them because no one is ever here. Battle was evident here, judging by the numerous craters and cracks in the ground, both aged and recent. There was no doubt that Fenghuang and Shifu have been through here, now they needed to know just what happened to them.

Unfortunately for Crane, there was also a lot of dust.

"ACHOO!"

"Hey! Can you not sneeze so hard? I'm not interested in falling off!" Mantis griped, regaining balance atop Crane's hat. The avian rubbed the top of his beak with an apologetic look.

"S-Sorry. Dust is a definite sneeze trigger for me...ACHOO!" The next sneeze almost knocked Mantis off again, much to his irritation. Crane smiled weakly as he rubbed his beak again. "Hehe...sorry..."

"At least Fenghuang doesn't know that about you, she'd call you Sneezy instead of Long Legs. Or maybe even Dusty." Monkey snickered.

"Dusty? How does that make any sense?"

"It doesn't have to make sense. It just has to be funny. And it works either way, so this time it isn't an issue."

"This place looks pretty old alright..." Song wondered aloud, her head occasionally turning sideways in both directions to get a good look of the area. Her tail sometimes bristled in anticipation. "Wonder if there's anything valuable in here...?"

"Nothing that does not need to be moved will be moved. That's your only warning." Tigress said sternly, not looking at her. "We are here for important missions, which are to assist Shifu and Fenghuang, as well as apprehend Jong and Master Ding. This isn't a place for you to satisfy your petty thief urges."

"PETTY?! Who are you calling petty?!"

Fung was rather surprised that she took more offense to the 'petty' part instead of the 'thief' part. It could possibly mean that she's long accepted being called that on a daily basis, and it ceased to bother her, if it ever did bother her in the first place. But being petty didn't seem like something she thought fit her description. _He_ certainly didn't think of her as petty, but he wasn't going to say that aloud in front of her or Tigress.

Po and Viper seemed to be the ones the others are depending on to lighten up the rather harsh and dark atmosphere that they were surrounded in. Because the other seemed to be feeling rather tense about this castle, except for Tigress. She seemed entirely unaffected by it aside from her focus on finding their missing Masters.

"Wonder what other Kung Fu secrets could be held in here aside from Master Ding and those monks? Anyone else have any idea on what to think about this place?" Po asked.

"Well if you want MY opinion, this place needs some serious sprucing up!" Viper offered. "Seriously, this place is too gloomy, too depressing, and too _dirty_. We could use a couple new rows of fresh incense there...have a few candles and lights over here...clear up all the dust that's almost all over the place...yep. Serious sprucing up. Maybe then, it can be considered a habitable home."

"ACHOO!"

"Crane, I swear..." Mantis grumbled.

"I can't help it! If you don't like it, ride on someone's shoulder, or just walk on your own legs! Most of us have two, Viper has _none._ You have _four_ legs that I'm pretty sure are absolutely not broken."

"Okay okay! Jeez you don't need to put it that way..." Mantis hopped from Crane's hat to Po's hat, balancing well to avoid falling. "So what, we find the ghost pig? Then what? And forgive me for not having the knowledge to fight ghosts."

"Okay, before we really get into the whole 'Ghost Pig' business...how do we know if he's really dead?" Fung asked.

"He was imprisoned on the mountain for life, Fung. Pretty certain that the dude must have croaked by now." Monkey shrugged. "And yet he still manages to get his hands on the Spirit Orbs again, even when they were locked in the Jade Palace."

Tigress nodded. "The Jade Palace was destroyed along with the rest of the Valley. The Spirit Orbs were no longer restricted and he still has a heavy influence on them. He surely had them return to his possession this way. It seems that his control over them has somehow improved since he's been so concentrated on having them back...though that's just a theory of mine."

"That's one pretty impressive theory, Tigress. So much that it might be true." Crane said. "Things could get ugly if it's true, though. What can we do? The Furious Five had such a hard time with him...what could we do?"

"That's something we'll just have to figure out. No backing out when we've come so far up already." She placed a paw on her chin. "Though with all his powers, he should have the ability to monitor our movements, even right now. I only just thought about that factor. This could be trickier than I thought it might be."

"What?! You mean he could be watching us right now?!" Mantis shouted, now looking around frantically. "That's not cool, man! Ghosts watching us and we're not even sure where or how. I hate that kind of feeling! It's scary..."

"If you're scared, I'm terrified." Crane stated, his legs beginning to shake violently out of his control. "At first I didn't really have any gripes about it. But now that I'm finally beginning to process it...we're fughting a ghost, guys." He gulped. "I don't think any of us have much experience in dealing with the supernatural..."

Fung sighed. "How are we gonna fight a ghost, guys? This seems like something in Fenghuang and Shifu's skills. But we-"

"Will you three stop being wimps?" Tigress said nonchalantly. "Fung, Crane, you two are the oldest of us, so I expected more confidence than this. Mantis...what you did is exactly what I expected of you." Mantis slumped a little at this. "But if you really don't like the prospect of battling a specter, you're more than welcome to stay behind."

"And have that ghost pig pick us off one at a time afterwards? No freaking way. We're staying together." Fung stated, his complaints gone for the moment.

"I suppose...we really can't turn back now. We're already deep into the castle anyway. And we also can't just waste the opportunity that Peng and the others created for us." Crane sighed, tilting his hat down slightly. He was doing his best to stay confident, and was well-aware that a person with his type of upbringing would not find that easy.

Po took another step, then stopped as he heard someone moaning in anguished pain. The next thing he noticed was a trail of blood leading into one of the rooms. Curious took over as he turned and walked through the door leading to said room. Everyone waited a couple of moments, a bit confused by his decision to stray away for a little bit. Moments later, he returned with a rather concerned look gracing his face.

"Guys...someone's bleeding out in here." The words sent chills down everyone's spine, except probably Tigress and Song. However, it didn't stop them from following the panda into the room to see what he was worked up about.

Monkey didn't know weather to be confused, questioning, worried, or angry. Probably all of the above, for this scenario. He sees Jong lying helpless in the corner, one of his legs wrapped with a ragged cloth to reduce the bleeding from his wound. By the looks of it, he's had this injury for a very long time. What stood out most about this picture was that his eyes didn't have that coldness in them, and the air of superiority was also absent. All he could see and sense were deep feelings of regret, sadness, guilt, and self-hatred.

He almost didn't notice that he had company. When he did, nothing about him changed. He just looked at the group before him, blankly. He didn't seem interested in them at all, like he was thinking about something else entirely.

"Who...are you people?" He asked. Even his voice sounds tired and nearly lifeless.

"Good grief...what the hell happened to you?" Fung asked, taking off his helmet and scratching the top of his head. "Wait...are you Jong Sung Jai...you know what, screw that. Are you Jong?"

"...What does it matter if I am?" He replied quietly. "My name...means nothing now. I'm absolutely ruined at this point. I should have never have come to thus accursed mountain...I've dug myself a deep hole that's impossible to escape from."

"...So...you ARE Jong?" Mantis tilted his head. "You look like you've seen some things, man. Bad things."

"What do you peasants want?" Jong replied, now getting a bit agitated.

Song lowered her eyes as she walked up to Jong and kneeled next to him. "Hmmm...that slash at your leg...it looks pretty bad." She raised her paw, her claws sticking out on her command...and she forcefully jabbed them into the bleeding spot. Jong hissed in intense agony, while Song kept a somewhat innocent face. "Oooh...that looks like it hurts a _lot_. So I would choose my sentences a bit more carefully if I were you. Hint: Don't call us peasants while _you're_ the one on the ground bleeding."

Fung's eyes widened at the sight of this side of Song, while the others just had raised eyebrows. This attitude of hers...this was awfully new to them.

"Now...do be good takin and tell us what's happened here, hm?" Song asked gently, despite her claws sinking a bit deeper into the gash on his leg. The pain was becoming slightly unbearable, so he decided to talk after all.

"The thing is...I bought this castle for no charge at all. People around me kept telling me not to be fooled by how nice it looks on the inside, or how exotic it seems to be. They warned me that if I bought this castle from them, I'd receive nothing but intense bad luck. I chalked it up as mere superstitious nonsense, and bought this place anyway...I didn't know that I would be enslaved not even minutes after I made it official. Master Ding..."

Viper narrowed her eyes. "Wait...you bought a castle that was said to be haunted, and the haunter turned out to be Master Ding? Have you ever considered that may be the reason why they aere trying to drive you away from it.

"Dumbass." Monkey grumbled under his breath.

"I...I wasn't expecting anything to actually appear! The next thing I knew, he took my son away somewhere and unless I wanted him to die, I would do whatever the pig said."

"You brought a CHILD up here?!" Crane cawed in shock. "You must be very arrogant or incredibly stupid! Maybe both!"

"Well shoot. Now I can't torment you into near-death. You're a father. A terrible father, but a father." Song pouted as she removed her paws from his wound, not caring about the blood on them. "Master Ding has your son, huh. And I assume that's why you started doing things that make you out to be a bigger asshole than you usually are?" Jong lowered his head shamefully, causing Song to huff and stand up again. "Rich people...when they are always thinking they're untouchable because of their money...just one bad day will render it all useless."

Jong sighed bitterly as he looked towards the ceiling. "The Lin Kuei...he gave away all of my valuables to the Lin Kuei after they successively captured most of the Furious Five. I don't have anything left now..." He looked down a bit to look at Po, who was staring at him blankly. "You...you're the panda who was causing me trouble with that summer home, aren't you? What? Have you come to repay the favor of ordering the destruction of your village when you weren't there to defend it? Is that what you're here for? Revenge? As you can see, you'd only be battering a shell, my friend. I'm afraid the satisfaction of brutalizing me for my crimes will be very minimal."

Po folded his arms. "You're a weird dude. You say that Master Ding has your son...and yet you say you have nothing left? If your son is in trouble, we'll go get him for you."

"WHAT?!" Monkey shouted. "Po! This guy destroyed your home and caused a lot more grief than he's worth! Why would you even agree to helping him?!"

"Of course I'm still angry at him about all that. But who are we to justify that as a reason to leave his son, who hasn't done anything wrong, to remain in Master Ding's clutches?" Monkey paused in deep thought after this. "You can't punish the son for some stupid stuff that the father did."

Fung blinked. "Hey. Po almost quoted another thing."

"I did?"

"Nevermind..."

Monkey sighed deeply as he looked at Jong. Seeing how helpless he looked and how broken he seemed to be. He knew there was nothing he could do to punish this man, he's already lost all of his precious riches, and his son was all he had left now. And like Po kinda said, Jong may be a despicable man, but that's no reason to blame the child. His mom was gone and his brother was now a criminal because of him. But...he couldn't remain angry at him forever. That would have turned him into something he would despise to be.

"...I'm gonna help you get your son back. No matter how much of an asshole you are, you actually care about him and love him. And I guess that has to count for something." Monkey mumbled.

Jong's eyes squinted as he took a closer look at Monkey. He was visibly surprised. "You...I remember you...why would you help me?"

"It's the right thing to do. But you wouldn't really know about that, would you?" Monkey's scolding glare only made Jong shrink more. He looked so pathetic and felt so small, and Monkey was content with that for now.

 _Boom..._

Viper blinked. "Uh...did you guys hear that?"

 _BOOM..._

Crane shook a bit. "I dunno...but it doesn't sound good."

 _ **BOOM...**_

Tigress's senses went on high alert as she crouched slightly, her ears and nose working on finding out the source. "Something is coming this way. Something large and strong!"

 _ **BAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGG!**_

Monkey scratched his head. "Wait a minute...that sounds like an elephant."

Song paled. "Wait a minute...he just said that the Lin Kuei captured the Furious Five one by one...and one of them was Master Elephant."

Fung's eyes widened. "Aaaaahh...crapbaskets."

 **CRASH!**

Everyone was suddenly thrown back with intense force as the wall next to them suddenly exploded. Debris and dust filled the room as Jong was promptly knocked out by one of the larger pieces of debris. Everyone coughed and sputtered as they tried to recover from the unexpected and sudden destruction.

Tigress was the first to see them. First there was Master Elephant, who's fist was glowing with Chi, signifying that he was the one who caused the explosion. Master Snow Leopard Appeared next to him, a paw on her hip. Master Rooster fluttered up and was now sitting on Elephant's head, appearing to be the calmest. And the last one, pushing all the dust way with a powerful swipe of his paw, was none other than Master Shifu.

"Father?!" Tigress exclaimed. She got a look at all of their eyes, and she narrowed her own. She regained her calm in no time so she could assess the situation. "Wait...that strange blue glow in their eyes...their somewhat restrained posture..." She stood up and dusted off her scarf. "Master Ding must have placed them under his control. We have to remember that this is how he tore them apart."

Po was more worried that Fenghuang wasn't present with them. Though it means that she was able to resist Ding's control. Being a free bird in both body and spirit...he admired that part of her. She refuses to be controlled by everyone due to her immense free will, so it leaves the Pig's control count to four. Though it still didn't look like this would be any fun for them.

"Why hello there. It appears that I have new guests."

Po looked upward above them to see that the ghost pig has made himself visible to them at last. And he was levitating the Spirit Orbs that he heard so much about above his right hoof, while his other hoof was casually placed behind his back. Above his head was the Master he was very concerned about. Fenghuang was wrapped up in telekinetic coils AND a bubble, just for assurance. Her chi was inaccessible, so breaking out on her own was close to impossible. The ghost master chuckled darkly.

"Welcome, welcome to my castle, young ones. I've been expecting you. And you've been looking for me, haven't you? That's quite a convenience." He held his hoof forward, and the Furious Four made their way towards their targets. "I wanted to see if I'm still able to do this well."

"Fenghuang! I'm coming!" Po ignored the Furious Four for the most part, heading towards her with a giant leap, reaching his paw out towards her.

Master Ding warped right in front of him, casually holding his hoof out towards his chest. "So you're the panda Fenghuang has become so protective of. Interesting." Po was then thrown back into the wall behind him by an invisible force. He hits the wall hard, but managed to land on his feet, barely.

Po breathed heavily as he held his chest in pain. "Okay...so that was telekinesis, huh?" He panted heavily. "Man...mind powers...they bring pain to my being!"

"I think I might handle you myself..." Master Ding smirked, as the Furious Four attacked Po's friends, leaving him to deal with the deceased ghost pig alone...for now.

 **(Outside The Mountain)**

Anying unsheathed his tantō so he could counter Heilang and his sword. "Anying...you're such a traitorous little pup, you know that?"

"I don't think you can call me a traitor. Because I was never really on your side in the first place." Anying growled as he pushed his uncle back and slashed at him diagonally, forcing the older male to block it with expert precision. "I never WANTED to join the Lin Kuei. But certain circumstances left me with no other choice."

"Bah, so your mother put you up to this scam?" Heilang growled. "She always knew how to piss me off with excellent proficiency, and now I see that you've inherited that annoyance trait of hers." He slashed to the side, which Anying managed to block, while also jumping away from him. Heilang's blade had a longer reach, so his nephew was predictably trying to make quick attacks while also backing away at the right time. "And here you are, hanging around with these wimps, some stupid Panda Pack!"

"WE'RE NOT CALLING OURSELVES THAT!" Somehow Fung heard that from the mountains, and he still seemed to be highly against it.

Cat Ling(avoiding confusion is necessary) jumped back as other wolves were tossing their chain hammers in her direction, and they would make slight craters in the ground. They looked heavy, and very damaging...so not getting hit by them would be a very good idea. She backflipped away from another hammer aimed at her head, didn't bother to use her staff this time, not wanting to heavilt rely on it. She gracefully avoided all of the chain hammers headed her way with well timed twirls, another backflip, and got close enough to do a legsweep to one of them. It threw off his aim terribly, and he hit one of his comrades by mistake. She grinned at the results.

"Swinging things that heavy tends to slow you down, hm?"

Lian was taking a bit more initiative in combating them. She was smaller, and she was also very nimble when she needs to be. She avoided much of the hammer strikes as easily as Mei Ling did, but with much more taunt in them. "You wouldn't be cruel enough to hit a defenseless maiden, would you?" She didn't wait for an answer, for she jumped between one pair of wolves when they smashed each other in the head with their own chain hammers. "Oh wait...this maiden isn't as defenseless as she looks." She huffed. "Not to be arrogant, but aren't you guys supposed to be tougher than this? From where I'm standing, you guys look pretty winded."

Heilang wasn't about to admit it to them, but the teen was correct. While the wolves were indeed strong, they were only barely able to overcome the different members of the five through dirty tactics, overwhelming them with numbers, and dispatching them one at a time. Because he knew that fighting them all _together_ would border on suicidal. It has left himself and his men exhausted, and they haven't yet recovered from the separate battles. His pride refuses to let him admit this out loud, but it was apparent that victory isn't something very possible for them.

That doesn't mean he couldn't make the attempt.

Anying threw him back with his tantō slicing slightly acrozs his cheek, making him whine slightly. He shook it off easily, as he and his nephew began circling one another. He began grinning slowly. "I see...that you and your friends are more capable than I thought." He turned his head slightly. "Especially that one..."

Needless to say that the one causing the most damage was Peng.

He was rightfully angry about the atrocities that the Lin Kuei had committed, and it contributed to his slight rampage. He jumped backwards when a chain hammer tried to strike him from behind. Another one tried to shoot at him from the sides, he sidestepped and grabbed it by the chain with his right paw with little to no effort. The third one that headed his way, he grabbed it with his left paw, and applied enough force to smash it into pieces. The wolf that threw it noticably paled when he saw this.

"An entire Valley of people... _dead._ From what I heard from Po and Aunt Tigress, they weren't the best people despite Oogway's intentions. But I don't believe that they deserved death. You wolves emptied that entire Valley of life, destroyed their homes, and desecrated and insulted it's name and purpose for existing...and you did it for mere _profit._ " Peng snarled darkly. "I'm taking you wolves down...and I'm doing it _now_."

Peng grabbed the chain of the broken chain hammer and pulled the wolf that was holding it towards him, and punched him into the ground with brutal force, resulting in an instant knockout. He then pulled on the unbroken chain hammer which another wolf was hanging onto and began swinging him in a large arc, knocking down all of the other wolves that tried to get close, until he eventually let's go and allows him to crash into another one who was just recovering. He them jumped and kicked away another chain hammer headed his way, chaining his target to Heilang himself. The wolf growled as he jumped out of the way as it passed by him. He turned to face his enemy again, though Peng had already appeared right in front of him and thrusted a devastating punch to his ribs, causing him to cough just slight bits of blood.

Heilang wasn't one to give up easily, though. His own chain hammer he pulled with his other arm and he pulled it hard and threw it hard towards the teens head, the spiked side. The teen narrowed his eyes as he ducked, then sliced the chair with his claws, clutched on the broken chain firmly, and pulled it back towards the unsuspecting wolf. Heilang instantly regretted this decision as he felt the spiked side strike his chest, making him yelp in pain. He grabbed his chest as blood dripped from it, and he began panting.

 _Dammit...I'm much more winded than I thoguth I was, more than any of my men together. I got too cocky and too eager to kill Anying. Blast it, I didn't think I'd get captured here. But this kid doesn't look too keen on sparing me. Not very surprising. However..._ He grinned. Peng raised an eyebrow as he threw the weapons aside.

"What's funny? You and your men are beaten and exhausted. That doesn't seem like something to laugh at."

"True. What I'm laughing at...is that you all kicked our asses...and yet we're _still_ going to walk away with the profit."

"And what makes you think we'll allow that?"

Heilang chuckled darkly. "You should really look out for the weakest of your pack. Wolves have the tendency to tear them apart first."

Peng looked quickly behind him. Two of the weakened wolves had their swords pressed against Bian Zao's neck. The teen warthog looked genuinely upset, because he was being used as a means of reassurance.

"It would be...unfortunate if one of them slips up and makes a gash on accident. Assassins tend to get a bit jumpy and sometimes act quicker than they think, out of instinct." Heilang continued. Peng, Mei Ling, Anying, and Lian all growled at this act of cowardice...but they stood down without a second thought. Heilang got up as he mockingly patted Peng on the head. "Good thing about being a wolf. We don't have to play fair. Now we're going to get all of our belongings while keeping this kid close. If any of you try anything before we're done...he's dinner." Peng clenched his teeth as Heilang passed by him, his men holding Bian Zao at swordpoint as they were heading back to where they packed their belongings.

Bian Zao sighed. _I can't believe this...maybe I should have stuck with Dad back in the camp. This is so lame..._ He groaned quietly in the wolves grip, his hooves ganging limply on his sides...only to finally feel something poking at his hip. Without his captors noticing, he slightly reached for whatever was poking him and held it in his hoof. It was one of those things that the Lin Kuei wore to turn invisible. His father called it...a Shadow Crown. Yeah, that was it. He wondered why they didn't use those to fight the others, though he considers that the others didn't even give them to wear them. He wondered even more about how this was supposed to help him, as it could only work when it's on his head. The warthog needed a distraction.

Bian Zao would have slapped himself if he didn't have swords at his neck. _Duh. Stereotypical teen attitudes. Take something simple and make it look like a crisis that annoys the crap out of adults._

"Guys? Hey, wolf dudes, I, um...gotta stretch out a bit. Need to straighten my back and all that junk."

"Stretch? Why the hell do you need to stretch?"

"Ugh...you just don't understand. All this action around me kinds puts me off, and I need to straighten myself out." He wiggled his snout. "Plus...I think I'm gonna sneeze. Ah...ahhh...aaaaahhh..."

The wolves stuck their tongues out in disgust and quickly stepped away from the teen...which left him grinning.

"AAAAAAAAH-suckers." He taunted as he placed the Shadow Crown on his head, and he disappeared from view immediately. "You all got tricked by a lazy teen! You're CHUMPS!" They heard a bit of rustling of leaves, and they knew he had now left the area. They were about to chase him down, but Heilang held his paw out.

"Leave him. He'll just run back to his friends. We won't last through another encounter." He grunted as he held a bag of Jong's treasure over his shoulder. "Come, men. Our business is done here. Jong and Ding...they're on their own." The other wolves nodded as they grabbed backs as well, albeit firefly, and disappeared into the shadows.

Peng and the others just stayed where they were, concerned that they would cause more risk to Bian Zao if they followed after him. However, they heard a bit of rustling, and were surprised when Bian Zao appeared out of nowhere, tossing the Shadow Crown up and catching it.

"Dad must have known that I would get into a bind like this, and placed it in my clothes." He smiled. "He may be lame, but he plans ahead a heck of a lot better than I can."

This revelation was greeted by Lian hugging him from the side with intense relief, much to his surprise. "Ah what a relief! I thought that you were gonna get seriously hurt, bestie!"

Bian Zao sweatdropped. "She...was serious about that...?"

"I told Ya." Peng chuckled. Then he turned towards Ding's mountain, his eyes narrowed. "I hope everything's going fine over there. I felt an intense vibration from the large castle." He sighed. "And I'm guessing that it's the reason why our other Mei Ling is currently missing."

"What?!" Anying looked around a bit frantically as he noticed that the teen was correct. She must have left them behind so she could go after Shifu. "Jeez..."

 **(Back on the Mountain)**

The others were beginning to acknowledge why the Furious Five were one of the most elite Kung Fu fighters in China.

Monkey, Viper, Song, Crane, and Mantis were utterly exhausted. There was multiple bruises and scratches along their bodies, and their breathing was already sounding forced. Taking any more significant amount of damage wouod surely result in them passing out.

Po, Tigress, and Fung were doing a bit better than them, but not by a large margin. Especially Po, who was under direct telepathic attack from Master Ding himself. Being attacked by mind powers from a distance with little to no way to counter them was taking it's toll on the panda. What impressed Master Ding most, however, was that he refused to stay down for long periods of time. Some way or another, he always got back up.

"Well, you've been gifted with quite a lot of endurance, haven't you?"

Po grunted as he was forcefully thrown against the ground again. But he managed to prop himself up in a couple moments. "Ha...hehe..I learned quite a lot about that from Fenghuang." He grinned. "You not only have to be able to dish damage out...improving your endurance is just as important, because that allows you to take the damage as well as dishing it out." He shook himself and stared Ding down.

"Good point...I'll just make it harder for you then." One of the orbs shot at Po at high speed, which he was barely able to duck and dodge. Po turned to see that it had punctured a hole in the wall. That...was far too close.

Tigress skidded backwards, but stopped defiantly. Master Shifu sent her flying with a Chi-enhanced punch, and she was just barely able to reduce the blow. Though her arms didn't feel pain, it managed to reach the rest of her body, making her feel wobbly as a result. This clearly wasn't working. Any time she tried to get a decisive blow on one of the others, Shifu would appear in a blur and counter it perfectly. Master Ding was clever in assigning Shifu to fight her. No, Tigress had no qualms with fighting Shifu. She wasn't about to take the emotional bait that Ding blatantly set for her. What _did_ make this fight difficult was that he knew her every move. Understandable, since he was the one who taught her. Unless she got Shifu out of her way, no one would make any progress.

"Fung!"

Fung blocked a mighty swing of Elephant's trunk with his tail, resulting in a loud shockwave that forced them both back in different directions. "Kinda busy right now, Tigress! What do you want?!"

"I may have a way to defeat them, but I need to get Shifu off of our backs. As long as his nimble movement is used against us, we don't have a chance." Shifu jumped up towards her and landed another chi-punch, which she attempted to block again, though her attempt was ruined when Rooster kicked her in her side, ruining her defensed and sending her sprawling along the floor, stopping short against the wall. "They still know how to work together well...which is why I need for this to work!" Shifu took a stance, and charged at Tigress again, his left foot glowing white with chi. He was ready to knock her through the wall with a roundhouse kick. She gasped as she had no time to evade or counter.

He swung his leg at her-

"Shifu. I'm gonna need for you to relax for a moment.

His kick instantly stopped the moment he saw who was in front of him.

"It's interesting, really. The moment we ran into one another in the forest, you've stopped attacking me. And now, even under mind control...you just can't bring yourself to harm me, can you?" Mei Ling the fox had her arms folded, not even noticing that his kick was seconds from making contact with her cheek. His blue glowing eyes narrowed in both agitation and shock that he stopped his own attack, and something forced him to stand down and back away from her. Mei Ling turned to Tigress. "Do what you need to do, sweetie. He's not going to get past me."

Tigress blinked, but she nodded in gratitude as she stood up and addressed her comrades. "Monkey! Mantis! You two will deal with Master Elephant. You're both the quickest, and he puts a lot of weight behind his attacks. Use that against him. Viper! Crane! You'll take care of Master Rooster! While he does have superior flight skills, Viper will help counter any aerial attacks, which will give Crane an opening. Fung and Song! You can overpower her with Fung's brute force and Song's sneaky trickster skills will leave her confused! And like Mei Ling said, she's distracting Shifu. As for me and Po...we'll take on of Master Ding." Tigress clenched her fist. "This is our setup, guys! Make it count!"

Master Ding was expecting for them somewhat resist her commands, to try to do their own thing in a fit of pride. But he was genuinely surprised when they all turned towards Tigress and nodded in affirmation.

"GOT IT!"

Fenghuang's eyes scanned Tigress for a moment after she relayed the entire plan. The plan was a bit rusty, but it could actually work if pulled off effectively. _Brains AND...Brawn, totally balanced...that's a rather rare combination...that mindset being in action is going to serve her very well..._

"Of course she had to set us up with the big scary elephant guy that can possibly crush our bones into fine powder." Monkey groaned in agitation as he back flipped from a strong punch from the large elephant and hung onto a statue high above him.

"You're bones might be turned into fine powder, I might just be splattered across the floor." Mantis mumbled as he jumped up high to meet the simian. "How are we gonna do this? Neither of us has enough muscle to put a dent in him. And my nerve attacks won't work either, his skin is too thick."

Monkey rubbed his chin as Elephant ran rampant looking for them. He then smiled as he stared at Mantis. "Think about what Tigress said. Use his strength and raw power _against_ him, using our speed and agility."

"Yeah, I got that part, but _how?_ "

"We may not have enough muscle to injure him...but he does."

"Ooooohhh...I gotcha. Man, Lidong would be very helpful in this situation. But whatever, we'll make due with what we've got." Mantis and Monkey nodded to one another as they disappeared.

Elephant was looking vigilant for them, smashing walls that got in his way and knocking over large rocks. Then all of a sudden, Monkey was sitting on his shoulder. "Hey dude, how's it going?" Elephant growled as his fist glowed with chi and he threw his fist in Monkey's direction. Though he was too slow, the primate was gone the moment his fist caught up. He only ended up seriously injuring his own shoulder in the process. He groaned in pain as he got on one knee.

...which Mantis hopped on. "Master Elephant! How's life, man?" He jumped away when the controlled master tried to smash him, which only made him injure his leg, knocking him highly off-balance.

They continued this pattern for as long as they needed to. They appeared in multiple places on his body and allowing him to strike himself with multiple chi-attacks, and they could see him weakening bit by bit with each self-harming strike. They were taking advantage of the fact that Ding had complete mental control over their enemies...and that means that their instincts have mostly been blocked out. While Monkey and Mantis were on nothing but instinct right now, and it was helping them dodge at the right time or close to the right time, and it was good enough. After a while, despite Master Ding forcing him to try and continue, Master Elephant couldn't hold himself up anymore because he's reached his physical limit, and he fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

Mantis hopped on Monkey's shoulder, surveying the damage. "Wow...I can't believe we managed to win with a rather childish manuver."

"The classic 'Why are you hitting yourself?' trick. There are very few times that it fails." Monkey agreed. Mantis nods in agreement, and they share a tiny hfi-five, finger to foreleg.

The next one was Crane, Viper, and Master Rooster. Roosters were not supposed to be abpe to fly very high...he very much defies that rule. He was flying around the room with no troubles at all. Crane tried to match his flight pattern to try to find a hole in its but he stumbled. Rooster took advantage, and kicked him across the room. Crane hits the wall forcefully, picking up dust and a bit of blood dripped from his forehead. He took off his hat before it could bear the brunt of the impact.

"Whew...and ow...at the same time. Good thing my hat didn't take any unnecessary damage..." Crane groaned as he placed the hat back on his head, staring down Rooster. Viper slithered up to Crane while keeping her eyes on Rooster. Crane nodded to her. "Any ideas?"

"Rooster is fast and he's incredibly light. A heavy enough attack sbould be able to knock him out."

"Good. I can manage that, but I need for him to be still."

"Leave that to me."

Rooster flew towards the duo with blinding speed. Viper remembers her training from Fu-Xi, and timed her lash with careful precision. She was off by a couple inches, but manage to make it count. She quickly coiled around the smaller avian and strengthened her hold on him from the start. She was right to do so, as Rooster's struggles were stronger than any others who get caught in her coils, and it took a lot more effort to restrain him. Crane placed one talon on his chest and gripped tightly on his robe.

"This isn't anything personal, Master Rooster. But I have to give it my all in order to knock you out and break the control over you. Keep him wrapped up until the right time, Viper!"

"Right!"

Crane tightened his grip on Rooster just to be sure, jumped up high and began flying around the room in a large circle. He flapped his wings to pick up speed. Fenghuang watched closely from her telekinetic prison, her eyes trained on the long legged avian.

 _Wait a second..._

Crane began flying faster in a perfect circle, fast enough to generate a small but noticeable wind tunnel that relates to a whirlwind. This is the other reason why he asked Viper to hold onto Rooster as tightly as she could, so she wouldn't go flying. The others took cover behind stone walls, while Ding generated his own telekinetic bubble to block out the wind. Crane became a blur, making the whirlwind grow stronger with time, until eventually he stopped and Viper swiftly slithered up his leg and around his waist, as he lets go of Rooster. He had no time to try and dissipate the whirlwind, because Viper's tight coils slowed his muscles movement from prolonged restraint.

 **"Gale Stomp Of Justice!"**

Crane came down with his wings raised and both of his talons striking Rooster's midsection and smashing him into the ground, the impact shaking the castle. The moment he made contact, a wave of white chi thrusted out in a circle around him that was also the width of his whirlwind. He got off of Rooster and adjusted his hat, breathing heavily from the effort. Viper slthered a bit around his shoulders.

"Nice work." Viper patted his back with her tail, and he smiled at her.

"...adding 'Of Justice' at the end doesn't make it sound cooler." Monkey mumbled. Crane angrily cawed at him.

"SHUT UP!"

Fenghuang blinked in amazement from Crane's attack. It was...VERY similiar to her own stomp attack, which is one of the Impossible Moves. Something inside her giggled. _Hahahaha...ooooooh boy...you skinny little dork. You're a faster learner than you think you are._

Fung looked over to Crane, awestruck by his incredible aerial prowess. How has he not shown that skill up until now? Probably because it wasn't highly necessary. He almost lost too much focus to notice that Master Snow Leopard jumped at him with a Chi enhanced claw slash. Fung gasped as he whipped his tail at her to bat her away. It did succeed in sending her flying, but she managed to scratch him anyway, placing his tail in quite a bit of pain.

"Stupid Chi...I can't do stuff like that...I really want to, though." He mumbled. Snow Leopard kept up her offense with numerous blows that Fung couldn't completely keep up with, but he was able to endire it due to the toughness of his scales. When he saw her pause when Song jumped in attempting to jab jer with a knife in her umbrella, he took the chance and spun quickly, eventually smashing his tail into the side of her head. She hit the floor, growling lowly while getting back up and walking towards them again.

"She's more durable than she looks!" Song narrowed her eyes.

"But not durable enough to handle a surprise." Fung said, running over to the pillar to hs right. Song immediately understood, and engaged Snow Leopard as best as she could. As they both expected, she wasn't much of a match for her, and was knocked down when she tried to block a kick with her parasol. Snow Leopard crept over to her, claws unsheathed. Fung saw his chance and used his tail to pull the already weakened pillar over, making it lose balance and fall with an incredibly loud thud...right on top of Snow Leopard. Song sighed at how close that was to smashing her instead. At least her enemy was pinned. Alive for sure, but pinned. Fung helped Song up. "That was a risky one...are you okay?"

Song nodded a little. "Yeah...that was pretty reckless of you to knock over a pillar in order ro make sure she stays down. Though my profession kinda requires recklessness, so I can't say that I know more than you."

"No you can't." He ssid bluntly. Song chuckled and stared into his eyes.

"Thanks a lot, Fung. You really saved my tail."

Fung came across the feeling again. His cheeks were becoming a red tint, and suddenly he couldn't look her in the eye anymore. He turned around quickly, scratching his cheek awkwardly with one claw. "Gosh...it was a team effort, you know. Ya don't have to butter me up like that..."

"HA! Even when the odds are against them, they're still managing to pull through!" Fenghuang chanted. "What do you think of that, Spector Swine?!"

Master Ding levitated in his spot, completely silent as his Spirir Orbs orbited around him while flowing blue. He stroked his beard with one hoof, and raised the other hoof towards the entire group. Strangely, he released his influence over Shifu and the rest of the Five. Since he was the only one still conscious, he was at least somewhat able to grasp what was going on. The pig floating above them clapped slowly.

"Very well. I have no choice but to admit it. You youngsters...you all are _much_ more talented than you look...as well as being extremely dangerous." His eyes shifted to Po and Tigress below him. "Especially you two..."

"Ya might was well give up now, Ghost Pig! We got ya cornered!" Po shouted at him. "Give Jong his son back!"

Ding raised an eyebrow in genuine confusion. "What's this? You're actually going to save the child of the man who's caused you an intense amount of grief?"

"Don't try to mislead us. You're just as guilty as he is. We just believe that his child shouldn't have to suffer for something his father did." Tigress stated angrily. "And this isn't just about them, either. What about all those monks from a long time ago? They only wanted to help you, but your impatience was unrelenting, and they suffered your wrath for no reason other than greed!"

"They weren't helping me tap into my full potential, so I discarded them." He replied casually. "Just like how Shifu wasn't helping Tai Lung truly reach his full potential, and his bond with you was holding him down, so he discarded the both of you. That night still hasn't left your mind. You're left wondering if Tai Lung even cared about you at all, and just wanted the scroll. He might care. He might not. Who reallys knows?" Tigress bared her fangs and her fists clenched up in fury.

"Wow. What an asshole." Monkey said with surprise in his voice. "What a psychic, psychopathic, asshole."

"Enough about that. Now that you've somehow managed to beat three of the Five by workig in sync, I'm going to have to try something else. Because Shifu can't attack his ex, and Fenghuang's free will keeps me from controlling her. So...I'm going to test just how tough you all truly are." He clasped his paws over the orbs while grouping them together. They began to rotate and spin rapidly, as well as glow brighter with each passing second. "You can guess what might happen next. I have no physical body anymore, so this harming me by much...won't happen. You lot, on the other hand..." He shot the orbs at them, and the brightness increased by a blinding degree.

They didn't even get to see the telekinetic explosion that rocked the entire mountain.

 **(A couple moments later)**

Master Ding opened his eyes to see that his castle has been utterly demolished from his telekinetic bomb that his Spirit Orbs created. He rubbed his neck and cackled evilly. "I might have overdone it, just a small bit. But that doesn't matter to me." He held his paw up to his face. "The Castle was my prison, but now it is no more! I am free at last!" He looked around to see his enemies in multiple places. Badly injured and not likely to be conscious. "But they're still alive, huh? How...surprising. It's of no matter. I can finish them off at my leisure." His eyes began turning towards Po. "Starting with...w...what the?!" His eyes widened.

Po was lying against a rock, bleeding from his head and arms as well as being unconscious. But that's not what startled Ding. It's the Chi around the panda. Now that the castle was gone, he was able to precisely see Chi without interference. And Po's Chi...was flowing right above him. It was huge, it was golden, and it was overwhelming. It was also deeply dormant, which means Po was not aware of this hidden power. Not yet.

The Golden Chi had taken the form of a dragon.

 _A...A dragon?! A dragon of gold, no less! But that can only mean...this...this fat childish panda...is the Dragon Warrior?! I thought Oogway was just telling talltales, but there's no way I can deny this! He doesn't even seem to be aware that he is the Dragon Warrior...why would Oogway not tell him?_ He narrowed his eyes. _No...that doesn't matter to me. In fact, it only supports my decision._

He used his telekinesis to grab one of the pillars that still managed to be intact. He furthered his powers by having one end sharpen until it resembles a spear. It slowly turned around, and it was aimed at the panda's heart. "This is nothing personal, panda. But you...you're far too dangerous to be left alive. Whether you know it or not." He pushed his hand outward. "So do me a favor...die." The stone spear shot at Po, as Ding watches carefully...

He was shocked when Tigress intercepts it with a well-times, shattering it into multiple pieces and leaving Po unharmed more than he already was. "How...? How are you still standing up?!"

"You...damn...coward..." Tigress breathed heavily, glaring and growling at him. She was covered in dirt, her forehead was bleeding as well as her muzzle, and her clothes were slightly torn up. Her scarf somehow remained intact...because it was glowing with red chi. "Trying to kill him...when he can't defend himself...that's cowardice at one of it's lowest points..." Soon afterwards, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, and Viper recovered from the rubble, gathering around Tigress.

"What is this...?" Ding narrowed his eyes. "I'm sure you've seen it. His recklessness. His inexperience. His lack of fear. His naivety. You can't tell me that doesn't spell disaster for everything he comes across. A panda has no capability of being a leader, especially not this one. What do you possibly owe him to travel this far with him?" He's read their minds already. And yet no matter how many times he goes over it, he couldn't understand. From his perspective, Po was a total moron and and an outcast of his own Valley...he didn't expect for them to still stand up for him, despite how injured they are.

"Hah...of course you wouldn't understand. Then again, why would you? Ya don't have any friends." Monkey weakly chuckled. He was holding his left arm, he was bleeding from his chest, and he was pretty sure his tail was broken.

"You've betrayed quite a lot of people who trusted you...all for power." Crane panted, shifting his hat over his head. There was blood dripping from his beak, and a bit of it stained his feathers and hat. But he remained standing.

"Unlike you...Po actually has complete faith in us. He's reckless and inexperienced alright. But guess what? So are we." Mantis grunted. One of his antenna was broken and so was one of his legs. But it didn't matter, he had three more.

"Plus his idiocy...it kinda makes him that much cuter." Viper said, placing her lotus flowers back on her head. Due to blood, one of them looked like a red rose than a lotus flower.

"His faith and confidence in us no matter what we do...it brings us together, in a way. We may look like some group of unruly children compared to people of your age...but we couldn't care less what people like you think of us." Tigress said strongly. "We've accepted one another when a majority of society has not."

Ding kept glaring that them. He was not completely aware that they would not be moving out of his way for anything. He just didn't know why, despite them explaining it to him.

"Whether we be monsters..."

"Or street brawlers..."

"A sore loser..."

"A public menace..."

"Or a vicious serpent..."

"We were quite surprised that he would just accept us right off the bat despite the hard times we might have given him in the process. But truthfully...we're glad he was that determined." Tigress smiled. "We've finally found our place. Each of us are treasured by him in different ways, yet he still keeps it equal. It's so easy for us to stick together because we each have one thing in common...in our own ways...we are outcasts."

"And wouldn't you know it, us outcasts know how to stick together more than anyone!" Monkey grinned.

Ding glared a bit...then he was surprised yet again. Chi was gathering around each of them. A glowing white scarf with the image of a crane on it, appeared on Crane's neck. A glowing yellow scarf formed around Monkey's neck with the image of a gorilla on it. For Mantis, a tiny yet comfortable scarf formed around his neck, with the image of a mantis. And a blue scarf with the image of a serpent on it appeared around Viper's neck. None of them seemed to notice this at the moment, they were focused on Ding, who was looking more confused by the moment.

"Huaaaah...~" Po yawned as he stood back up slowly and rubbed his neck. "Wow...that hurt a lot. Pain was definitely felt." He looked up towards Ding, as his friends gathered around him. "Alright, Master Ding. Now that we've seen your little explody stunt, it won't work a second time!"

The ghost pig then noticed something red flying at them from afar. He was surprised to see that it was a red scarf surrounded in a golden glow. And then even more surprised that it now had the design of a golden dragon across it.

"What's going on here...do they even realize that-" Ding froze up as the idea finally clicked. _Wait...this Chi is not like any I've sensed before. It feels a lot like the others...no...impossible! That panda is the Dragon Warrior. So this means that those five brats..._ His eyes widened.

"The New Furious Five...is right in front of me..."

Po tilted his had a bit, his eyes shadowed over. "Master Ding. Despite how much of a jerk he is, I'm gonna save his son. And as for those monks you imprisoned...I'm gonna free them too. And when we win, Mugu Mountain...everyone in general, really...will be free from your puppet mastery. For good."

Ding felt a familiar pang in his chest. He didn't think it was possible, because he was already deceased. But no...the panda was staring him down. He had no idea that his chi has taken the form of a dragon again, and it was overwhelming his senses.

 _Fear..? I, the Great Master Ding...am afraid of some overweight moronic panda, who's basically just a rookie?! That's...THAT'S NONSENSE!_

Po lifted his hat, a confident grin on his face. It almost looked predatory. With Fenghuang as his teacher, one would suppose he would take a face like this sooner or later.

"Now that's outta the way...let's try this again, yeah?"


	40. The Furious Five: Part Three

_"Shifu...? Shifu...?! SHIFU! Come on, Fufie, don't do this to me..."_

Shifu didn't realize he was unconscious...or very critically injured. Until Mei Ling had begun calling his name constantly in his ears. It sounded faded, distant, and it echoed a couple times regardless of the former two. He felt some deep pain on his midsection, and it was a serious challenge for him to actually move and force himself to wake up.

He was met with the face of a concerned Mei Ling, who was now relieved beyond belief. He glanced down and noticed a deep cut across his midsection, and he groaned in both pain and exhaustion. He must have gotten cut by sharp debris. That or Master Ding decided to be cruel and unfair in order to get a cheap shot at him. He then sees one of Jong's tormenting tools, a sharp blade with razor edges, and a blue glow around disappeared...that'll do it. Master Ding wasn't planning on playing fair, even when the Masters were unconscious. The cut hurts so much that he's afraid he might pass out again due to the bleeding. But Mei Ling had a cloth wrapped around him and was pressing down in order to stop the bleeding...the feeling was not pleasant.

"Urgh..."

"Hold still, Fufie. I'm trying to stop the bleeding as soon as possible!" Mei Ling said as she pressed down a bit harder, making him grit his teeth. "Sorry, I'm doing this because I care!"

"I'm...well...aware..." Shifu's teeth clenched as he fought off the urge to faint. He also felt like blushing, but he didn't think that would help his bleeding situation.

"Ha...Shifu. You're such a wimp. A mere cut and a Chi blast and you passed out? I thought you were tougher than that..." Fenghuang said a few spaces away, lying on her back. One of her wings were visibly dislocated, but she didn't look like she cared that much. "All I got is a dislocated wing and a slight headache. I win!" That last word made no logical sense to Shifu.

Then again Fenghuang's thoughts can't be figured out by logic. It may explain Po's behavior...no. Not even Fenghuang's thoughts can explain Po.

Shifi doesn't think anything can explain Po.

"Anyway...Elephant. Snow Leopard, and Rooster are down and out. Probably because the kids somehow managed to do quite a lot of damage to them before the Chi blast. They should wake up soon if we give them enough time. But I'm not too worried about them right now. Speakng of right now...and more interested in what's going on over there. I think we're in for quite a spectacle." Fenghuang leaned her head towards the higher areas of the debris. Shifu and Mei Ling followed her gaze.

Po and the others were currently staring down the spector known as Master Ding, who for the first time ever since he was sealed in the castle...was actually looking nervous. He hasn't even engaged battle with the panda yet and he's already immensely intimidated by him. And he was pretty sure that Po was unaware of it. He was unaware of a lot of things entirely.

But he couldn't care less about what the panda knew or didn't know. What the ghost pig did know was that he needed to be rid of these children soon, and then rebuild his castle. He raised his Spirit Orbs by raising one of his hands.

"Panda...you are seriously unaware of what you are and what your purpose is. But I'm not going to give you enough time to find out. You won't be able to bear what I'm about to dish out."

Po's first reaction was to glare at the ghost pig. Then the grin turned into a small smile...then a wide grin. Until eventually he held his belly and began laughing uncontrollably. Master Ding's serious demeanor slightly faltered when the panda suddenly lost it. He fell to the ground laughing, kicking the air as his eyes shut tightly.

"He said _bear_ what I'm about to _dish_ out! Hahaha! Because I'm a bear that can cook! Pftahaha!"

...Really?

Everyone sweatdropped...except for Monkey, who snickered a bit. At least one of them understood. But other than that, Po's somewhat questionable sense of humor completely emptied out the tension in the area, and now it was close to being nonexistent. Master Ding was probably the most confused, though he shook it off after a certain amount of time passed.

 _Bah! Enough of this!_ _I'm going to eliminate them now before they can distract me any furth-_ His eyes widened as Tigress suddenly appeared right in front of him. Then they reflected shock when he sees her reach for one of the Spirit Orbs. "What are you doing?!"

"As long as you have these orbs in your possession, you'll be causing more trouble than you're worth. So I'm going to have to appropriate them from you." She focused on the orbs as both she and Ding began glowing bright blue.

Master Ding huffed at her claim. He did find such naivety from this youth to be amusing. He has have decades to shape his mind to be able to handle the power of the Spirit Orbs. Her own mind would just collapse from the strain of all of that power. He would spare her the trouble and just take control of her mind, then turn her against her friends. The orbs began to glow, and so did his eyes, as well as Tigress's.

"You've left your mind wide open, novice." Ding scoffed, as he vanished for a couple moments, and Tigress landed on the ground then fell to her knees, motionless.

"Tigress!" Viper called out in concern and slithered towards her, but Crane spread his wing to stop her advance.

"Wait. I think she's figured out a plan." Crane said confidently, never taking his eyes off the emotionless tiger.

 **(Tigress's Mindscape)**

Ding landed in the center of a large room, and cautiously searched around. This room was filled with many portraits of Tigress growing up during her training years. Various fighting poses, excessive workouts, enduring the glares of her fellow villagers, spending quality father-daughter time with Shifu, finding comfort in the scarf that Po left for her, constantly hoping they'd meet again alongside Fung.

And of course, there was a locked door with a 'Do Not' enter sign on it. There was a vibe that these held Tigress's emotions about being a growing woman, and embarrassment was the strongest vibe emitting from it.

She's more introverted than Master Ding expected her to be.

"Hey! Master Ding!" He turned around...to see a seven-year old Tigress with her tiger scarf wrapped around her neck. She had an adorable pouting face as she pointed at the ghost pig childishly. Trying to act like a fierce warrior in a seven-year old's body might not be the best form of intimidation. "Your defeat is inevitable!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Master Ding grew in size in the mindscape, as the walls of the room fell apart, replacing it with a void filled with ruins. "What can you possibly expect to do to me here? With your tiny form?" He made a mistake he'd regret in a couple moments. He got cocky. He raised his giant foot above her, a circled shadow hovering over her. "My mental powers are supreme, and always have been. You are nothing to me, child! I'll destroy your consciousness and take over your body! It's sheer strength is a perfect match for my incredible mind powers! And there's nothing you can do about it!"

His foot stomps the ground where she was, picking up a cloud of dust that rang out throughout the area. The dust cleared, as well as the sound of the earthquake. Ding smirked and focused on relishing in his victory.

"Okay. Now...there are three problems with that plan of yours that I'd like to address." His eyes widened at the sound of her voice, he was sure he had crushed her...!

"One...you just haven't learned your lesson. Your lack of patience is what got you banished in your little castle in the first place." Tigress's aura pulsed a fiery red, once, shocking Ding. "Two...your plan to possess my body is wrong in more ways than one. The one most disturbing, that i'm a female. You're an old guy trying to possess said female. And you have NO problem with that?" She pursed her lips and turned her head to the side with a huff. "Creepy Perverted Pig..." Ding...had little to no idea how to respond to that without shredding whatever self-respect he might still have. "And for the third..." Her fiery aura flashed red again, this time completely throwing Ding off and making him crash along the ground and on his face. He stood up to recover, looking up...and jawdropped.

Seven-Year old Tigress stood up and blew a raspberry...as she stood on the shoulder of a giant Tigress who was all black, white, and gray. "My mental prowess surpasses yours by a long shot! Mind tricks and mind control are completely ineffective on me! Now..." The giant Tigress reached down and swiped Ding before he could offer any kind of resistance. She held him in both her paws, and began squeezing him tightly, causing him large amounts of pain. The shock on his face tells Tigress all she needs to know. "I'm taking the Spirit Orbs. They have a new master now." Younger Tigress stuck her tongue out as her larger self let Ding slowly fall. Then she pulled back her fist, and threw a devastating punch that threw him so far that he blinked out of her mind in an instant.

Younger Tigress cheered as she patted her giant self's cheek. And meanwhile, the real Tigress smiled up to them with a thumbs up. "Excellent work, girls. I can take it from here." She declared as she disappeared from her mental realm, so she could awaken in the actual one.

 **(Reality)**

Ding suddenly blinked into the air with a blue flash, and he tumbled across the ground a couple moments before skidding to a stop. His fsce was definitely not receiving fair treatment. He looked up and snarled as Tigress regained consciousness and slowly stood up, her tiger scarf flowing in the wind. Gritting his teeth, he held his palm out to call upon the Spirit Orbs...

They stayed where they were.

"Impossible..."

"Is it really?" Tigress smirked as she placed a paw on her hip, the Spirit Orbs levitating in the air around her. "You've lost your right to use these orbs a long time ago. But they were unable to find a suitable master with strong enough mental training to overcome your influence. As you can see, Shifu gave me plenty of that." Tigress explained. She then thrusted one of the orbs into Ding's cheek, making him cry out and hold it in pain. "That hurt? Good. That hypothesis worked out for me as well."

"Wha...what hypothesis...?!"

"If the Spirit Orbs could give you the ability to shift between the Spirit Realm and Mortal Realm whenever you wish, which is made even easier because you're already deceased...then surely it must have the ability to negate your ghostly form. You may still be a ghost...but now physical attacks can harm you!"

Ding was trying to pass this off as a bluff, but then he realized that she couldn't be. His strength has decreased, he felt tired, and he's lost control of the Spirit Orbs. Though...he can at least take some sort of comfort in the fact that her actually mastering the orbs would be nothing short of impossible.

 _But wait...her concentration...her mind isn't influenced at all by their power! She has full control of them, yet the only thing she's acknowledging is that I no longer have them! This is bad..._

"Aha...so he can't phase through our hits like a ghost, huh..?" Monkey and Mantis grinned evilly.

"Which means we can do stuff like THIS!" Ding felt himself fly backwards as a blast of wind smashed into his back and sent him tumbling across the ground in the rubble. Po's paw was emitting green Chi as he smirked under his hat.

"W...Wind Hammer...?" He recovered slightly, standing up as best as he could while he coughed slightly, which amounted to small drops of blood from the impact.

"And what do you know, another hypothesis, proven correct." Tigress smiled. "You've been able to effortlessly overpower anyone who comes across this mountain with your mind powers and taking advantage of the fact that your deceased. And after all these years...you've forgotten what physical pain feels like, did you?" She leapt at him while jumping high in the air, and bringing her heel down. He barely dodged, and he sees her crack the ground from her axe kick. "And I can also bet that because of this, you haven't worked on your reflexes in years."

"Which means you can't see THIS coming!" Ding grunted as Monkey hopped on his back and pinned his arms behind his back.

"Or THIS!" Mantis shot forward with a two-legged kick to Ding's face, possibly breaking his jaw. Monkey let him go at the right moment, and he was sent flying inti a still stable wall. The boys grinned at their handiwork. "You're a bit too slow compared to us."

"Don't...get...so overconfident!" He recovered, standing in the ground as his eyes were once again glowing blue. He lifted his hands as rubbe began compiling together and forming a large debris ball. "I still have my telekinesis, my natural skill! I don't need the Spirit Orbs for that!" He growled as he tosses the large debris at Monkey and Mantis.

Crane swooped over and kicked the large ball of rubble to the side, and off the mountain. A loid crash was heard and echod just three times to signify it's impact. "That may be true...but like Tigress said, the Spirit Orbs are what enhance that 'Natural Skill' of yours!" Crane said, his eyes hidden by his hat. "Your power isn't the only thing that decreased. Your range just got smaller and your concentration has been disrupted."

"So even if you have that power, you won't be able to use it potently enough to do actual damage to us!" Viper leapt up and lashed her tail at his face, causing him to stagger and hold the stinging slot where the attack landed.

He snarled as he looked through one eye. This was getting preposterous beyond measure. That blasted Tiger was strategically correct to take the Spirit Orbs from him. He's always used them to mentally overpower his enemies before they could actually try and stop him. Whenever he saw someone like Fenghuang, who was immune to his mind powers because of her immense free will, he would take them out outright. But Tigress took a step further and completely left him with almost no offensive techniques that will deal significant damage to his opponents. Defense was his only chance, but they'll break through that sooner or later.

He almost gasped as Po was running towards him with a blank look of seriousness. Ding panicked as he raised his hand forward, shooting a plethora of large rocks from the debris towards him. Po smashed the first one with his fist, obliterated the rec nd with a side kick, then completely ducked under the third one while sliding. Then he sucked in his gut when he stopped sliding right in front of Ding...

And he thrusted it out, bouncing against the pig and sending him across the destroyed area once again. Ding struggled to recover as he managed to hold himself up with his arms, if only to stare blankly at Po, who was casually adjusting his hat.

"What? You didn't think I was all about mystic attacks, did you? Nah, I sometimes get physical. And my belly is not only huge, jiggly, and totally huggable, it's also the larger of my two large physical weapons that suit my fighting style juuuusssst fine." Ding nearly paled as the pands began running towards him again, this time jumping up as high as he can go, until his shadow loomed over the pigs body. He adjusted himself mid-flight as he began to fall quickly, rear first.

"PANDA POUND!"

What resulted next was a large buildup of dust the moment the attack made contact. Monkey had a hold on Mantis so he wouldn't be swept away on accident. There were a couple tremors, as well as leftover walls falling over due to the force. When the dust finally cleared up, Po was getting off of Ding, who had more blood dribbling from his mouth. However, he forced himself to stand again his eyes narrowed and glowing blue again.

"Curse...you...panda. I'm not...going to lose to you!"

"Man. That's one angry pig." Po muttered as he nonchalantly dodged a telekinetic powered punch from Ding, which destroyed yet another portion of his now destroyed castle. Po whistled a little. "Man, I gotta say, telekinesis is pretty awesome-looking. It's too bad you decided to be a jerk about using them and the Spirit Orbs. I mean...I'm not really good at being patient for a very long time, either. But to get all crazy evil over it...that's a it over the top, don't you think?"

"To hell...with you..." He coughed, as he raised his hand again to lift a large amount of rubble, just barely being able to concentrate hard enough to hold it together. He then slowly began shifting it over to where Fung and Song were still unconscious. Po narrowed his eyes at this.

"Not on your undead life, Ghost Pig!" Po threw a hard punch to Ding's cheek, breaking his concentration and sending him into the ground. The rubble landed harmlessly next to Song. "They were out of commission, man! Not cool!" He then sighed as he shook his head, looking down on Ding with disappointment. "I knew you were desperate to win, but _really?_ " He tilted his hat up and turned towards Tigress. "Do you have any ideas on what to do with him? Like having him tell you how to free the others?"

"I think I'll be able to figure it out." Tigress nodded confidently.

"Ya hear that? You're not needed in order to fix your own mess, Ding!" Monkey taunted. "But judging by your eyes, you're not down for the count yet. We'd better keeping going, as a precaution." Ding knew what those words meant...make sure he doesn't get back up. He tried to struggle, but it was no use, they were already upon him. He backed away, only to be stopped by Po grabbing his shoulder.

"Where do you think you're going, Ghost Pig?" Po smiled, as he threw the pig up, jumped slightly, and kicked him into the ground in the middle of the group, who were surrounding him.

"Mantis!"

Mantis zipped all around Ding's body, as his eyes went wide as his arms suddenly stopped functioning, along with his legs. He couldn't move anything, and he didn't sense his Chi flowing anymore. _One of them...knows how to Chi-Block?! And with expert precision!_

"Viper!"

She slithered quickly around his legs, wrapping her tail around one of them as she leapt up and slammed him into the ground, on his face. She then flipped him over and slammed him again, this time likely breaking his back. Then she turned again and slammed him through the debris by swinging him in an arc.

"Monkey!"

The simian hopped onto Ding's back while Viper swung him, right when she released him. His extra weight along with the velocity Viper tossed Ding resulted in Monkey basically grinding Ding's face through travel for a long as he could in one direction. Then when he finally stopped, he swiftly lifted the pig onto his feet, balanced himself on his tail, and punched Ding's faces making him stagger away from him.

"Crane!"

The avian nodded as he flew towards Ding and grilled him by his shoulders, his talons digging into the fabric to get a decent grip on him. He then flew away from the mountain and onto nearby ones. He passed by one nearby mountain, and flew _just_ close enough for Ding's face to crash into it and render his face more broken than it already was. Then he flew straight back to Ding's castle, kicked him further into the air, and flew back down to the ground.

"Tigress!"

Ding looked around frantically as he was falling...? Why wasn't he falling? He then noticed that he was just floating in the air in a small whirlwind likely left behind by Crane, unable to move anything but his head, which was in so much pain that he felt like they LIKED hitting his face. But he wasn't worried about that. He was worried about the feline right above him, her sharp slitted eyes glaring down on him as she was descending towards him. She must had Po give her a boost, which amounted into a super jump. His eyes shifted towards her right fist, which was glowing with her natural red chi. She channeled her fury aimed at the pig. For his evilness, for his harmful impatience, his selfishness, his greed. But most of all, he tried to kill her father and friends.

 _Those who aim harm at my loved ones...will have no mercy from me._

With this in mind, Tigress rapidly flew down to earth, pulled her glowing red fist back, and threw it right into his mid-section once again. They kept going until they crashed into the earth, picking up even more dust, as well as sending a small shockwave of red chi throughou the area, which was felt by nearly everyone present there. Crane coughed a bit before flapping his wings once to release a powerful gust of wind that blew away the dust.

Everyone but Po gaped as there was an even larger crater than before, and Tigress was in the middle, lifting her fist from Ding's stomach, who's blood basically covered his mouth and a bit of his chin, and his eyes were closed. There was no doubt about it, this pig was not getting up anytime soon. Tigress huffed as she turned and walked away from the unconscious pig, the Spirit Orbs flowing around her, always having her right in the center.

The Spirit Orbs have truly found their new Master.

She emerged from the crater, dusting off her arms. "I don't think he'll be recovering from that one."

"You could have at least WARNED US that you put a whole in the mountain with your bare fist!" Monkey shouted at her, a comedic angry vein pulsing from his head, as he and Po managed to get Fung, Jong, and Song out of the way in time.

"I don't know what you mean. We turned out fine."

"You're certainly all business when it comes to the enemy, eh Tigress?" Crane laughed awkwardly.

"...Orbs..." Tigress's ears shifted a little when she heard the voice. "...Spirit Orbs...they are mine...they are my right...you are just a mere child...you think you can master them more efficiently than I ever have...ridiculous..." She narrowed her eyes as she turned around slightly, only to see Ding hover over her, a rock reformed into a spear, hovering over his head and aimed at her heart. **"GIVE THEM BACK TO ME!"**

"Tch..!" Tigress grunted in both annoyance and shock as her fists clenched up, her reflexes readying her to avoid the makeshift weapon.

 **"Wind Hammer!"**

 _ **CRASH!**_

Po had come down on Master Ding with his fist glowing with green chi, and he smashed it into his back and into the ground, picking up more dust as well as leftover pieces of debris. Tigress and the others once again had to jump out of the way to be sure the shockwave didn't send them flying off the mountain. The dust settled once more, with Ding lying limp and unconscious, his eyes now completely white. This time for certain...he wasn't going to get up from this.

Po got up again, readjusted his hat and pouted disappointingly at Ding. "Now look what you made me do! I had to take Tigress's win so that you didn't impale her with stone shrapnel. Man...you suck, Master Ding. Not giving up is one thing, but that there was just being a sore loser." He turned to Tigress. "Are you okay, Tigress?"

Tigress was still a bit shaken, and a bit disappointed that she allowed Ding to sneak up on her. But nonetheless, she smiled at Po. "I'm fine. I just allowed my guard to fall and he nearly took advantage of that. Thank you for your help, Po."

"Heehee~" Po snickered, placing his arms paws around his neck. "So, are you gonna undo whatever Ding did?"

"I can try..." Tigress said as the Spirit Orbs rose above her. "Focus..." She chanted as they began glowing brightly, all three of them. She focused on finding a connection to Jong's son, and all of the monk's that suffered at Ding's hands. She knew for a fact that they were still alive. She just needed to concentrate hard enough...her eyes widened. "I found them. All of them!" The orbs glowed even brighter, to the point of being blinding.

Shifu, Fenghuang, and Mei Ling, who were watching the entire battle from where theynwere with amazed looks in their eyes, also saw the light become blinding, and did their best to block it out as much as they could. Fenghuang was the first one to open her eyes, and they shined with curiosity and confusion.

"No...way..."

The sounds of groaning and headscratching followed soon after the owl's silent gasp, as Shifu turned around, and found out why. There were many primates dressed up in ancient robes. They were surprisingly...monk-like...Shifu's eyes widened when his memory returned to him.

"These are the monks that disappeared after Master Ding's rampage...!"

Said monks began blinking owlishly at one another, feeling their own bodies, as well as each other's bodies. Their eyes were wide with disbelief and at the same time, renewed hope. "Could this...could this truly be the Mortal Realm...? Have we finally been freed from Limbo...?"

"So he never actually killed them. He just wanted to be a jerk because unlike them, he was impatient." Fenghuang guessed. "He placed them in Limbo so he wouldn't have to deal with them anymore. When Ding was defeated and lost control over the Spirit Orbs, the spell must have been undone. Now without power for himself, and still being cursed on this mountain without the power to possess a physical body, it's very likely that he'll remain trapped here forever, regardless on if the castle is destroyed or not."

"We're...we're free..." one of the other monks said, tears leaking out of their eyes. "We knew you wouldn't give up on us. Thank you, Master Shifu and Master Fenghuang! I'm certain that Master Snow Leopard, Elephant, and Rooster tried their best, seeing as they're all unconscious right now!"

Mei Ling scratched her ear awkwardly. "Um...hate to burst your bubble, pal...but they weren't the ones who saved you all." The Monks around them raised their eyebrows at this, as the fox pointed to a higher point of the mountain where the heroes were. "Those young ones are the saviors?"

"You speak the truth?" One of the monks said as they gazed up at the heroes. Their eyes widened at the animal-themed scarves of Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, and Viper. Then they lowered again in realization. "Ah, I see. That explains it, and it also makes the situation that more ironic...and even more amazing."

"So, what are you guys gonna do about it?" Fenghuang raised an eyebrow.

"Is that even a question? We're going to show our gratitude, of course!"

Meanwhile, Fung finally began to open his eyes, groaning as he reached for his helmet. He looked around and noticed that the castle has been completely and utterly destroyed. His jaw dropped and was left hanging as a result of his immense shock. Tigress walked over and closed his maw for him. "Many unsavory things could get into your mouth if you're not prepared for it, Fung." She said coolly, as he nodded slowly.

"What the heck happened whike I was unconscious...? The place looks like it's been decimated by an explosion.

"That's because it WAS, via telekinetic energy."

"Oh...that must have hurt a lot."

"A very unpleasant experience, but we survived it. And we defeated Master Ding in the process." She pointed her thumb behind her, the unconscious ghost pig utterly unconscious. "I took away his advantages as a ghost. So despite his initial and commendable resistance, his defeat was inevitable nonetheless."

"We were totally awesome!" Po and Monkry exclaimed, high-fiving one another.

"Indeed, you lot were...awesome." They both turned their heads to meet Jong's eyes, whose leg was still heavily damaged, but luckily there were a couple of skilled healers among the monks, and they offered to help him heal. In Jong's arms, was his son unconscious, but the important thing is that he's unharmed. "I...I would like to thank you...for saving my son. Despite the crimes I've indirectly dealt to you, and the problems you're most likely to face in the future."

"...Whatever." Monkey rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "You got your kid back, be happy about that. Me? I'll take comfort in the fact that after today I'll never have to see you again."

"Monkey..."

"I'm not going to lay my paws on him, Po. Fighting for my life, even if we got lucky, has mellowed mr out a bit." Monkey held a paw up to stop Po, his eyes never leaving Jong. "Being on the streets isn't easy, you know. I didn't have a lot of peoplr to back me up, because most loved ones that I knew I had, were gone. All because YOU decided to make a petty grudge out of something ridiculous, and then take it out on someone innocent." He narrowed his eyes. "Thanks to you, my mother is dead, and I have no idea where my brother could have gone, and even if I could find him, he's completely cut me off to spare me anymore trouble. Hell, he might not even BE in China anymore for all that I know."

Jong didn't flinch, though his eyes did carry a sense of guilt. Perhaps losing ALL of his wealth in one fell swoop to save his son, cleared his eyes a little bit on what he now realizes that he's done. "And...you're sure you do not want to claim vengeance on the man who's at fault for your mother's death and your brother's disowning of you?"

"No. And for three reasons." Monkey said with a sigh. "Even if I wanted to, and I still do as a matter of fact...beating you into a bloody pulp doesn't appeal to me anymore. Not after this. Second, you have a kid. And I'm not that pissed off that I'd try to beat up the father of someone who has nothing to do with this. Thirdly, I can't really let this grudge mess with my life forever. I am NOT forgiving you." He made that excruciatingly clear with his glare. "But...with the way things are...I've got plenty of reasons to get over it and move on."

"I see..."

"Plus the Lin Kuei sucked your wealth dry. You're completely broke and without the money you always flaunt in somebody's face behind the whole 'gentlemen' facade. You're more poor right now than I ever was at a kid." He shrugged. "And in the end, I guess that's good enough for me."

Viper slithered up to him, placing a tail on his shoulder. "Wow, Monkey...you're being very mature about this. More than any if us expected."

"He wronged my mom, my brother, and myself. Since the former is dead and the latter could be anywhere, that leaves me to be the bigger person for this situation. No matter how much I still want to punch the guy. But then I'd probably wake up his kid...see where I'm going with this?"

"I...I guess so, yeah."

"Cool."

"Hey. Takin guy. Monkey gave you a pass." Mantis said while hopping on the primate's shoulders. "You might wanna take advantage of that chance and not be a total asshole anymore. Because now you can't afford it. Maybe now you'll understand how the poor usually have a very hard time. Think about that, and just get out of here."

"I...very well." Jong hung his head silently as he limped away, carrying his unconscious child in his arms.

"Mantis, wasn't that a bit much?" Viper asked.

"That's as far as I was willing to go without getting physical. He's responsible for some seriously bad stuff, whether he was following someone else's order's or not. And some of that bad stuff can't be undone no matter how hard we try. So yeah, I gave him the cold shoulder. Tell me he doesn't deserve more than that."

"He probably does, but we're not gonna give it to him." Monkey relaxed as Jong was finally out of his sight. "Whatever he does next is his call. He no longer had the resources to be any sort of threat to anyone. Now that that's out of the way...what do these guys want?' He turned around and jabbed a thumb at the minks staring at them in awe. And on a much deeper level, gratitude.

"Eh? What's going on with you guys?" Mantis blinked. "Why are you staring at us?" There was a long silence, and suddenly the very first monk in front of them fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. "Woah woah! I didn't mean it with hostile intentions or anything like that! It's just an honest question!"

"N...No. My apologies, young warrior. I should've kept my composure a bit better than this." He wiped his tears away, then cleared his throat. Though Tigress could still hear how shaken his voice was. "It's just that...we've spent so long trapped within Limbo...we've lost all hope of ever getting out."

"Limbo...?" Po asked.

"It's the very center of The Mortal Realm, The Spirit Realm, and the Underworld." Fenghuang cut in. "If something gets in there...there's a horribly minuscule chance of escape. The only way to escape that realm...is to never enter it in the first place. There's nothing there."

"Then how is it so horrible?" Monkey asked. "It's empty, so what's there to be afraid of?"

"Nothing."

"...what...?"

"Think real heard, Primate. There's nothing there. No sound. No people. No sense of direction. No sense of time. No light. No dark. No environment. _**Nothing.**_ It can also be called the Void. Or Oblivion. Anything that relates to the concept of nothingness. You can't escape, you can't call for help...your sanity will be lost, sooner or later. There is no mind in this universe that can withstand that type of psychological torment and leave, unscathed."

Silence...

"...that sounds...well...suckish." Mantis couldn't find anything else to say to that.

"But if that's so...then how was Tigress able to pull them all out?" Monkey pointed out to Tigress. The Spirit Orbs were floating around her gently, as she stood calmly with her paws on her hips.

"...that, my primate friend, is Stripes being successful at defying the impossible." Fenghuang deduced. "First she was able to handle Fu-Xi's mind control venom, and now she's gained close to expert control over the Spirit Orbs after only using them once." She folded her wings. "She definitely has the brains AND the brawn. The brawn was already there and was enhanced from punching ironhood trees. Seeing how she almost broke the entire mountsin just for hitting it hard enough. And she also seems to have a mind of pure steel, taking the fact that she resisted Ding's mind control with miniscule effort. That's different from intense free will, like me. It doesn't affect me, period. Stripes here...her mentality was too powerful, it resisted Ding's control AND she turned his trick against him by taking the orbs and purging him from her mind, simultaneously."

Viper stared at Tigress in awe. "So she has the brain to direct her brawn...and the brawn to enforce her brain..."

"That alone makes her a much more balanced warrior than Po. Not _better_ , per se, but more balanced."

"...There's no doubt about it...it had to be them." one of the monks whispered. "The Chi emitting off them...there's no doubt about it. They're...they're the new Furious Five!"

Fenghuang and Shifu's eyes widened considerably. Snow Leopard, Elephant, and Rooster managed to wake up at that moment and overhead this, and they were just as shocked as everyone else. Especially the proclaimed new 'Furious Five' themselves. Tigress's eyes widened, Viper's eyes also widened, Mantis fell off a frozen Monkey's shoulder, and Crane's beak hung in the sir. While Po looked...completely confused.

"Did I miss something?"

"Perhaps...we should discuss this...in another place." One of the monks recognized the awkwardness taking over the air. "Is there someplace secure we can temporarily take residence?"

 **(Ladies Of The Shades Camp)**

"Woah. So that's the explosion we heard from that direction. That must have been really intense." Lian said while sitting comfortably on Peng's lap, as everyone was gathered in the camp, whether it be reluctant or otherwise. "We also managed to chase those Lin Kuei wolves off in record time, if you're wondering about that. They didn't bother chasing us after Bian Zao outsmarted them with their own artifact. Pretty clever, best buddy!~"

"Oh wow, she's really not gonna drop that, is she?" The teen groaned.

"Furious Five...us?" Crane murmured, his face overshadowed by his hat. "That definitely wasn't expected."

"And these scarves of ours seems to be marking it as official. They appeared out of nowhere." Monkey stated, feeling the scarf around his neck. "But I gotta admit...I make this look REALLY good."

"As if." Mantis scoffed.

"So...um...no one is gonna do anything about this? Seriously?" Fung mumbled, a heavy blush on his cheeks. Since Song was the only one who was still unconscious, Fung had to carry her down the mountain himself. The problem...she hasn't let go of him ever since. Her arms were wrapped around his waist as she snuggled his chest, thinking he was a scaly but soft and warm pillow. He didn't take this as humorously as the others.

Su raised an eyebrow...and smirked. "Oh...but I wouldn't want to disturb my beloved daughters beauty sleep. And she looks _sooooo_ comfy with you being a pillow...I just don't have the heart to tear her off you."

Fung sweatdropped. "You're her foster mother aren't you?! Don't you find this a bit-"

"Do you have your claws in an inappropriate place on her body?" she asked suddenly, polishing the blade on her parasol without looking at him.

"Huh? N-No."

"Are you _planning_ on putting your claws somewhere inappropriate on her body?"

"No!"

"Do you intend to harm her? Or did you harm her yourself already and intentionally?"

"Of course not!"

"Then I don't see a reason for me to step in. Carry on." She waved off his complaints, ignoring the desperate look in his eyes.

"Darn it...she's doing this on purpose...leaving me here like this..." Fung grumble, turning towards Viper. "Viper, help me out! Reptile to reptile!"

"I think you two look adorable!"

"...traitor."

"Anyway, about this Furious Five, thing." Tigress folded her arms. "Myself, Monkey, Crane, Mantis, and Viper are apparently the newest generation. What makes this true are these scarves that formed out of Chi when our wills and determination shined brightest?"

"Precisely."

"So we're the second generation after Fenghuang, Shifu, Elephant, Snow Leopard, and Rooster?"

"Ah, you misunderstand. The Furious Five has reformed with different members many times over the years. And since Oogway was past one thousand years old...there have been many different versions of them over the years. Some were fierce, some were gentle. Some were malevolent, others were benevolent. Some were orderly, others were chaotic. Some were good, others..." he allowed the thought to hang in the air, but everyone got the idea already. Fenghuang hung her head to avoid looks shifting towards her. "The most powerful member has always succumbed to the darkness and as a result, defects from the team. A while longer after that, the whole team collapses and separates, never to be seen again."

"...Oh..." Tigress said blankly.

One of the female monks smiled as she placed a paw on Tigress's shoulder. "But we have a feeling that you all will be the ones to break and end that cursed tradition." The feline's eyes widened at this. "You have nothing but goodness in your heart, young one. Pain, perhaps. But nothing evil will stem from it. And I doubt evil ever will seep into your heart. Whether consciously or unconsciously, your spirit will always refuse to give into evil."

"Wow. Tigress. This monk lady says you have a lot of willpower residing in you." Viper says, her head slightly tilted. "But wait...not that I doubt Tigress or anything, it's just that...you sound so certain that she won't become evil. I just want to know why _you're_ very positive that she won't?"

"Because you all have something that none of the others had." One of the other monks pointed outside. Mr. Ping was going into crazy concerned parent mode as he saw Po covered in a lot of bruises, and his forehead bled a little. Po was adamantly trying in vain to calm his father down and reassure him that he's fine. Little success was made. "Him."

"Po?"

"Yes. We may not know what exactly makes this boy special aside from his skillful use of the Impossible Moves...but we know that he's not like any warrior we've ever seen before. And being a panda has nothing to do with it." He closed his eyes. "And bringing all of you together is definite proof that he is something special. And what makes him even more special...is his influence over Fenghuang." He turned towards the owl. "Years ago we sensed that your heart was beginning to become corrupted with darkness. And when we come back from Limbo after so many years, that darkness is gone. What do you think happened to it?"

Fenghuang turned towards everyone, including her former teammates. Shifu was the one paying the most attention. She glared. "I don't need the boy to worry over me. If you even entertain the thought of telling him ANYTHING about what I'm about to say, I'll skin you alive. Then I'll leave your corpes to the vulture bandits." Everyone shivered, but nodded affirmatively. Fenghuang sighed. "If...I had never met Po and Mr. Ping when I did...I..."

A huge gust of wind passed by, making a loud whistling noise as Fenghuang told the others her message. All of their eyes widened at her declaration, while Po remained oblivious outside, rustled by the wind while hanging onto his father. Seconds after she finished, the winds conviently stopped, and there was peace. Peaceful, was the environment. Everyone's hearts...were not.

"Woah...that's...that's heavy." Monkey eventually said to break the silence.

"Fenghuang...this isn't something you should be keeping from others." Snow Leopard told her sternly. "Don't you think Po's old enough to know now?"

"I'm keeping this a secret, ESPECIALLY from him! And for the record, I've already told Mr. Ping, but that's as far as I'm willing to go." The owl said irritably. "I mean it. Don't breathe a word about what I said to him. The more clueless he is about it, the less concerned he'll be."

The monks didn't appear to agree with the owl's judgment, but it was her own to make, not theirs. So they dropped the issue and continued to speak to Tigress. "Even if the Valley of Peace is gone, you all can still protect China. And it doesn't even require you to be an official team."

"It doesn't?"

"There are many counts in history where the people who were not acting out of duty, but out of their own personal judgement. While their methods were rather...chaotic...the results end up better than anyone anticipates them to be." He nodded. "So you all can continue to do good wherever you go, and the strengths within you will build over time during your experiences."

"I see. That's pretty handy advice." Crane sighed. "Which means we'll have to follow Po into trouble wherever he takes us, then..."

"But we'll take it like the super tough tough guys and gals that we are!" Mantis cheered.

"Of course. Just because the list is one person away from being completed, that doesn't mean that our journey is over. If anything...it's just beginning."

"I can vouch for that." Po pointed out, entering the tent and gaining a grin from the Newest Five. "So, we only have one person left. Guess we'd better go find them then, huh?"

Tigress gazed at Po with a thoughtful smile, as she nodded. "Of course, Po. The more traveling we do, the better."

Fung tapped his jaw a bit in order to think of a destination to try and find their last candidate on the list, then they're free to do whatever they wish. He turned to another monk. "Hey...you said someone was passing by after assaulting Jong...any idea where she went?"

"We did sense someone heading south from here..."

"That's perfect! Because that's the direction of our next destination!"

"Destination? Where are we going, Fung?" Po asked curiously.

Fung wrapped an arm around Po and Tigress, grinning widely. "You all are heading back to the place where I was trained personally by Master Croc." He said excitedly.

Mei Ling the Golden Cat's eyes lit up. "You mean...?!"

Fung nodded. "Gongmen City!"

* * *

 **Well that's said an taken care of! The Final Part of 'The Furious Five' has been completed. Therefore, the arc is done!**

 **Yeah, I might have said somewhere near the beginning that I wouldn't be doing this, but I changed my mind. I figured I should have SOME sort of way to organize this inevitably long tale. It'll probably get all ziz-zagged at some point, so I'll apologize about that now. So I took the time to think this over, and named the arcs that's well said and done, including this one:**

 **Alternate Beginnings Arc: 1-5**

 **Recruitment Arc: 6-20**

 **Avenge The Valley Arc: 21-40**

 **Ooh boy...that last one was long. As far as KFP fics go, probably. That won't be a problem if they get longer or shorter, right...? Anyway, after this chapter starts the new arc: Gongmen Crisis Arc.**

 **The real mastermind of the Valley of Peace's unexpected destruction, Master Ding, has been defeated. However, the Lin Kuei escaped. Jong is now poor and homeless, but at least he has his son back. The team, after plenty of rest, will be heading to Gongmen City soon, while trying to find the last recruit on their list, which is Xue, a beautiful anthro goat with ice powers(if I wasn't able to make that clear in earlier chapters). And of course, the journey there will be long. The reasons WHY it's gonna be long, however...Well, you'll just have to find out after this, won't ya?**

 **Anyway, with the new arc, there will be another custom intro from me, which will most likely be from an anime...probably not, but there's a high chance that it will. It's just the way I do things in this particular story.**

 **Legit question...are my fight scenes getting better? I know I'm not the best at them, just wanna know if I'm improving or not.**

 **Anyway, I'll be working on the next chapter, which will officially introduce the next arc! See you then!**


	41. A Peacock's Arrival

**Chapter 41 is here at last! Like, finally!**

 **I meant to post it earlier, much earlier after I wanted to end my hiatus...but things kinda held me up. But I'm definitely putting this up now, so you can go and enjoy it!**

 **Was gonna put an intro scene here, truly. I just had a feeling it wouldn't exactly fit at this very moment, so I'll just save that for the very beginning of the next chapter. The reason why, is that I made the beginning of thischapter too long. It was necessary, but still.**

 **Okay. It's been a while, so of course there's a chance there's more mistakes than usual and it might not be too good. Hopefully it's not too much of a bother.**

 **Start!**

* * *

 **(Gongmen City: Tower Or Sacred Flame)**

Master Croc sighed as he stood up and gazed at his students. All of them scattered across the Tower of Sacred Flame Courtyard, battered and bruised. Yet he doesn't have a scratch. "Alright...that's enough for today."

"I feel like I puked out my spine..." Gahri groaned as he raised his head, trying to regain his balance. His comrades also got up, one at a time. Except for one, one decided to stay down. "Irwin? Can you get up, please?"

"No thanks, man. I'm actually beginning to like the taste of ground." Irwin was the bulkiest of the crocs since Fung was not there anymore. He raised a paw up to wave away his request, then hit softly hit the ground again. He looked like he could care less about succeeding or failing.

Wong, one of the skinnier crocs, folded his arms in disappointment. "Man. We stink without Fung. With him, we were at least able to land a solid hit." His eyes looked like he always wanted to set something on fire...that or he's just really angry a lot.

"My tongue is all dusty tastier." Wall-Eye was sitting on his rear, trying clumsily to wipe the dust off of his tongue, as his eyes seemed to always dart in two directions. He didn't seem to be very skilled in grammer or pronunciation. But in a very, _very_ strange way...he was the adorable one.

Gahri sighed as he realized what was going on. "Okay guys, okay. I know. You guys miss Fung. I miss Fung too. But he entrusted us to the safety of Gongmen City. And as Gongmen Guards, we have to live up to his expectations!"

Irwin raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one who always fights with him _because_ he expects a lot from us?"

"That detail...is not important right now!"

Master Croc sighed as he scratched his snout. "There is a second meaning to his departure, aside from wanting to reunite with his childhood friends. You can't always rely on Fung to give you a victory, regardless on whether or not he's the strongest or has the most tactics in mind. He wants you to be able to do things on your own, just as well as when you're all together."

"Yeah, we know...it's just..." Gahri rubbed his arm nervously.

Master Croc raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "But of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with missing a dear friend. I did not mean to insinuate that in a negative light. I apologize."

"N-N-No Master Croc! You don't have to apologize for that! I'm sorry you had to be sorry about that!"

"Gahri, you-"

"As a matter of fact, I'm sorry these practice sessions haven't been going as well as you've hoped! You're right we should be getting better with or without Fung! We're sorry!"

"Yeah, we're sorry." Irwin bowed.

"We're pretty sorry." Wong bowed.

"We don't mean badness." Wall-Eye attempted to bow, only to end up face planting on the ground. It didn't seem to affect his usual expression, however.

There was a short, yet loud laugh that echoed a couple seconds through the courtyard. The crocs turned to the sight of Master Rhino, holding his signature hammer, while Storming Ox walking alongside him. "Rise your heads, crocs. You have nothing to be ashamed of, I assure you. There's no shame in continuing to learn. Now as Master Croc said, how about you take a break for the day?"

"You boys are pushing yourselves too hard." The Soothsayer, one who has also done a good job in looking after the boys, smiled at them. "I agree that rest would benefit you right now. Trust me...you'll need it." The mysteriousness of her...none of them could ever understand her.

Gahri seemed to hesitate for a bit. Though Irwin and Wong wasted no time in pushing him along. They were not going to pass up the chance for a break. Though Wall-Eye needed a couple seconds to recover before following them. But he had to also recover from bumping into the wall.

Master Ox chuckled. "Ha! Your students giving you a difficult time, Croc? Have they worn out your patience?"

"...They do exhaust me once in a while, yes." Croc sighed while scratching his snout again. "Though I must admit, Fung was always the one who exhausted me most of all. He'd be the one who'd want to keep going despite how tired he was. Youth tends to have more energy when they're determined."

"I don't entirely disagree with that viewpoint. There's a lot of lazy ones too, though." Ox said.

Rhino chuckled again. "The fact of the matter is: You miss Fung just as much as they do."

Croc folded his arms at Rhino's slight teasing...then he smiled slightly. "...I do."

Before they could continue their conversation, they heard the sound of the latch that locks the courtyard being slashed in half. They turned instantly towards the source of the sound, only to be surprised, almost horrified, by what they saw.

The sound of metal talons clanking against the ground echoed throughout the courtyard, as the one they'd never thought they'd see made his presence known. Outside, they could see that the positioned antelope guards were defeated with zero effort. The menacing red eyes that managed to intimidate them to their very souls. They also recognized the snow white feathers, and the train of white with red eyes.

"Shen...?"

The peacock chuckled. "Oh, well would you look at that! All of you were kind and gracious enough to keep the place nice and tidy for all of these years. Really, hats off to all of you." He then stared down the current Masters with an eye of indifference. "Now...I do believe that it is within your best interest to either leave the premises now, or accept yourselves as my subordinates. Or you can die. I'm not that picky."

"Your banishment must have driven off what's left of your sanity! You think we're just going to bow down for you?!" Ox growled.

"A bit of groveling would do as an extra, yes." He waved off carelessly. He then eyed the Soothsayer, and his smile grew. "Ooh how adorable! You were even kind enough to take care of my nanny. So...how's that prophecy coming up, hm? Either you're getting rusty...or I must have the ability to defy fate. Which one seems more likely? You _have_ been getting older lately...but no concern is needed. Sometimes age and beauty go together!"

All she did was glare at him with immense disappointment. "Your years away from home have not done you any good, or changed you in any way."

"Oh...but I'm afraid you're incorrect on that part." Shen shrugged her criticism off easily. "I've learned many things. Visited many places. Won many battles, lost a couple of them. And they only managed to make me grow in body and mind. Now...my wait is over. I'm here to take back what's rightfully mine. Gongmen City."

"You think you can just take Gongmen. Surely you jest." Croc huffed.

"I'm afraid I'm not joking, Master Croc. You can make this easy on yourselves. Lest you force me to do something...pragmatic." His eyes narrowed and they almost seemed to glow with dark intentions. "And you _**truly**_ do not want to see how pragmatic I can get."

Master Rhino pounded the dull end of his hammer into the ground, creating a small shock wave that echoed through the courtyard and a wave of dust picked up across the area. Shen was not intimidated. "Shen. You've lost your birthright from your horrible crimes all those years ago. If you want it back so badly, then I suggest you prepare to do battle for it." Shen's eyes actually beamed at the threat.

"Oooh! That _does_ sound rather interesting! I'm admittedly a bit eager to see how much I've grown. But I have a faster, much more effective way of getting what I want. You see, you Kung Fu Masters...many of you have the same weakness. A completely understandable weakness, don't get me wrong. But sometimes I feel like it's embarrassingly easy to exploit."

The three Masters narrowed their eyes, not understanding what he meant, until...

 **BOOM!**

Their eyes widened as they heard a loud explosion erupt not too far from their location, and a pillar of smoke began to rise into the air...as well as the screams of innocent citizens. Shen raised a wing to his head and partially closed one eye as of struggling to listen.

"Oh my. What is that sound?" He asked in a mocking tone. He then smiled again. "Ah yes. The screams of innocent bystanders running away from large, intense explosions. It's a bit of an uncomfortable sound, isn't it?"

"Shen...what did you do?!" Soothsayer shouted, which was also a kind of plea.

"That was my new weapon against Kung Fu. I was going to use it to subjugate the three of you...but why not use it to gather all three of you under my wing, instead? Seems a bit easier to me. You can show me what's changed about my city, and I get a little bit more muscle. Reasonable trade off, no?"

"You...you filthy...miserable, _**COWARD!**_ " Ox roared loudly as he took out his mace and jumped high, and aimed for Shen to get a strike at him...

He was surprised when a wolf jumped from the shadows and blocked his strike with a hammer. A wolf with a scar running down his left eye, possibly meaning it's forever closed. His remaining eye was red, his fur was dark gray, and his armor was black with Shen's emblem on the shoulder. He smirked darkly.

"Yeah...dude. I'm just gonna lay it down for you. You don't wanna do that." the wolf snarked.

"Out of my way, dog!" Ox shouted as he pulled back his mace and struck again, which was deflected by the wolf's hammer swinging downwards, making it impact the ground and crack it slightly.

"No, seriously. I'd stop and take a good look around if I were you." Rhino seemed to be the one who took the advice deadly serious, as he scanned the compound. There were wolves who were carefully watching the scene from atop the walls of the courtyard, watching their every move. "My pack is much larger than that, but those specific wolves are monitoring your every move. And every two minutes you don't relinquish control to my boss, they'll raise a signal. And..."

 **BOOM!**

Another explosion. More screams. More smoke and fire. More innocent lives probably lost. The wolf shrugged. "Well...ya get the point by now, right?"

"I suggest each of you take heed and listen to my trusted second-hand. Sometimes, notably when he isn't drunk..." the wolf pouted in embarrassment. "...he really knows what he's talking about. The innocents can stop suffering any time you wish, many more citizens will survive this ordeal...just surrender now."

Soothsayer's eyes were filled were disappointment still, but they were also filled with immense shock that Shen would go so far to reach his desires. Making the Kung Fu Council submit by setting up a sort of hostage situation beforehand was such a cowardly move. Though she's guessing that he'd see it as merely pragmatic.

The Masters all glared at Shen with a mix of rage, shock...and fear of the consequences if they refuse to submit to his wishes. Ox was the most resistant, but he didn't dare make a move.

Shen's eye opened a bit more. "Really? Still no answer? What a shame. Although...I may have found another incentive." He slowly gazed at the tower entrance. Croc followed his gaze, and his eyes widened. Gahri and the others were coming coming back out to see what the commotion was about. Shen's wing slowly rose, and the wolves on the wall began moving towards them and their weapons ready.

"NO!" Croc shouted in response, prompting Shen to stop his wing, though his face didn't change. Croc clenched his fists in shame. He was playing right into Shen's wings, he knew he was. And yet...

"We'll surrender. Just please...don't hurt them. They're no threat to you in any way. Let them leave here unscathed." Croc pleaded. Ox's eyes glared at his comrade's submission, but Rhino didn't give him acknowledgement. He didn't show disappointment in Croc's choice like Ox, but disappointment that things were able to escalate to such a level. Attacking would result in violent retaliation. Trying his patience proved to be even worse.

Shen smirked. "At least one of you is reasonable enough to make a compromise. Lucky for you, I'm a man of my word. You heard Master Croc. Get those four out of here. And...throw them in Gongmen Jail, just to be safe." Croc's eyes widened again, which Shen waved off. "Oh stop. You said not to hurt them, and I'm not. That just means I have to deal with them with differently."

The wolves grabbed hold of Gahri, Irwin, Wong, and Wall-Eye, and began pushing them out of the courtyard. Gahri was the only one to gaze at Master Croc with concern, before they lost sight of each other. Shen turned to the Masters again, his metal talon lightly tapping the ground.

"Now then. I'm still waiting."

Ox glared dangerously, raising his weapon. "Like we'll bow to scum like-"

"Enough, Ox." Rhino ordered, silencing his student. "It pains me...but we cannot risk any more innocent lives. I can tell that he's not bluffing about his threat. He's ready for any retaliation on our part, ahead of time. Should we continue, he might go back and harm the students anyway. They are not involved in this conflict, I wish no harm upon them either." Rhino gently placed his prized hammer on the ground, and got on his knees. Croc was a bit slower, making sure his students got out safe and unharmed, then also bowed. To their concern, Ox was still standing in resistance, which Shen took notice of.

"Well now. It seems one of you just continues to be uncooperative, as I thought. All I'm asking you to do is bow before me. There isn't much to misunderstand here. Ah well. It seems I'll have to help you." It happened in a blur. He threw his wing forward and a rope dart shot out and ensnared around Ox's horn, threw a throwing knife to his knee, and pulled the rope. Very little reaction time provided, Ox grunted as the knife embedded in his knee, making him lose his balance, and was pulled towards Shen and his face hit the ground. Shen quickly drew the robe back, covered his wings in his robes and chuckled. "Oh dear! You ended up overdoing it and falling face first into the ground! You should probably get yourself cleaned up. Playing in the dirt isn't always very healthy." He walked past the three Masters, two of them making sure that Croc was alright. He walked by his canine second in command. "Zhong."

"Yes Sir."

"Get this filth off of my yard." Shen said lowly without turning back, his smile disappeared as he trekked towards the Tower Of Sacred Flame. His second in command nodded as he raised his head up and howled. On his call, a portion of Shen's army poured through the door. Gorillas, wolves, komodo dragons, and crocs poured into the yard. Rhino and Croc closed their eyes as they were grabbed and taken elsewhere.

"...Shen. Your heart has grown even darker and colder than I thought..." Soothsayer said sadly as the wolves gently scooter her along to follow the peacock into his old home. She only hoped that he wouldn't do anything rash...but her visions might say otherwise.

 _He mustn't discover that the Kung Fu Council knows of the Warrior Of Black And White..._

 **(Po's Dreamscape)**

 _There was an entire village on fire. The young panda cub was dazed and confused by all of the fire messing with his vision as well as making him cough a lot. He was also a bit scared that many of his neighbors we're scattering around and running away from something, quite possibly the things that caused the fire in the first place. There were big, scary wolves setting fire to everything. And there were other pandas running away from them. Whatever wolves pounced on a couple, some never got back up. He was dreadfully confused, and yet scared at the same time._

 _He didn't have time to ponder it, as someone picked him up and began running away from the destruction. He recognized the feminine looking panda, but he couldn't put his mouth on it. Probably because he couldn't form coherent sentences yet._

 _There a brief gap of time before said female panda placed him in some sort of box. Then she lovingly kissed his forehead with tears in his eyes, before she began backing away. Growing more scared, the young panda began reaching out for her. But she was already far out of his reach. He really didn't want her to leave him here alone. Because it felt like the moment she ran back out to that fire, he wouldn't be seeing her again._

 _He desparately wanted to be in her arms again. He wanted to feel safe again. But that wouldn't happen. He'd never feel that kind of warmth again in his life. He didn't want to be alone. He was terrified of being alone._

 _But he was helpless to do anything about it. All he could do was cry._

 _The last thing he saw was the blood red and snow white train of a peacock being followed by wolves..._

 _Then he woke up._

 **(Reality)**

Po gasped as he shot up from his resting place, looking around frantically if only to confirm that he was not trapped in a nightmare, still. Once he foumd out that he was in the clear, he sighed as he grabbed his hat and placed it on his head.

"Welp. I'm not gonna be able to go back to sleep after that." Po yawned while scratching his belly and walking out of the tent. Oh well, the been of sunshine warming up his face told him that it was morning anyway. "It's that same dream again...what the hell is it about...?"

That's right. This wasn't the first time Po's had this dream. And it wouldn't be the last, either. it was very strange, because he hasn't had that dream for such a long time. At least until Fung announced that they would be taking a trip to Gongmen City as their next major destination. Does that have anything to do with it...? Nah, couldn't be. Must be coincidental timing, or whatever Fenghuang calls it.

"Oh, good morning, Po!" Mr. Ping exclaimed while coming out of one of the other tents, jumping up and hugging his belly. Po chuckled and hugged the goose back.

"Morning, Dad."

Mr. Ping let himself down as he stared into Po's eyes. His own eyes lowered as his head tilted to the side. "Did you have that strange dream again?"

"Nooooooo...yes." The panda lowered his head from the lame denial to the blank acceptance. The goose father sighed as he held Po's paw.

"Come now, son. We shouldn't keep your friends waiting, they'll be waking up soon as well. If they haven't already, the smell of food will surely get them awake in no time. Its like an alarm clock, but in smelling form!"

"Or...we can just have Zeng ring the..." Po slumped a bit. "Oh...right. No bells here."

"Ah well. If they don't wake up soon, I can always resort to my excessive quacking skills to be a reliable alarm clock!" Mr. Ping cleared his throat and took a deep breath...Po swiftly covered his beak to orevent further progress.

"Nah nah, that's okay Dad! We just gotta trust that they'll be waking up on their own." Po smiled nervously. When Mr. Ping readies one of his louder quacks, no one is safe. Especially Shifu. Heck, Shifu is the most vulnerable because he has the best hearing. So...nope. A quacking Ping probably wouldn't be the best wake up call today.

There was another warrior they could count on being awake. Tigress was probably the very first one awake, because she once again needed a change of wardrobe. Her current one was kinda burnt and torn after surviving a chi-explosion. Fortunately the Ladies of the Shade could happily and proudly provide her a change in clothes.

What was unfortunate, was the very small gap of personal space. The snow leopards were swarming her in admiration, and it was taking a lot of self-control for her to not begin punching any of them in the face.

"Wow! Don't you have a face of beauty!"

"Her fur is so smooth for just having endured such an ordeal!"

"You have _got_ to tell us how you look so amazing without even trying!"

"CAN YOU ALL BACK OFF?!" Tigress roared with comically sharp teeth. "This isn't something I'm interested in discussing!"

"It's like you're a perfect blend of beauty, brains, and brawn! It's triple a B combination!"

"...You're not even listening to me." Tigress said dully.

Su eventually walked through the tent, placing her paws on her hips. "Now now, ladies. Lets give the tiger some space before she begins to strike. I heard that she's both the calmest and yet the most tempermental."

Tigress tilted her name. "I...wouldn't go that far."

"Not to worry, dear. Your current clothing is horribly tattered. But we Ladies of the Shade can provide you with something, no problem." Su folded her arms. "And of course, we make sure that they fit, and that you're comfortable in them. And we make sure that the design...suits your taste as closely as possible. Of course we know it's not totally easy to do. You're not one who cares much for fashion, we get that."

"At least _somebody_ does."

"Yep. From one humbly beautiful feline to another."

 _I walked right into that one._ Tigress mentally sighed, trying to will her bashful blush away. "You seem to have quite some skill in embarrassing other women in this kind of manner."

"It's one of my favorite pastimes." Su chuckled. "In all seriousness, you tend to underestimate your own beauty. Inner beauty is an okay thing, don't get me wrong. But you don't always have to put down your outer looks in order to prove that you're humble about it. Some can tell just by looking at you that outer looks are not your main concern. And I can tell it isn't Po's main concern either. From what I've seen, the only thing bigger than his stomach is his heart. And his stomach is quite huge." Su smirked.

"Heh. I noticed." Tigress stood up, holding her scarf close to her as she walked out of the tent and into the morning light. It was time to check on the others.

In another tent, Peng was slowly opening his eyes to the morning light shining through his tent. Though it appeared that something was blocking it from view, just slightly. When his vision managed to clear up a little, he saw Lian's face in front of his, smiling widely. He returned the smile. "Hey there, sleepy head."

"Morning, Lian. Just waiting for me to wake up, huh?" He laughed slightly as he sat up and stretched his arms out. He allowed one arm to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. She welcomed the one-armed hug, and returned it with both of her arms.

"I'm quite patient when it comes to getting a chance to cuddle you." Lian stated as she pulled back a little. "Also...I wanted you to be awake for us to complete our usual ritual." She said slyly, before leaning in and kissing his lips. His eyes widened in slight surprise before they slid closed and he returned the kiss, as he now had both arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer. Her paws held onto his shoulders to do the same. And they both noticed that they were letting out a small, gentle purr that resonating between them in sync.

"Are you awake yet, Peng? I just wanted to inform you that-"

Tigress slid the tent open in order to check on them, but her eyes widened when she saw what they were in the middle of. They pulled away from each other instantly, with Lian covering her face and Peng rubbing his neck sheepishly. "A-Aunt Tigress! We were just...we were...um..."

"N-No need to apologize. I was in a bit of a rush and didn't bother to provide a heads up. Therefore, the fault is mine. I'll just...see myself out. D-Don't mind me." Tigress mumbled before stepping away while her scarf covered the lower portion of her face in embarrassment. She just walked in on her nephew having a good morning kiss with his girlfriend. That was awkward.

"Hey guys, what's Tigress all red for?" Bian Zao walked in the tent after the former left. He raised an eyebrow as he saw that their faces were also reddened. "And why are you all red too? Unless...did she catch you two making out?" He was only joking, but the blushes got harsher, which actually made him laugh. "No way! She actually walked in on that?"

"Yep..." Peng sighed. "Well...in the bright side, I can count this as an official family moment. Foster relative embarrasses me even though she really didn't mean it."

"Well...at least it's over. Now we should be getting ready to leave. I think that's what Tigress was trying to tell us." Lian stood up with folded arms.

"Yeah. That does seem to be our next destination given how Fung said we'd be going to Gongmen City next. And that place is not very close at all." Bian Zao yawned. "I do wish that it wasn't so early in the morning. My Dad had to wake me up. All I wanna do right now is go back to sleep. We don't have to head out so soon."

"Well it doesn't hurt to be prepared and ready, at least." Lian shrugged slightly. "We might as well take that time to get our stuff together then take a little bit longer to get some R&R. But until them, try to tough it out, bestie~"

Bian Zao was still slightly taken aback by how determined she was to keep this 'best friends' thing going. And by the looks of things, it didn't seem like she was ever going to let it go. He had a bit of mind to try and dissuade from having that mindset...but it would be less of a hassle to just accept it and keep moving on. So he just shrugged and accepted the fact that she plans on bonding with him. And Peng already knew she wasn't going to let this go, so he didn't even make an attempt. That and he seemed to be up for that idea too, so he was kind of outvoted even if he resisted. But still...

"Are you sure you want _me_ as a best friend? I don't really have any best friend qualities."

"I'm pretty determined to prove you wrong." Lian smirked.

The warthog sighed. It was worth a try.

In yet another part of the camp, Shifu opened his eyes as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked to the side to see Mei Ling the Fox sleeping alongside him, somewhat peacefully. He placed a paw on his stomach to see that it was carefully and properly bandaged up. The bleeding must have persisted for a while, but eventually stopped. He lowered his eyes when he realized she must have been very worried about him in his injured state.

"If you're thinking she's been watching to see if your state was stable until you fell asleep...then you'd be right." Taotie said, sitting a few feet away from the both of them. "You were out longer, obviously. Blood loss tends to do that to you."

Shifu managed to stand up a little and rub his head. "Fenghuang and the others...how are they?"

"They're alright. Damage from being ganged up on by the Lin Kuei, plus being beaten down by those kids, they might need more time to recover, aside from Fenghuang. She's actually the closest to making a full recovery aside from you. Fitting, given how tough the two of you really are."

"Ah. I see." Shifu sighed as he limped over to grab his staff, which is now currently a walking stick. His ears flicked up a bit as he thought about something important. "Hold on. Fenghuang didn't do anything chaotic while I was out cold, did she?"

"Oh. She's currently stuffing herself with much of the food she can muster from Mr. Ping. He and Po just started cooking and she's really digging into it. So is your daughter, apparently. You want me to get you something?"

"No. That is quite alright. I'll just...wait for Mei Ling to wake up. I do have to show my gratitude for constantly caring for me in my semi-helpless state." Shifu sat back down and crossed his legs.

"Eh. Suit yourself." Taotie shrugged as he walked out of the tent.

Shifu stared at Mei Ling's sleeping form quietly. His ears managed to pick up on on her slow and deep breathing, as well as the steady flow of her heartbeat. His eyes shifted to her face. Her eyes were closed, her muzzle were only partially opened, and her ears twitch a little bit to signify that she was locked in a state of dreams right now. He blinked a bit as a small rosy blush appeared on his cheeks just from waiting for her to wake up.

Even after all these years apart, he still thinks she's beautiful.

Shifu hesitated, before he reached his paw out slowly and quietly. The pain was still present from his wound, so this was no easy task. But eventually, his paw managed to reach the side of her head. Then slowly, he ran his paw down, allowing him to feel her soft, warm, smooth fur without having to worry about anything else except her possibly waking up. His flustering intensified when her lips curved into a content smile and a quiet purr began to rumble from her throat, and he tail begins to move side to side. Soon enough, his own lips curved into a smile as he eased into the gesture.

"She might enjoy it more if she were awake."

Shifu jumped slightly and turned around to see Mrs. Yoon stand in the tent entrance this time. His ears pressed against his head as he looked back towards the vixen. "She didn't get any sleep because she was concerned for me. I don't wish to wake her right now."

"Whatever brings you peace of mind, Shifu." Mrs. Yoon nodded as she stepped further inside the tent. "I do wonder...what we plan to do about these plans for Gongmen. For all intents and purposes, Fung seems pretty set on bringing them there. Maybe...we elders shouldn't tag along for this one."

"Mrs. Yoon...you're not actually suggesting we let them go to Gongmen City on their own?"

"I know it's a concerning thought. But they proved that they could take care of themselves without our constant supervision. As long as they can stick together, I don't think there's much to worry about aside from what lies in Gongmen City. Fung may have good knowledge of it from training with Master Croc and spending time with the Kung Fu Council. But om the other hand, I don't think we'll be able to split up much anyhow."

"How do you figure?"

"I find it highly unlikely that Mr. Ping will leave Po's side for long. You'll have a better chance telling him to stop making noodles, and we already know how he feels about his noodles. Then there's Taotie and Bian Zao, and yourself and Tigress. You won't be leaving their side just yet, will you?"

Shifu took a moment to think. Organizing their numbers is proving to be more difficult than he thought. He already knew as soon as Elephant, Snow Leopard, and Rooster have also finished recovery, they would go on their separate ways again. There was no way for the original Five to come together _and_ stay together. The damage has already been done there. The young warriors were able to defeat them, even though they weren't truly at their full power. With Shifu's condition, fighting for long-term periods of time was out of the question. He also had no idea what Fenghuang would do, if he was ever able to figure it out. There was no way Taotie would leave his son alone with him, and Mr. Ping has made it painfully clear that he'll stand by Po's side regardless of the danger. And Mei Ling saved his life. She definitely isn't letting him out of her sight...as long as she's awake.

He sighed and scratched the back of his ear. "This will be quite a mess...but we'll find a way to get by, I'm sure."

Back in the center of the camp, Po was thinking about the dream he recently had. Mr. Ping was well aware of how bothered Po was by those specific dreams, it was the kind of dream that made Po unable to sleep on his own sometimes. He could never figure out why he had such dreams, just that they were there. Once Fenghuang began toughening him up more, those dreams ceased for the most part, and never came back. Yet the day after Fung mentions Gongmen City, he has it again without warning.

He dissuading the idea that the two instances are connected. But he is considering it, as an act of caution. He'd never know. Maybe they _are_ connected. Maybe not. All he did know was that he'd find out when they got there. It's all he could do about it aside from mentioning it to his father.

His eyes gazed to the sight of his friends. Monkey seemed wide awake and energetic, which proved to be annoying for the slightly drowsy Crane, who sleeps standing up. He never quite understood how he does that every single night. At least Golden Cat Mei Ling(that's still confusing even with species difference) was able to jolt him awake with a jovial good morning pounce. The commotion woke up Mantis, who jumped up and began springing all over the place, while Viper tried fruitlessly to catch him. Tigress was still changing, so she wasn't around to try and dispel the chaos. Peng was just watching in confusion, Bian Zao raised a lazy eyebrow, and Lian was holding her sides laughing. Ànyǐng was doing his absolute best to mind his own business, but he eventually got caught up when Monkey hopped on his back and made him fallen over.

...So yeah, this was gonna be a regular thing. Cool.

Fung scratched under his jaw a bit when the chaos died down...mostly. "Well, now that that crazy charade ended on a somewhat good note, we'll be heading out soon for Gongmen City. But first things first, we've been delaying a certain something for far too long. Ànyǐng, we gotta check you in with your mom, right?"

"Oh, that's right!" Song gasped while she turned towards the wolf in question. "We're so sorry, Ànyǐng! We were supposed to take you to see your mother, but we got seriously sidetracked, with my shenanigans and the whole Master Ding thing and stuff."

"No need to apologize. The urgency of those situations were simply higher, that's all." The wolf waved off with a nervous chuckle. "I'm not upset about it at all. Just a really long delay."

"We can't use that as an excuse, though. We had to put off on your request so we could get ourselves in order. Now that we did that, we can finally proceed as we were trying to." Crane said, adjusting his hat. "While we need for Gongmen, you'll be meeting up with your mom to let her know you're alright."

"Okay. Right."

"What about the other Furious Five and the monks?" Monkey asked.

"I'm afraid they'll be splitting off again." Viper said, turning towards the ones in question. "Aside from Fenghuang and Shifu, the rest of the Five are once again going their separate ways. And the monks will split up into in groups and go with each of them. Being free from Limbo has given them a chance to experience the world for themselves again, be they negative or positive."

"Is that so? Well, good luck to them, I guess." Mantis said. "Guess the damage really was too great for them to actually stay together. It was a bit much to hope for. Even so...fighting them was quite an experience...a rather hectic one."

"We never would have actually came out victorious if they weren't already exhausted, they went all-out, were in full control of themselves, _and_ if Fenghuang joined the fray." Tigress's voice rang out. "As such, we can never allow ourselves to get too confident."

Po looked towards the sound of her voice. He saw she had once again changed her attire. her new vest was just like her old one, but this one was black with white vine patterns instead of red with golden vine patterns, and was short-sleeved instead of no sleeves at all. A noticable change was that she was now wearing gray, fingerless gloves, probably so her claws could be free at any time. And of course, her scarf remained securely wrapped around her neck. It made her look battle-ready for most scenarios.

Po smiled. "You took another change in attire, Tigress? You know, with you wearing mostly black this time, and your red scarf offering some contrast of color...I dunno how to explain it. So I'm just gonna say that you look awesome."

The same thing that happened last time, it repeated again. Tigress's eyes widened as she blushed a little, which wasn't too noticable because of her orange fur. She turned away a bit and placed a paw on her cheek. "I...well...thank you, Po. I-I wasn't really trying to pick something that really sticks out. I just wanted to be battle ready at all times..."

"Welp, nothing beats battle ready like mostly black clothes, fingerless gloves, and a red tiger scarf!" Po beamed, which served to enlarge the smile on Tigress's face.

"Tigress? Looking a bit caught off-guard and being cute while doing it? Wow. From what I've seen of her so far, I didn't think she could pull that off." Song blinked. "Oh well, many more surprises to come."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Crane sighed. "I feel like I'm the only one who won't get used to it with accurate enough timing."

"Dude. Join the club. I'm stuck with _this_." Bian Zao pointed at Lian, who seemed unaffected by the comment, and was just smiling at him with confidence.

"You won't be getting rid of me that easily, _bestie_." Peng's response was to rub his neck with a nervous laugh.

Viper turned to Taotie with an amused smile. "Your son made quite some interesting friends, huh?"

His response was a careless shrug. "My main focus is that he made friends. The type of friends they are, as long as they're under the 'good' category, really doesn't matter to me."

"At least you focused on good friends." Mei Ling shrugged.

"Alright chumps! Listen up!" Fenghuang shouted aloud, gaining the groups attention. Except for the Ladies of the Shade, who were merely minding their own business.

"Must you be so loud?" Shifu sighed as he rubbed his ears while walking out of the tent he was in.

"That's what you get for having big ears, Big Ears!" She huffed nonchalantly. "Anyway, I'm healed enough to actually be on the move, and so is Shifu. So if any of you you have any business to tend to, do it now! Otherwise...Panda!"

"Front and Center, Master!" Po was up to her in an instant, hat on his head and his scarf around his neck, and one paw raised in salute.

"Ping!"

"Front and Center, Fenghuang!" Mr. Ping waddled up to her and next to Po, also doing a salute.

"They can get ready for as long as they'd like, but we're moving on ahead first! Now let's go!"

"Yes Ma'am!" They both shouted as the owl trudged forward strongly, followed by Po and Mr. Ping following her while still maintaining their salute. Everyone chuckled a bit as they got the rest of their belongings and followed them. Shifu was the only one who facepalmed at the display, but still kept moving as Mei Ling the fox snickered in amusement.

"The relationship between those three, and the entire party in general...I can tell it's very close. And very amusing." Su snickered. She turned towards Song and smiled while patting her shoulder. "I wish you well. And...try not to steal from those who don't deserve it. No matter how tempting it is. We may be thieves...but we're not totally heartless."

She nodded. "Understood, Mother."

"Very good. Now off with you all. Such a long journey head of you. So much to see, so much to steal from under the noses of arrogant pricks...it's gonna be a fun time, I feel." Su chuckled to herself. Song laughed at this, and waved cheerfully at her foster mother and sisters, who all returned the wave goodbye to her, as well as her friends. Su smiled as she watched her daughter off.

"Su. Do you think we'll ever see her again? This will probably be her longest 'expedition' yet." One of the snow leopardess said amusingly.

"I choose not to worry about that. It'll be nice for her to go on a true adventure and not worry about a deadline." Su smiled confidently.

"She has good friends that won't leave her behind. That's all I ever wanted for her."

 **(Now outside the Ladies of the Shade Camp)**

"Alright, next stop...wherever Ànyǐng's mother lives!" Monkey shouted awkwardly.

The wolf rubbed his neck shyly. "Yeah, sorry about that. My mom lives in a pretty secluded place. You won't find it on any maps, which is why I have to lead you there directly."

"That secretive, huh? Is there a name for this secluded area?" Mei Ling asked.

"...there is. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to tell you. It's not like I don't trust you. But...anyone we don't want listening..."

Tigress nodded. "It's that serious...we understand. Lead us to where your mother lives. If it's that urgent for her to know you're alright, then we shall do so."

Po agreed readily to this. "Yeah, we don't mind taking a little detour before going to Gongmen. We're not in a serious hurry or anything."

"No way man, we have plenty of time. No need to rush." Fung shook his head.

Ànyǐng managed a small smile. He was glad to see that his request wasn't too burdening on his new friends.

Tigress seemed to agree with the statements. She sensed a certain change in the air, and it seemed...very familiar. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she walked a bit faster in the direction of whatever engaged her senses.

She pushed past a bush, and her eyes widened at the sight. It was an attack...or at least it was supposed to be an attack...if it _is_ supposed to be an attack. It seemed like a bunch of snow leopards, not females, were trying to grab hold of a shirtless black who was admiring a flower he was currently holding. Two things shocked her. They couldn't land a single blow on him, and he seemingly wasn't even trying to avoid them. Even worse, he didn't even seem to acknowledge they were _there_. Second, she fully recognized who this blackbuck was _because_ of how little he minded the hostile attention.

"...Master Yao?!" What was he doing out here?!

The blackbuck instantly turned towards the tiger and waved with a large smile, unknowingly side stepping another swipe from his aggressors. "Ah! Tigress! Long time no see! How strange, for us to meet up again in a place like this?" He ducked slightly to avoid a pounce that sent the leopard facefirst into a tree, but it turned out he did it because he was sniffing another flower. "These flowers smell absolutely delightful! You should sniff them yourself! I tried to get these fine gentleman to consider it, but they won't stop trying to tag me. I'm starting to think they don't like flowers...

Tigress sweatdropped. This was Master Yao, alright...

* * *

 **Yep...I'm just gonna cut things off here. A familiar Blackbuck was wandering around like a Goofball because he broke out of his box with no one watching him. He meeting with the party is clearly random and out of place.**

 **...Maybe. Probably. Is it? I dunno. Maybe I do. Do I?**

 **...I'm asking too many questions.**

 **Oh well.**

 **Bye~**


	42. Interactions With Master Yao

**I made another cool anime-like intro thingie!**

 **(...Bored silence...cricket-chirping sounds...)**

 **Don't give me that! It's my thing, even if I'm not totally the best at it! Besides, it's just a _very small_ portion of the chapter. So relax. Not trying to be forceful, honest. Just...sayin'...**

 **This is also the time that my OC's begin to get more active without overtaking the rest of the cast that actually exist. I'm doing my best to balance it, honest.**

 **Song: Fukagyaku Replace. The one minute, thirty seconds one.**

 **IMO...it's pretty awesome. But so is the full version, truly.**

 **Let's go.**

* * *

 _ **(Intro Scene)**_

 _Smoke clouded his vision, the sounds of canons filled the air, and he could feel the pain mercilessly wracking every part of his body. But he refused to give in, far from it. Po managed to reached out with effort to reach his hat, then slowly stand back up, covered in soot and his own blood. Yet he stands up, his eyes still being as determined as ever. He adjusted his scarf, placed his hat on his head, and rushed forward to rejoin his friends in battle for the burning city..._

 _The smoke and fire flows slowly upwards, into the air. After a moment, it begins to take a peculiar shape, both smoke and fire coming together. They come together and form, with smoke as the background and the flames spell out:_

 _"Tales Of China..."_

 _Po is bounding forward with his paws behind his neck as his hat shaded him from the sun, and he smiled cheerfully with his scarf dancing with the wind, though. Tigress moved alongside him, her own scarf dancing with the wind. Her smile was less cheery than his, but was just as genuine._

 _Tai Lung's cloak covered most of his upper body, including his face. But his tail and pants we're visible, as well as the fierce look in his eyes, looking determined to find something. Finally Shen, was moving through the Tower of Sacred Flame, calmly walking by his army of komodo dragons, gorillas, wolves, and crocodiles, as well as the forced assistance of Masters Rhino, Ox, and Croc..._

 _Fung, Monkey, Crane, Mei Ling(Golden Cat), Mantis, Song, Viper, Peng, Lian, Bian Zao, Ànyǐng, and Xuě. A quintet of this generation become the Furious Five, and the looks on their faces say that despite how idiotic Po can be, they'll follow him anywhere._

 _Struggles across deserts, snowy mountains, forgotten ruins...Po eating everyone's food...the struggles are definitely real._

 _The scenes switches to serious Po slowly walking through the remains of the panda village he was born in, clearly exhausted and bruised from constant battle. Though a warm and supporting paw from the other world pushes him to keep heading forward._

 _Much has to be done in order to take Shen head-on. His friends right alongside him. Tigress catches the horns of Master Ox, Fung is clashing tails with Master Croc, Peng is narrowly avoiding the swinging hammer of Master Rhino, Ànyǐng clashing his blade with Wolf Boss, while the rest help fend off the army. And Po jumps off from the helm of the ship, outwards towards Shen, who unsheathes his Guan Dao. The spiritual image of a Shining Golden Dragon and a Blood Crimson Phoenix fiercely clashing against one another fills the background..._

 _The final scene is a battered Tigress offering her paw to a just as battered Po to help him up, and he gladly takes it. They help each other stand, and walk towards the others with smiles of relief._

 _Their bonds growing ever stronger..._

 ** _(End Intro Scene)_**

* * *

In all genuine honesty, Tigress was at a loss on what to do at the moment. There was Master Yao cheerfully waving at her as if nothing was wrong, even though he was clearly being attacked from all sides at once by enemies that just can't seem to touch him. She was interested in helping, really she was. But she was also thinking about the possibility on if he actually _wanted_ her help. Or a couple details deeper than that, he may not even _realize_ that he's in a situation that requires him needing any form of assistance. One could say that his head is in the clouds...no. With Master Yao, it's like he tamed those clouds and began riding on top of them just because he felt that he could truly did it.

"Tiiiiigreeeessssss? What's the matter? You haven't said hi back yet!" Master Yao tilted his head to the side in confusion. which resulted in one of his attackers missing a blow to his neck which most likely would have knocked him out, given his physically frail body. Still, he didn't seem to know of his predicament.

Tigress shook her head. There would be time for pondering later. Even if Master Yao somehow knew what he was doing, she didn't want to stand there and wait for him to get hurt if he made a mistake. It was not thought of as an insult, of course. But even Masters can make common mistakes once in a while that might have terrible consequences, Shifu inadvertently taught her that.

Without wasting more time, she stepped up to the scene before her, then immediately dashed on all fours towards the commotion. One of the other assaulters was making an attempt to grab Master Yao again, but Tigress did a front flip and grabbed Master Yao by the shoulder mid-flip, excited a small 'Wheeeee~' from him as she landed a few meters away, and setting him back on his feet. She didn't mother making sure he was unharmed, obviously seeing that he wasn't, and turned towards the snow leopards with narrowed eyes.

"Master Yao, why are these snow leopards attacking you...?"

"Attack? Is _that_ what they were trying to do? Not tag at all?" He asked this as if he were terribly confused. Then he pouted a bit sadly. "I'm still even more puzzled by the fact that you didn't return my hello..."

Tigress's mood softened a little as she turned towards him and rubbed her neck. "Sorry. Er...hello, Master Yao."

"Hi Tigress!" Suddenly Master Yao was bright and happy again, waving at her even though they were close enough proximity for it not to be necessary. "It's been such a long time...and now you're wearing a lot more black! Is this a new change for you?"

"Well...kinda. But it isn't the first change of attire that I've made...it shouldn't matter right now anyway. We have bigger matters to attend to, like those attackers. Do you mind telling me why they're attacking you?"

"Oh yes! You were asking me something about that! It really is quite a strange story to behold. And now that you're here, I'm more than willing to share the experience!"

Tigress had to redirect her focus for the moment. The snow leopards came down on her with a team pounce. She grabbed Master Yao by the sides and back flipped away from the pounce pile to a couple of feet away, then set him down again. The elder Master tilted his head a bit as her swift reaction. Her eyes were now focused again. They would have to talk lat-

Her thoughts were cut off by a rather shrill shout that sounded like it came from her Master...probably because it did. Before she could react, Shifu had jumped through the bushes and into the quintet of enemies before pushing his arms out with force that sent out a small burst of Chi that scattered them across the ground in different directions. When they could get up and look at their new obstacle, all they found was Shifu's narrowed, serious eyes.

"I would be leaving this area if I were you. Further hostility will leave you quite badly broken."

The snow leopards eyes widened as they recognized him. Despite the bandages covering part of his body, his slightly tattered robes that allowed them to be seen, and the long, also tattered cloak wrapped around his neck and flowing with the wind, giving him a strong, 'wanderer' type vibe...they were still able to tell that this was Shifu. One of them hesitatingly stepped forward, but another pawed his chest and shook his head in denial. With that one notion, they all narrowed their eyes at Shifu, before turning around and jumping into the shadows with the trees and onwards, disappearing from view.

Though Shifu waited, relying on his hearing to see if they were truly retreating. When he couldn't hear their steps anymore, he relaxed his posture. "I guess they aren't as foolish as I was expecting them to be."

"Fuzzy!" Master Yao approached Shifu from behind and happily hugged his head, getting a feel for his fur.

"Master Yao?! W-What are you doing here?!" Shifu wondered, his eyes wandering around swiftly to gain any sight of the box the blackbuck always resided in. "Where is your box?"

"Oooh! Right, my box!" Yao nodded, lightly pressing his hooves together before stopping abruptly, gaining silence from Shifu and Tigress. Then he shrugged. "I lost it."

Shifu blinked. Tigress blinked. Both of them blinked at the same time. Then the former lifted one finger. "You...lost it?"

"Yep. I lost it. A pack of bandits attacked my servants and scattered, then they took me and my box faaaaaar away somewhere! Then they started interrogating me, but they must have not have liked to talk to me so much because after a while they threatened to kill me. So I knocked them out and left the box there in the middle of someplace, not looking back. Have no idea where it is now. It's just gone. Poof! Probably won't ever see it again." Yao paused. "...Oh! Look at this cloak you have, Fuzzy! So tattered yet it also gives off a traveler kind of vibe...you've been traveling for a very long time, haven't you?"

Shifu was still in a state of shock. Master Yao was amongst a bandit attack that scattered all of his servants. He then knocked said bandits out and left on his own? For how long?!

"Um...Master Yao? How long have you been just wandering around without your box?"

"Ooooh, right! I've been out of my box ever since I sensed that Master Oogway had passed on..still highly unfortunate. Especially since his appearance might have possibly dispelled the tragedy that befell the Valley of Peace. It's so very, very sad." He lowered his head, looking genuinely upset about the memory.

Shifu and Tigress weren't immune. They still felt a bit sore about that and that it was what sealed the Valley's fate. The former was still more visibly form by this fact than the latter. But then they both came to the same realization. This had been for a very long time now, a couple months in fact. Three to be the very minimum.

Tigress stared at the blackbuck in shock. "You were wandering around for months just like we were? Yet you were all...by yourself?"

"Pretty much. But most of the time I was able to see many different interesting things! Like the rough skin of an angry rhino! Or the crazy, frenzied squawking of rather irritated crows! The multiple conflicting or combining smells of these flowers! The glistening of morning dew on the grass! And so much more!" Yao clapped. "I have the chance to experience all of the things I could not, now that I no longer have that box holding me in one place. It's been quite lively since then."

 _I can take a wild guess on what angered that rhino and irritated those crows. And still not a scratch on him._ Tigress made a mental note of this. "So...maybe now you can tell us why those snow leopards attacked you?"

"Maybe...after you introduce me to your friends!"

"W-What?!"

"It shouldn't be too much of a hassle, can it? I've easily grasped the difference between when I first met you, and now. You're definitely happier, and that's because you managed to make plenty of friends. And I wish to see them, if you may."

Tigress rubbed her arm with indecision. "Well-"

"Tigress! What's taking you so long, darn it!" Fung suddenly pushed the bush away while moving towards her irritably. "I mean, you just disappeared out of now where along with Shifu, and then-" he stopped walking and talking when his eyes met with Master Yao's, who was now smiling at him as well. "Uh...who's the old guy?"

 _BAM!_

"That is rude to say outright, Fung." Shifu twirled his staff and set it on the ground again, while the croc was now on the ground and twitching in pain, a comical bruised lump forming on the side of his head.

"This is one of the friends you told me that you missed, Tigress? He looks quite bulky! And the intricate and yet simple design put into his helmet...simply splendid!".Yao said with glee, lightly touching the helmet while the croc tried to regain his bearings due to the blow to his head. "It's also has it's level of shiny!"

"Gimme that." Fung swiped the helmet back, grumbling to himself.

"Yo, Fung! Tigress! Are you out here?!" Po pushed the bush apart and he was followed by everyone else, Fenghuang being the closest one. They all caught sight of Master Yao. Some like Mei Ling the fox, Mrs. Yoon, Fenghuang, and Taotie were surprised to see him, while mostly everyone else was dreadfully confused.

"Oh dear. Is that Master Fenghuang?! Why hello, Master Fenghuang! I can tell that you've taken a very similar style just like Fuzzy!" The blackbuck called for her with a smile.

"...god...dammit." Fenghuang facewinged when her mind confirmed that it is indeed Master Yao, and she cursed the inevitable headaches to come.

All of a sudden, Yao was in front of most of them. He tapped the lotus flowers on Viper's head. "These are so pretty!"

"Um...thank you!"

He shifted to Monkey, getting a soft feel for his tail. "You're not as fuzzy as Fuzzy, but you still have plenty of fuzzy!"

"...who's this guy?"

Shift to Crane, somehow taking his hat without notice, and placing it on his own head. "This gives off just the right amount of shade on a sunny day!"

"Yeah. Er...can I have that back, please?"

Shifts to Mantis, bending down and touching his head. "Hello friend! Judging by your eyes and aura, you're one who fully embraces the ideal that size doesn't matter!"

"...well, at least he didn't call me little."

And then to Po. He had gone and hugged Po's belly, much to his surprise. "You're also very fluffuy, and your belly is incredibly bouncy and jiggly!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Po smiled.

Yao gasped in a fit of realization. "Of course! An adorable fluffy panda bear! That's who younger Tigress kept talking about!"

Fenghuang raised an eyebrow, then turned towards Tigress. "Adorable, huh?" The tiger immediately blushed, her fur not as successful at hiding her blush this time.

Master Yao proceeded with this strange act of greeting by greatly appreciating the simplest detail about them. And honestly...they felt much better about themselves because of it. No seriously, they gained quite a confidence boost just because he complimented them on their smallest physical feature. He didn't actually have any difficulty in finding something for Mantis despite him being the smallest, and it also greatly improved his confidence a bit more than everyone else.

After he managed to calm down, they found enough time and space to talk. "So this is the Great Master Yao? The keeper of secrets of Kung Fu..." Golden Cat Mei Ling said while gazing at him in amazement. "And you say that you lost the box you meditated inside for sixty years?"

"Yep. It's gone. Again, have absolutely no idea where it is. I traveled pretty far." Yao tasted the noodle soup that Mr. Ping prepared, and his eyes beam. "Delicious...cannot begin to describe how amazing this noodle soup is!"

"Oh stop, it can't be that amazing...except when it kinda is." Mr. Ping said with a smile.

Yao turned to him while holding out his bowl. "Truly! It's like my taste buds are jumping with true absolute joy for the first time in years! My, I don't think I've even been using them properly until now!" He pouted. "I didn't eat as much as I'd like. My servants have always had this idea that I couldn't eat anything that wasn't approved by them. They're a bunch of party poopers, but I know they meant well. Even if they weren't totally good at showing it."

"Many people have at least one person like that in their lives." Monkey agreed. "You're not worried about your servants?"

"Considering they were taking care of Master Yao...I'm pretty sure they'll be fine." Fenghuang rolled her eyes. "Alright, Bucky. It's time to truly talk about why you're out here. The question keeps being dodged."

"Bucky...? Oh! My first nickname! And it sounds splendid!"

"...I made an error." Fenghuang sweatdropped with a sigh. "And the question was dodged again. Worst thing is, he's not doing it on purpose..."

"My apologies! I was trying to say something about what I was doing, but we kept getting interrupted. I'll try to get to it this time." Master Yao placed his bowl down. "It's quite a fascinating story. Someone was chasing me for something that they wanted. But I don't know what they could possibly want from me. I didn't have anything worth value to them. At least...I don't think so. Probably money...probably not. Every village I passed by offered me free food and places to stay overnight. I told them they didn't have to do that for me...but they insisted! Such nice hospitality from wonderful people, don't you think?"

 _They probably did that because of how cherished he is when it comes to the Kung Fu secrets he withholds._ Fenghuang deduced.

"And I discovered something quite interesting! While I was getting ready to leave one of the villages, I stumbled into one of the mail carts! I rustled inside for a bit, because of such a balance of the rough, sturdy structure of the cart, alongside the fresh scent of good morning mail-"

"Get on with it, damn you." Fenghuang muttered.

"I popped back out, feeling a bit winded. Then to my amazement, I pulled this out of my beard!" Master Yao pulled something shining out of his beard, and held it out for the group to see. Shifu gazed in shock as he recognized the simple, yet also mysterious design of the key. He stood up and blinked slowly.

"The Key of Mount Penglai..."

"So that's what it is! My mind have been in wonder of it for such a long time!" Yao said with relief.

"Mount Penglai's Key, huh? That's quite a find." Fenghuang nodded.

"How come, Fenghuang?" Po asked while he had dumplings in his cheeks.

"Mount Penglai is a pretty closed off Mountain/City, Po. In fact...no one has ever heard word from the place in a seriously long time. The Key is used to lock it's gates. And once those gates are locked...the city is almost _completely_ isolated from the outside world in every sense possible. Once those gates are closed, it's complete lock down for the entire city. No one goes in or out. The Key was put into the mail system, and is constantly mailed to random locations so that it can't be tracked to exactly one place. They used this method so that the key would never fall into the wrong hands. And..." Her eyes shifted towards Master Yao, who was balancing the key on his nose. "...this might just be a bit worse than that."

"Wait...you mean like, the city is completely cut off from the outside world? That can't possibly be good for them." Po blinked. "They can't do anything about it until the gates are unlocked with that Key?" He blinked again. Then slowly...a wide smile crept on his face. Crane noticed it and sighed.

"You want to go and unlock those gates, don't you?"

"I totally wanna go and unlock those gates. It's gonna be like, so awesome when they finally get out of those walls. They're gonna be like, 'What's this thing!' Or, 'What's that taste like?!' Or 'I bet it tastes good!' That's totally gonna be something they ask, ya know."

"Sure they will, Panda." Fenghuang rolled her eyes playfully, patting his head lightly. "But we still need to stay focused. We said that we'd get the pup back to his mama wolf, and that's what we're gonna do first. _Then_ we'll head to Mount Penglai and unlock those gates. I'm pretty curious about what they've been doing in there with no one from the outside world able to check in on them..."

Mei Ling the Golden Cat listened in on the passing conversation about their plans...as well as something spying on them from one of the trees. Shifu was obviously able to hear it too, and he nodded to her in recognition. They waited for a couple seconds...then Mei Ling took her staff from her back, jumped up and swiped it to the side while airborne. She felt her weapon hit, and her guess was right. A crow flew out of the cover of the tree leaves and crashed into the ground.

"Agh! What the hell?! Who just jumps up and hits people with a...a..." The crow grumbled for a bit, until he saw that the party was closing in on him with questioning hard looks. "...uh...um...this isn't what it looks like?"

"Like hell it isn't! You were spying on us! I know because that's usually my thing!" Song shouted.

The crow blinked a couple moments...before flapping his wings and attempting to fly away. But he was ruthlessly forced back into the ground by a quick stomp on his back courtesy of Fenghuang. She had a steeled, predatory gaze in her eyes that demanded submission. "I don't think so, rat with wings. You're obviously not leading this little scouting assignment of yours...so why ya here, bud?"

"I'll never ta-" _*crack*_ "AGH!" With a flick of Fenghuang's talon, his wing was now dislocated.

"You should never say never, little bird. People like me know how to be quite persuasive." Fenghuang said nonchalantly. "Now be a good little birdie and tell us what we need to know."

"Ngh...okay! I was assigned to follow that old blackbuck guy-"

"That's me!"

"-and retrieve the Key Of Penglai from him. Once news got out to my comrades that it never reached any of the posts we were assigned to, we were in a frenzy trying to look for it. I had him in my sights...yet I wasn't expecting an entire party to be escorting him around. Especially figures like Fenghuang and Shifu. You two...heck, this entire party is a wild card."

"When did we ever say we were tame?" Tigress said bluntly. They didn't know why, but all of the younger males shivered in fear due to Tigress being the one to say this, and so calmly. Even though it was slightly true.

"What she said." Fenghuang noted with a smile, easing her foot off of the crow's back. "You're incredibly lucky I'm not tearing your wings off. Now why don't you limp out of here before you break your other wing."

"Alright. Fine...but don't think this is over. You're still being watched...and there's no way you won't pay for this. We're getting that key out of your possession, one way or another." He groaned as he stood up on his legs and glared. "No one is allowed inside Mount Penglai, there's no way you can get in."

Po shrugged. "We have a key. We got a place to go. We have a motive. I'd say we're pretty set on going to unlock those gates."

"Ugh. I was TRYING to say that-"

"All I hear is 'Please Oh please, Lady Song! Please snap my neck so I won't have to listen to my own annoying voice anymore!' The snow leopard said with a cheery voice, though her eyes were slitted as a warning sign. The crow sweated with intense fear before limping away as fast as he could. She rolled her eyes, allowing her parasol to lean over her shoulder.

"...What an effective intimidation tactic! Are you a skilled assassin?" Yao wondered while turning to Song.

"I am when I need to be. But thievery is my main game."

"Unfortunately." Tigress rolled her eyes. "Very well. It appears that Master Yao is joining us on our wandering path."

"Or...and just hear me on on this...we can just leave him behind? No one's gonna know. And by the looks of it, he's already pretty good at taking care of himself anyhow! So I don't really see any harm in letting him continue to do so."

"...Like I said, we're taking him with us."

"Ugh! Fine! We'll play by your decision, Stripes. But I don't have to like it." The owl pouted, folding her wings. "Why are you so adept on keeping him around, anyway? Did he do something for you?"

Tigress initially said nothing as she walked ahead of the party. "...There was a time that I was missing Po and Fung more than ever...then Master Yao visited the Valley of Peace. He offered me...some pretty good advice." Tigress answered coolly. "He's actually much wiser than he looks..."

"This parasol offers just the right amount of shade on a sunny day!" Yao stated cheerfully, standing under Song's parasol while holding it in his hands. The snow leopard was confused and yet amused by this. "I feel so refreshed and cool under this shade! Splendid!"

"...and that's saying a lot." Tigress finished.

"Can we...can we just back up for a second?" Po raised his paw. "I mean...this is Master Yao. _The_ Master Yao. As in, the guy who can Kung Fu with his _mind_...I gotta see it!"

Fenghuang rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for him to show off, Panda."

"Please, Master?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"...No?"

Po's eyes began to enlarge and sparkle. "Pretty pretty please?"

"...N-No..."

"Pretty please with a side order of extra awesomeness?" His eyes became bigger, and more pleading by the moment. Fenghuang struggled to maintain her resolve...she failed.

"Aaaaagggghhhh...fine! Fine, have it your way! Just...stop doing that thing with the eyes!"

"Yaaaaaay~" Po said quietly, lightly clapping with glee.

Mei Ling the fox clasped her paws and giggled. "You can try to hide your appreciation for cute things, Fenghuang. But a panda is cuteness incarnate. Not as easy to avoid."

"S-Shut up, Vixen." Fenghuang muttered, a blush forming on her cheeks. "The sooner he gets to see Bucky's stupid tricks the sooner we can move. It's not because he's too adorable to say no to..."

"My! What a surprise from you, Fenghuang!" Yao clapped. "I never took you for someone to hide such affection behind harshness!"

"Shut. Up. Bucky."

"They have a name for that, I think." Viper tapped her lip with her tail, trying to remember.

But Shifu certainly did. He turned towards Fenghuang with a smile that was far too calm. She raised an eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not gonna like what comes out of your mouth?"

All Shifu did was tap his staff twice, smile innocently, and said: "...Tsundere...Owl."

That's it. That was it for her. The owl could only stare at Shifu in utter disbelief at the nickname for her that flowed outside of his mouth. Her beak opened and closed multiple times, her eyes were wide with shock, and her wings fluttered slightly, losing a couple of feathers. Then her wings clenched, and her eyes glared fiery daggers right at him.

"Oh **hell** no."

"You have to admit, it has a good ring to it, doesn't it?"

"There's no damn way I'm letting that catch on!"

"Too late. I have it memorized." Shifu smiled proudly. He finally has an effective counter!

"I mean it Shifu! You'd better put that name out of your head right now!" The owl scowled, fluttering her wings wildly. "Hey! Are you listening to me?!"

"Oh, I hear you loud and clear...Tsundere Owl."

"RAAAAH!"

"Yeah...so Master Yao! Can you show us what you can do?!" Po pleaded again.

"Hm...I don't know, Po. Just showing off my techniques like that? That doesn't sound like something a responsible Master would be doing..." Yao pondered this as Po began to look disappointed. "Buuuut...since I'm no longer in my box, and I doubt I'll ever find it again, I might as well show you anyway. I'd call it a learning experience of sorts! Wanderers can learn too!"

"If...if you think so, Master Yao." Tigress nodded.

Yao nodded. "Alrighty then! Now I believe the first shall be...Oh! I think someone else wants to see the moves, too! Someone is nearby!"

"What?" Tigress said as she looked around to see what Yao was talking about. She noticed that the air suddenly got a bit chilly, and that it was supposed to be decently warm outside. "Could someone actually be causing that...?"

"Of course someone is causing it, Tigress. Some are gifted with extra special abilities, such as elemental manipulation. That includes snow and ice. Some can do it at a level that cannot be taught. There's many with that kind of ability." Yao smiled as he sat up and pointed forward. "Right over there."

Ànyǐng immediately turned his nose in that direction, and noticed that Master Yao was right. Someone else was watching them, and they didn't smell like a crow this time. With narrowed eyes, he ran in that direction on all fours, and pounced over a rock, feeling himself pin someone down. When he adjusted himself to see who he had pinned, his eyes were wide with shock.

A goat. And not one of the shorter goats like Mrs. Yoon. This one seems to be at least a head shorter than him, and she was slim, and she seemed to be annoyed rather than surprised that he pinned her down. And another subtle thing that was off about her...was how familiar she looked.

"Of all the things to be pinned down by...it had to be a wolf." she mumbled underneath him, rolling her eyes. "Hey. Think you can get off me now? Wrong ideas can be made from this sort of situation."

"O-Oh! Right!" Ànyǐng was off her in a flash, and he also helped her stand up straight and dusted her off. What followed as an unorganized plethora of apologies that can't be understood in the usual ways. Her eyebrow twitched in irritation as she held up a hand to stop him.

"Okay okay, I get it. You're sorry. Sheesh, I didn't see it as THAT big a deal."

"Y-Yeah...still..."

"Still nothing. You didn't know."

"Okay..."

"...You don't have a lot of backbone, do you?"

"I'm, uh...still working on that..." A bit of silence passed by the two of them, the wolf nervously rubbing his neck while the feminine goat was waiting for him to say anything else. Eventually he did, rather shyly. "My name is Ànyǐng. And...you are?"

"I'm Xuě. What are you doing away from the rest of your pack?"

His eyes widened a bit in shock. "What...you know about the place?"

"I'll admit, it's pretty well hidden. I only found it on accident because I wasn't really caring about where I was going. I just knew I had to keep moving."

The wolf seemed to accept this explanation. After all, he was in no position to pry into her personal reasons. However, the others might not be so cooperative with her wishes. Especially since her name matches up with the last one on the scroll that Po and Tigress keep close to them. Po is persistent, but not too forceful. Tigress...is both of those things. But at the very least, this can make many goals that much easier.

"Alright. Since you know where it is, you can help me and my friends get to it. I have to check in with my mother. As well as my little brother."

"Your mom and brother lives there, huh? What about a father?" She saw his ears droop a bit and his eyes narrowed. Her own eyes drooped as she suddenly realized the subject she inadvertedly poked at. "Wait, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine. It's not what you think." Ànyǐng shook his head. "All I know is, I need to get back to them and show them the way. I think...they'll be surprised. What do you say? You don't look like you have anything better to do."

The wolf nodded in agreement. He turned and left the area with the anthro goat by his side. Something about her...he didn't know. He feels as if they've met before.

The feeling is mutual.

 **(Láng Wō: Wolf's Den)**

Po was amazed by the view of Ànyǐng's home village. He wasn't the only one.

First off, his village was much, _much_ larger than he told them that it was. He told then it was more of a den than anything. Mantis remarked, quite clearly: Dens that large...have NOT been heard of!

The village was located near a hidden waterfall, a part of it even went beyond the waterfall. There were plenty of small huts, as well as a small river that stemmed from aforementioned waterfall. Surprising to most of the party, the wolves here have quite a majority of crops very close to the water, and they seem to be well taken care of. There was also a large open area where they could see a couple of wolves roughhousing with one another in quite a violent manner...only to have a huge laugh afterwards.

That's what surprised the the most. These wolves were _rowdy_. Rowdy in a way that Fung, Monkey, and Mantis were very familiar with, as they were the biggest and most persistent troublemakers in their respective homes, and lived in the poorest areas of them. Mei Ling the Fox seemed to be very familiar with it too, as she brought a paw up to her muzzle in amusememt. But the rowdiness itself wasn't what surprised them all. It was what Master Yao sensed so casually. Every single wolf adult, cub, elder and all...none of them were filled with intense negative chi. To put it in more specific detail:

Not even a speck of darkness could be found in their hearts. Mischievous intent, perhaps, but definitely none were genuinely evil. This puts the whole 'wolves are evil' stereotype into serious questioning, and then some.

Shifu blinked in disbelief. "This is...unheard of. Compared to most wolves we've met that were either assassins, bandits, or evil mercenaries...these wolves are relatively tamer than any of them. And tame can't even be the most accurate way to describe them."

"Yeah. This is my village." Ànyǐng said while rubbing his neck. "A large pack of rowdy wolves that roughhouse a lot...but they otherwise have pretty big hearts. Their pack leader is the most chaotic of all."

"More chaotic than all of _this_?" Crane said in disbelief, gesturing his wing to the entire village as they made their way towards it. "I don't even know how they manage to keep this place together!"

"Perhaps with a cheerful shindig? They do seem to be having a lot of fun!" Master Yao said cheerfully. "We should go down and say hi!"

"Keeping the place together is actually pretty easy. The pack leader, or the Alpha, keeps and restores order when things get out of hand."

"It's surprising to know that there's any order at all." Mei Ling the Golden Cat tilted her head curiously. "Who's the pack leader?"

He rubbed his neck again, shrugging nervously. "Uh..."

A couple moments later...

The party now stood in awe, jaws dropping(minus Tigress)at the sight before them. They were lead by Ànyǐng to the local tavern...which is also where a large majority of the wolves hang out and have fun together. A large amount of them were mostly the male wolves looking for a good time. This is normally the case with taverns and wolves being out together.

But it this instance...

"Go, mistress!"

"Drink away, mistress! Chug it!"

"She might just break her own record!"

A lone wolfess was sitting in the very back of the tavern, currently appealing to her crowd by chugging down sake... _an entire barrel of it_. With one paw. And judging by the other empty barrels around her, at least five, she's been doing this for a while. When she sensed that the beverage was completely emptied from the barrel, she set it down with a rumbling through the tavern. She casually wiped any leftovers from her muzzle, and let out a _loud_ unladylike belch. Her watchers cheer even louder after this.

Her looks matched her apparent attitude. Her fur was incredibly messy, and a good portion of it grew far enough from her head to form a bang in front of her left eye. She wore a vest that looked like it was custom made. It had the symbol of a wolf surrounded by purple fire, while looking incredibly fierce and dangerous. While on the back, it had the image of a wolf howling up towards the move, it's form and shadow directly in front of it. Her feet were wrapped up in tap, but her toes and nails were clearly visible. Tape also covered a portion of her arms, wrists, and paws, once again leaving room for her claws. Her violet pants tightly hugged her figure, which may be her intention, or she just didn't care. Most likely the latter.

And the lack of decency was also noticed, as her vest was undone _just_ enough to not allow the entire thing fall off, and also _just_ enough for her assets to be visible, and it made some of the guys blush brightly. The first one to recover was Crane, who shook his head and turned towards Ànyǐng.

"She's...uh...interesting, to say the least."

"I'll say. Her name is Lièrén(Hunter). The Alpha of the entire pack."

The wolfess blinked a couple times as she caught sight of the others, with a raised eyebrow. "Huh. We have guests that aren't wolves. Been a long time since we had one of those, and they didn't attack us." Her eyes gazed at Po for a couple moments, and Po felt as if she has never stared at anything so intensely focused like she was on him, while not showing the slightest emotion about it...before her eyes also caught Ànyǐng in her sights, and her eyes brightened with cheer, and she waved. "Hi Sweetie!"

The party jawdropped(once again, except Tigress) once again, totally shocked. They all looked towards the teen wolf with incredulous looks, as he pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Yes...my mom is the pack leader."

Mantis looked at the wild mom, then to the relatively sane son. Back and forth, back and forth, trying to gain some sort of sensibility of the ridiculousness before him. He quickly gave up and gave the teen wolf a deadpan look that clearly said so, while hopping on his shoulder. Monkey flicked his tail while scratching the top of his head.

"Dude...I did _not_ see that coming."

"That she is the pack leader?"

"That, and that she would also be hot."

"Ugh..." Tigress pinched the bridge of her nose.

* * *

 **Not sure if I got Master Yao down very well. I really tried, because I really like the guy. He's super cool and hilarious~**

 **But anyways, that's it for this one. Not a lot happened except meeting Master Yao, who had the Key to unlocking the gates to Mount Oenglai...which actually is a big deal when it comes to getting to Gongmen City and figuring out the issues going on there. Because they're still oblivious to Shen's current takeover of it.**

 **Hope it does well enough, as I work on the next chapter.**

 **See ya~**


	43. Ànyǐng's Mother And Memories Resurfacing

**This chapter didn't really come out as well as I thought it would. But at the very least, I can just get it outta the way now. Things may be turning serious for everyone, depending on the interpretation.**

 **This is more of a chapter that highlights the personality of Lièrén, 'Ànyǐng's mother. Despite not being planned to show up as much as he is, her role around here is still pretty important. _How_ important, will be revealed in different perspectives at a time.**

 **Lets see how it goes.**

* * *

The party was still a bit stunned by the untamed personality of Ànyǐng's mother, which is a stark contrast to his own. She hopped off the table she was lazily sitting on, walking up to her son. She looked him up and down for a couple minutes, then placed her paws on her hips. "What? You're not gonna hug your mom? I haven't seen you in a long while, ya know. I see you've forgotten how you greet people. Especially family."

Ànyǐng sweatdropped slightly. "M-Mom...sorry about that. I had to follow the Lin Kuei around, I saw and heard them do terrible things, and-"

"Lin Kuei? Don't care. You? Do care. Come hug Mommy." The wolfess reinforced, opening her arms to him. He discarded whatever he had to say at the moment, and hugged her like she requested. The party noticed that she was a couple centimeters shorter than her son, signifying a phenomenal growth spurt. They then released one another and she turned to the party. "So...who are they?"

"They're my friends, Mom."

Lièrén jawdropped, clapping her paws over her cheeks in surprise. "You've _finally_ made some friends?! The friends that actually stick by you and not treat you like shit because you're a wolf?!"

"Aaaaaaannnnnd this suddenly got sad." Crane noted, adjusting his hat.

"Totally." Monkey added.

"You're telling me. It's so hard for my son to find friends that are outside of his own species." The wolfess nodded, folding her arms under her chest...which did little to ease the blush on some of the guys faces. "They think that because a buncha wolves did a lot or morally questionable things in the past that all of them are incapable of changing for the better. Well I say that's-zzzzzzz..."

They were completely blown away by what just happened. One moment she was ranting about how wolves are under the type of oppression that is unreasonable to an extent...and the next, she's fallen asleep out of nowhere, her head lowered. The comical snot bubble was even present, and a bit of drool slid out of her maw.

Everyone blinked.

"Did...did she just...?" Peng asked, head tilted.

"Yep. Apparently." Lian snickered.

The snot bubble immediately popped, and her eyes blinked open. "-completely stupid, if you ask me! Most don't even give us a chance!" Shifu sighed in exasperation...she continued the conversation as if nothing happened! "If there's anything that I'm certain of, is that they're not giving us nearly enough credit as they should be."

"Yeah, we've had multiple negative encounters with wolves, so it's surprising to see the nice ones show their faces once in a while." Fenghuang said. "The Lin Kuei are a pain, but we manage to chase them off when we have the ability. Though it's weird that your son is among them."

"Ever heard of an inside spy? He was supposed to be that. Though of course that couldn't last long, given how much he hates the guys." Lièrén shrugged. "Though in a way, I'm kinda glad he called off his own mission. Because if I had gotten a message that something unfixable has happened to my son...people are gonna start gettin' hurt. And afterwards, I'll be busy washing the blood off of my paws."

Mr. Ping smiled brightly. "Ah yes! Another devoted parent! I always show how devoted I am to my son. Because anyone who made fun of him when he was younger were on the business end of my ladle!"

The wolfess tilted her head. "A ladle, huh?"

Fenghuang huffed, rustling her feathers. "He isn't joking. He's just as good at beating people half to death with that ladle as he is cooking with it. That goose in violent protective mode is one of the _very_ few things in this world that genuinely makes me worry...for the victims."

"Violently protective parents are the best parents." Lièrén grinned toothily.

"In a way, they do have a high ranking up there. If someone's picking on your kid, you won't just let it continue. Violent retaliation is no sure to follow...if it can't be resolved peacefully. As much as I love beating the crap out of assholes who deserve it...pointless fights don't appeal to me as much." Fenghuang sighed. "Though given my mindset and personality, I end up fighting anyway."

Shifu, Taotie, Mr. Ping, and Mei Ling the Fox understood this extremely well, as they somewhat know Fenghuang best. Po might be well aware as well, but is sometimes too far lost in the clouds to focus on it to a highly comprehensive extent. As a result, he might be less aware of how similar he is to Fenghuang in terms of fighting, while his personality remains a bit childlike with hints of maturity...and short bursts of fury for harsh wrongdoings.

"Yeah, I can understand how you can think like that." Lièrén nodded, unfolding her arms and placing them back on her hips. "You have a pact you wanna follow but sometimes it's just so hard to keep it intact...and then you just give into yoir urge to beat the living crap out of somebody because they just bother you _so_ much. And others that just start harming the innocent, or your loved ones just to tick you off. No one ever seems to figure out that that is a _horrible_ idea."

"Let's not forget about also targeting children!" Mr. Ping raised a wing.

"Yeah, that too! I mean...why? Why the kids? Now we all know you wanna be put into the infirmary for months. Or possibly die. Something around those lines."

No argument there. Once again, we go back to how much the panda loves children. Messing with them in his presence...foolish idea.

Speaking of children...

"Mommy!"

The party turns to see a small wolf cub bouncing into view, his bright blue eyes and wagging tail, along with his cheerful smile...made him look absolutely adorable. Lièrén smiled widely. "Haha! There's my little squirt! Zing, guess who's home?"

The wolf cub, identified as Zing, slowly turned towards the other wolf, Ànyǐng. His jaw immediately dropped, and his tail wagged even faster. Without warning, he jumped as high as his small paws could help him go, and he landed against his chest. The older wolf caught him before he could be forced backwards. The party noticed that Ànyǐng's emotional state suddenly took a couple levels for the brighter. The wolf cub nuzzles his cheek happily.

"Bro! You're back!" And there's the reason why. Ànyǐng smiled as he gently hugged the cub in his arms.

"Hey, little buddy." He smiled. Xuě blinked in surprise at how cheerful he's become after having the small cub embrace him. There's no doubt that they deeply care about one another.

"Oh my! He did mention having a little brother the day after he saved me" Mrs. Yoon gasped lightly. "I finally get to see him in person, and he's precious."

"He really is!" Viper squealed, practically turning herself into a spring and bouncing side to side. "I wanna hold him I wanna hold him I WANNA HOLD HIM!"

"Heh. The serpent hath spoken. She shall receive." Lièrén chuckled as she took the cub away from her other son, placing him in Viper's coils.

The serpent wasted no time appreciating the cuteness of this cub wolf. She planted a kiss on both of his cheeks, as well as his forehead, her lipstick leaving slight smears. The wolf cub just blinked in confusion, before he smiled adorably. "You're very pretty, Ms. Snake~"

Yep. If his own cuteness didn't win her over, that definitely did.

"You're such a gentleman, and thank you!" Viper squealed again, nuzzling the wolf cub with hearts popping over her head.

Lièrén smirked. "Oi, Panda. Pup brigade incoming."

"Pup brigade...?"

Po turned around, and his eyes were now set on a small pack of small wolf cubs, ten in total. They all looked at him with great interest sparking into their eyes at the sight of the giant panda. He blinked. "Uh..."

The wolfess smirked. She took a deep breath, and her voice echoed through the village: "PUPPIES! POUNCE THE PANDA!"

"What?! Wait, hold o-" Po held his paws out nervously, as he wasn't ready for the barrage to come. But it didn't matter, the cubs overpowered him easily, and knocked him into the ground. Lièrén laughed in amusement, then pointed towards Mr. Ping, Mrs. Yoon, Zeng,Taotie, Mei Ling, Shifu, and Fenghuang.

"You lot must be in charge of these kids. I have a feeling we're all in for quite a talk. Follow me to my personal den."

They all tilted their heads in confusion, before following the wolfess out of the bar. Fung took a look at the cubs assasulting Po. "Is he gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, the neighborhood pups are harmless. Besides, they seem to really like him."

"THE PUPPIES ARE ALL OVER ME! AND THEY _TICKLE!_ " Po's laughter filled the area as the puppies were all over him. A couple of them were harmlessly and playfully biting his ears and softly headbutting his head, another of portion of them were nudging and licking his cheeks, and a majority of them were bouncing on his large trampoline-like belly, which was the main source of all the laughter from he and them. The females, Tigress subtly included, chuckled at how adorable this was.

Everyone sans Po followed Lièrén into her private den. It was quite roomy, more than any of them expected. There wasn't much to placed inside of it, to their surprise. At best, she had a simple finger painting that most likely belongs to her younger son, and there was a constant stream of water flowing from one open end to the next, which seems to be coming from the waterfall, and it was deep enough to sit in. Two separate walls were on each side, which may serve to block any leftover fur and residue for her to clean out later. There were also a couple flowers placed around said picture, which were most likely picked for her.

She spread her arms out. "Here we are, this is where I sleep. And sometimes bathe. Speaking of baths...Zing? C'mere sweetie."

"Kay Mommy!" Zing yipped as he crawled out of Vipers coils and ran up to his mother's legs. She picked him up and turned towards the group.

"Gimme a couple moments." She said as she carried the cub behind a long thread of cloth at the back of the den, which was closet to the waterfall stream. The party was a bit confused about what she was doing...and they were wide-eyed when she saw her clothes being hung over a nearby rock. They immediately turned away for a moment as she stepped out from behind the cover. She slowly stepped into the stream of water, with Zing in tow. She made sure he entered the water safely, and began washing his head. "Kay, whatcha wanna talk about?" She was at first confused by the surprised look on their faces, until she finally understood, and laughed. "Haha! Oh, this? Yeah, we don't really have a bathhouse. Doesn't mean we don't want one. But despite the nice things these fellow wolves say about me, I'm actually the most recent resident here. They just used the waterfall to bathed and I'm like 'Eh, why not?'"

Ànyǐng facepalmed a bit. "Mom...you can't just strip down and begin bathing in the river streams in front of guests..."

"Why not? They're not doing anything that suggests that it's a bad idea." She shrugged simply. Zing laughed as she splashed a bit more water over his head. "They're also not seeing much of what might get their immediate attention." She rose a bit. "Unless..."

"NO! Just...just stay where you are." Ànyǐng muttered, shaking his head.

"My goodness, Ànyǐng. You act like you're embarrassed of your mother or something." She said with a mock tone of offense, while he sighed again. "Okay for real, what's the deal here?"

"U-Uh...we were...w-we were just...um..." Crane blushed furiously, his hat lowered. "Is she really just going to-"

"She looks like she is." Fenghuang said to answer. "Here's the gist of it. We have an important place to be. We figured that we'd have your son check in with you first, just to soothe his own worries."

"Oh that's nice. I was wondering if he'd be wondering about me." Lièrén giggled as she lightly washed Zing's back. "Like his little brother, he's such a Mamma's Boy."

The teen wolf facepalmed harder in an attempt to hide the growing blush on his face. The mischievous and slightly accusing look from Xuě didn't help, not even a little bit. "Mom, we have somewhere to be, and we could really use some help on how to get to Mount Penglai."

"Mount Penglai? The secretive city/mountain with tall walls and gates that are supposed to lock everything and everyone out? HA! What a joke." She chuckled. "I've snuck in there plenty of times and no one's ever caught sight of me. I swear, they're a bunch of idiots, if they think they can just keep those people locked in there forever."

"Wow...she actually managed to get in and out multiple times, undetected!" Mantis called out. Then he frowned. "Wait a minute...what do you mean 'locked in'?"

"People behind those walls aren't happy, kid." She explained, lightly kissing the top of her younger sons head, making him giggle a little. "Let's say that the leader of that city is a total prick who thinks shutting out the entire world is the true answer to make that city truly orderly and peaceful. It's more like a prison. It smells, the people are miserable, they're pissed at their new 'leader' and they want a new one. Basic dictator situation, thing."

"That place is under dictator influence? In that case we HAVE to go. To help those people out. Because I can say for certain that living under a dictators paw is anything but fun." Monkey said.

"It most certainly isn't. Unfortunately we have a lot of people like that in different places. That's why-zzzzzzzz..."

Shifu's eyes twitched. She did again, while submerged in water, no less!

Ànyǐng sighed as he clapped twice loudly, waking her up. "-there's plenty of good guys that are willing to beat the crap out of those who oppress the weak. I'll take a pretty good guess and say that your panda friend out there is one of those good guys."

"You seem to have taken a positive interest in Po, due to the focused gaze you gave him earlier and the tone you mentioned him with. Is there a reason for that?" Shifu asked curiously.

"He's a fluffy ball of fun. What other reason do I need?" She shrugged. "I have nothing to worry about from him. Despite being little furry troublemakers, the cubs of this little den of ours instinctively tell who has good character. They like the panda, so I like the panda. Of course this doesn't always work, but I find other ways."

She finished cleaning her cub, and she set on on the ground. He shook rapidly, sending water all over the place and his fur went 'poof!' It only made him laugh. "Big bro! I'm so fluffy now!"

"I see that." Ànyǐng smiled at his brother's antics. "Now go grab one of the towels and dry yourself off. Remember that shaking doesn't always work out completely."

"Okay!" Zing nodded as he skipped out of the den after drying himself by more excessive shaking and a towel, as well as his clothes, in hand.

"He's such an adorable little squirt, isn't he?" Lièrén smiled softly, pushing back some of her fur. "Anyway, Mount Penglai. That's your next destination, and ya need me to take you there?"

"That's about the gist of it." Mei Ling the Fox nodded.

"Well that's cool. I guess I can help you lot get there. Buuuuuut..." Of course there was a catch. "You're gonna have to do something for me first." Shifu sighed while rubbing his temple. The wolfess noticed and smiled widely. "That's right! Ya got a sidequest to complete!"

"A sidequest?"

"Yeah. It's a quest on the side. What are you, a dumbass?" She rose an eyebrow in amusement of Shifu's twitching eye. She then took on a slightly more serious face. "There's some camp a long ways away from here, but not too far so that the den can't be seen from the trees. Some chumps like to keep causing a ruckus for when we try to head out and get necessary junk outside our village. They keep attacking caravans that go outta their way to deliver goods here, and a majority of it ends up gone. Some return with barely any of their items left, while some don't make it at all. I need you to get them out of here."

"You haven't requested help yet?"

"Do you _really_ think that many people will go out of their way to help wolves? Dude, I think I need to be straighter with you: They don't like us. You guys look decent enough to want to help us, so I'm asking you to help us out. In return, I'll take you to Mount Penglai, easily. Then that blackbuck guy of yours-"

"That's me!"

"-can unlock the gates after kicking the control freak's ass. Sound like a suitable plan to you?"

"Sure! We're totally up for it!" Lian said as she wrapped an arm around Peng and Bian Zao, pulling them close to her. The former was smiling, while the other rolled his eyes but smirked a bit.

"Glad we can come to a compromise. Now go on and get ready. I'm not finished soaking here." Lièrén sank a bit into the water with her eyes closed. She did look like she wanted a bathhouse, but is content to work with what she has. The rest of the group nodded and exited the den one after another. Song stayed behind, which took the wolfess's notice. "What? Ya need something?"

"Yeah, actually. You have two sons. I know this is probably too personal...but were you ever married?"

"Nope. Zing is adopted. As for Ànyǐng...he was a surprise."

"You weren't planning on him?"

"Not even slightly. He was a shock indeed, but I decided to keep him. His father...isn't the best person. Hell, I might even be worse. But unlike him, I had no reason to leave my son behind when he was conceived. We weren't married, and we were in heat, and we just happened to see one another...then stuff happened." She shrugged. "I'm not looking for a lifelong partner, if that's what you're thinking. No, I mostly mingle nowadays." She looked the snow leopard up and down...and smirked. "Impressive hips ya got there~"

"W-What!?" Song stepped back, shocked. "I...You're...?!"

"Yeah, I can see it. You look like a person who's skilled in the art of seduction. Well you've definitely got the body for it~"

"H-HOLD ON A SECOND!" Song shook her head, slightly confused. "When you had your first son, you were in heat, and you found the wolf you did it with super attractive. And yet here you are, eying me like that..."

"Yeah. I learned something interesting about myself some time after my first son was born. You see, a lotta people prefer that you either find one gender attractive, or the other." She rose her paws with a cheerful smile. "As for me, I land squarely in the middle."

...Oh.

... _Oh._

 _...OH._

Lièrén saw realization dawn upon her face, and she found even more amusement in it. "You look surprised about something. Guess I really threw you for a loop, huh?" She waved her off. "Go on. You all need to get ready to move. Unless...you wanna join me."

"N-No thank you." Song turned and left the wolfess alone, while she herself was left to her thoughts. Song had been skillful at lying for a very long time, so she has a good chance of guessing when someone is telling one. This works on many occasions except for Po, who has no talent for lying whatsoever. And yet this wolfess...something about her is throwing Song off. She hasn't told a lie, yet it feels like she's not saying the entire truth. Except for that last part, that was one-hundred percent truth. The other things are somewhat less than one-hundred percent.

The wolfess, as strange as she is, might know more than she lets on...

The party regrouped to the edge of the village, where the wolves respected their space...and found the time to roughhouse among themselves.

"This place is quite lively, I must say!" Master Yao smiled. "Whoever said wolves can't be good citizens aren't very nice."

"What about you, Panda?" Fenghuang turned to her student, who was lying against the wall, looking dazed.

"The puppies...they cuddled me half to death, Master...I couldn't fight back...they were too cute...they completely overwhelmed me..." He stood up and lightly grabbed her by her cloak. "I've seen cute things, Master! CUTE THINGS!"

"Honestly, who can blame him? They're small, but they're also very overwhelming." Viper smiled, lightly swaying side to side. "Overwhelmingly adorable!"

"I think you're missing the point, sis. These little balls of fur could conquer China effortlessly!"

"Okay, let's not get crazy." Crane suggested. Then he paused in deep thought. "...unless we're already crazy."

"Let's focus a bit here." Shifu called out, gaining everyone's attention. "Despite what we initially thought, it seems this village is having troubles with supply routes. Someone continues to hijack their caravans whenever they get close enough. We need to infiltrate their camp and stop them. Though some of us will have to stay here to make sure they don't try and rampage through the place during our absence." Shifu looked to the side. "I will take the lead."

"As will I." Mei Ling the fox said readily, gaining Shifu's confused look. "You really got hurt from our conflict with Master Ding, and you haven't completely recovered yet. I have to keep an eye on you so you don't do anything reckless."

"Reckless? _Me?_ I'll have you know, I'm probably the one who exercises the most caution, since Po and Fenghuang are unpredictable."

"I dunno what you mean." Po said absentmindly, too focused on Master Yao."So you're saying...the **Iron Heart** multiplies your physical strength a thousand fold...the **Clap of Stillness** freezes the movement of anyone nearby... **Jin Tian's Tempest** gives you the power to shoot lightning out of your paws..." Bian Zao's eyes perked up at this. "...the **Yangtze Spleen Punch** knocks out everyone within a 100-yard radius...and the **Wings of Light** gives you the power to fly. Those are the Five Mystical Kung Fu Secrets?"

"Yes." Yao's simple answer almost threw Shifu completely off-balance.

Po's mind took a while to process this...then his eyes sparkled and he giddily began hopping up and down. "All five of them sound so _awesome_! Do you think you can show me sometime? You know, after we deal with those cruddy caravan hijackers?"

"Sure, I'd love to. Sounds like fun!"

"That **Jin Tian's Tempest** does _not_ sound lame at all." Bian Zao managed a small smile. Taotie noticed this, and sighed.

"Great. He's taken an interest in shooting lightning bolts. I don't want to know where that might lead..."

"Probably somewhere filled with lightning." Taotie just looked at Po in exasperation, before he shook his head and walked off. "What? Was it something I said?"

"It's alright Po." Fung said, patting his shoulder lightly before turning towards the exit. "It's probably best that we not bring Yao outside, yet. They might try and snatch him away. We really don't want that on our list of problems." Fung turned around...a dotted outline of Master by Yao remained. Fung's eyes bulged out of his head. "What the...where'd he go?!"

"Onward my friends! To adventure!" They heard Master Yao echo from the woods, and Tigress facepalmed, before chasing after him on all fours.

"Master Yao, you can't just run off like that!"

"Oh for the love of...darn it!" Fung rubbed his snout before running off with Tigress. Po, Song, and Fenghuang also decided to chase him down.

Shifu was the last to move, but he slid to a stop and pointed to the others. "Guidelines have changed, it seems. We're going to get Master Yao. The rest of you stay where you are!" He advised as he turned and dashed swiftly, his form disappearing faster than the others. Like she insisted, Mei Ling immediately followed him.

Peng sighed and awkwardly scratched his ear. "And the chaos starts back up..."

"I'm beginning to like Master Yao. He's got no care for the danger, he's just looking for a good time." Lian smiled. "He might unconsciously really want to explore without any restraints on him. I know I would wanna stretch my legs a bit if I was locked in a box for sixty-five years."

"Duuude...I can't even survive five minutes sitting perfectly still in total silence without falling asleep." Mantis groaned lowly, sitting on Crane's hat. "Much less sixty-five _years_."

"Ditto. That'd be maddening. Who knows? Maybe that's why he's so in the clouds." The rest of the party seemed to agree with this statement...

 **(With the others chasing Master Yao)**

"I told you we should have just left him to fend for himself! Then we wouldn't have to deal with this crap!" Fenghuang shouted down to Tigress while flying overhead, keeping the others below her within her sights.

"That wasn't an option for me, even if he is a bit troubling to deal with." Tigress insisted while her running speed steadily increases, maintaining a vague but trusted scent on Master Yao's trail. She had a feeling he would start doing this sooner or later, she's only surprised he didn't do it right off the bat. Many people aren't disciplined enough to handle decades of silence with almost no outside interference of any kind. She knows Master Yao by now. He isn't one who will sit still for anything. Even if it certainly wasn't within his personality to say so, she could tell he was pretty sick of the prospect of living the rest of his life in a tight box because someone might abuse the secrets be possesses. Tigress didn't find that to be a proper way to live. So she at least gained an understanding on his willingness to just venture off on his own accord.

She wasn't mad, far from it. She was just a bit irritated that she wasn't able to sense him move at all. And she was also worried that he might get hurt. His fragile body is highly unlikely to be durable enough to endure a strong enough attack, it's why she wanted to keep him within their vision. Obviously they have to improve on that. But it wasn't that burdening on her. It's still better than locking him in a box with no contact to the outside world.

Judging by the expression on Po's face and the attitude he showed towards Yao earliee he totally agreed with her. Being taught by Master Fenghuang, he takes the concept of freedom to serious degrees. So hearing that this blackbuck kept himself in a box for a majority of his life just to preserve dangerous secrets...he didn't find that fair. There's no way that the blackbuck came up with that idea himself, and the panda wanted to beat the crap out of the heartless morons that gave it to him. He deserves to live how he wants, without anyone forcing him to do otherwise. Everyone does.

However, those that _abuse_ their freedoms in order to intentionally and wrongfully harm others...it's on the short list of things that can make the otherwise bright, cheerful and goofy bear very... _very_ angry.

"How can someone so frail-looking move so fast anyway?!" Fung snarled in irritation as he tried to keep up with the others, keeping his helmet on balance.

"You'd be shocked due to how much energy the elderly can still store." Tigress noted, leaping over a log and landed on the ground perfectly, her momentum continuous. "Underestimating them wouldn't be very smart. Especially someone with a mindset like Master Yao's."

"I see the moron now...and he looks like he's in trouble. Unsurprising." Fenghuang spotted the blackbuck sitting around and admiring the complex patterns of a leaf...while a hook sword was being pressed lightly against his neck. He was surrounded by wolves...different wolves that had an aura of hostility clouding over their heads. "That idiot seriously doesn't realize how much danger he's in...and for what?!"

"Ah...what a pleasant pattern. It gives off a special sense of tranquility and variety. No two leaves are exactly the same." Yao blinked as he finally noticed the wolves surrounding him at sword-point...and he smiled. "Oh hello there! I didn't notice you! Sorry about that!"

"This old twig-like geezer is Master Yao?" One of the wolves blinked in disbelief, the one pointing his hook sword at him. "They're all gettin' pretty old and senile, aren't they?"

"Oooh! A hook sword!" Yao beamed, lightly touching it without cutting himself. He then held it in both paws, examining it with extreme interest. "Such fine weapon craftsmanship is difficult to come by these days! These are much rarer than one might think!" The wolf looked on in confusion, before pulling the sword away with a harsh yank. "You're all also and feel very fuzzy! But not as fuzzy as my friend Fuzzy!"

"Ugh...what does that even _mean?!_ "

"Doesn't matter. We have him secured. Now we just have to-" The wolf's ears flickered for a moment as he disappeared in a puff of smoke, narrowly avoiding a strong stomp from Fenghuang, which made a crater in the ground. Her reaction was to look up slowly and smile.

"Well well, lookie here. These wolves are a bit more competent than most." She said while tucking in her wings, as the others caught up with her. "That's actually pretty helpful for my student. The tougher the enemies, the stronger he will get. That goes for the others."

"That's right, fellas." Po walked in front, arms folded. "The better the challenge, the bigger the payoff. Although I'm not against having an easy day, either." The wolves narrowed their eyes, glaring at the bear before them. This confused him a bit, and he rubbed his cheek. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

The wolves began murmuring among themselves, unheard by Po and Fenghuang. Though Shifu's ears easily picked up on their words. " _A panda. And all the way out here...Shen isn't gonna like this. He'll be livid, actually."_

"Shen...?" Shifu narrowed his eyes. The wolves caught a glimpse of Shifu and Fenghuang, and they growled at the obvious disadvantage. And yet...

"...This is rather serious news. We'll have to report back to them about this random development." The wolves murmured quietly, slowly backing away. "But at the very least...we'll have something to slow the two Masters down. Retreating to Mount Penglai is our best bet right now. We have forces there that's tough enough to bring them down." The apparent leader snarled silently, as he began to fully back away.

"Hold it, wolves! You're much less nice than the wolves in that village! We're gonna take you down!" Po shouted aloud as he ran towards the wolves. One of them narrowed their eyes while appearing in front of the panda and swinging their hook sword at him. He was about to dodge it with ease...until he was slowed by a symbol on the wolf's shoulder. A metal plating...with the image of flames.

 _The roaring flames scorched the fields..._

 _The screams of terror filled the skies..._

 _The howls of wolves sounded through the night..._

 _The scent of blood and ash tainted the air..._

 _The eye of the peacock flared down upon them and unleashed it's merciless fury upon the land..._

 _...and all he could do at the time was cry in the radish basket, begging his mother to return him to her warm embrace where he belonged._

 _...But nobody came._

Time caught up with Po at last, but the flashback dulled his reaction time, and he jumped back only after getting a slash across his cheek. He skidded backwards a little until he stopped completely, then stared at the wolves in shock. The one who attacked smirked at his cheap slash. Po could only stare at the wolves in shock. They all had the same symbol on their metal plating. And on top of that, they looked incredibly skilled. Po gathered whatever thoughts he could and managed to form a question.

"...who the hell are you?"

"Figure it out, chubs. If you survive, that is." The wolf scoffed, as he threw something at the ground. Smoke filled the area. And when it cleared, the wolves were gone. Po was left there, dreadfully confused over what had just transpired.

 _It's not just a nightmare now. It's now a full-on vision of SOMETHING. But I can't understand what it is. I wonder..._

"Panda! What was that about?! You just froze up and got your cheek slashed!" Fenghuang fluttered her wings, clearly upset about her student's poor reaction time. But when she saw his eyes dull a bit under his hat, she dropped her complaints and intead took on a more concerned expression and aura. "Po...? Are you alright?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Tigress piped up. "What happened?"

"I...I don't know. Everything just stopped for me. There was a flash of white, I heard things, and..." Po groaned and lightly rubbed his head, which was getting to ache. "Damn it...I don't know what's going on..." _But now I'm sure if it. That wasn't just a nightmare I was seeing, after all. Not when I'm seeing it during the day, too!_ "Those wolves...they probably won't be back. I guess Shifu and Fenghuang spooked them off. We should probably head back and see Lièrén, tell her we've done her job, and that we're ready to go to Mount Penglai."

"Way ahead of you, Panda." He turned around to see that the wolfess was back, and she brought the others along as well. He was about to ask when she found the time to do this if they weren't gone for very long, but she quickly cut him off. "I had a feeling you'd be done pretty quickly. So no need to worry about getting ready. Let's just get a move on. I'll take you straight to the mountain."

"Thank you. Your help is well appreciated." Shifu nodded lightly. The wolfess grinned at this, before she pointed forward and began her march. Soon enough, the others began following her, while a duo lagged behind a bit to check on Po. It was Tigress and Fung.

"Dude...you were seriously out of it for a couple moments. Are you sure you're alright?" Fung asked, patting his shoulder. Tigress looked just as worried, as they wish to tend to his wound sooner rather than later.

"It's not gonna interfere with what we're trying to do. That I'll make sure of." Po said, trying to sound reassuring. But all he did was make Tigress worry more. Because he didn't really answer the question the way they'd like, and it didn't look like they'll be getting anything else from him. Not right now.

Fenghuang had her eyes on the panda as well, just as worried about him as the others. She had plenty of questions and none of the answers. Such as why this wolfess is so willing to help them? Who was the goat teen, and why did her chi consist of snow and ice? And those wolves...definitely not the Lin Kuei. But who did they belong to, and why did Po suddenly freak out at the sight of the symbol?

"It seems our young panda friend is beginning to remember things quite unpleasant." Master Yao said, gaining the owls raised eye of confusion. "Some memories are instinctively repressed due to being mentally unable to handle it at the time, like young Tigress for a rampaging Tai Lung. They may not be remembered for years, until something that relates to it triggers a reaction. Our fuzzy panda friend must have been through something terrible that relates to that symbol, hence why he froze up when he did."

She pondered these words. For fifteen years, she couldn't think of anything that they've been through that may have scarred Po for life.

Unless...

 _That can't be! The pandas completely disappeared after the attempted genocide on their homeland! Even we couldnt find them!_

Attempted genocide...Fenghuang has always wondered just how he was able to survive such w thing. Now he was beginning to remember...and it didn't look like he had a choice in the matter.

All the while, she noticed that Lièrén was still staring at the panda as she walked, observing his currently blank face with non-hostile curiousity as well something else she couldn't put her beak on. She knows something, and the thought of her keeping a serious secret regarding Po, made the owl's eyes narrow.

 _What's your game, she-wolf...?_

* * *

 **Whatever could the she-wolf be hiding? Is there information about Po that she knows and the others don't...?**

 **...Maybe. I dunno. Why are you asking me?**

 **Just kidding. She has motives, but not the kind most might expect. But maybe they do expect it, and just doesn't say it.**

 **...Whatever.**

 **Next Chapter...is out when it's how. I think we know how this goes by now. Not trying to be rude. Just...sayin'...**

 **Well, bye~**


	44. Entering Mount Penglai

"I wonder how much do you preen your feathers?"

"That really isn't any of your business, Bucky."

"It must take a lot of devoted time and patience to make sure you look well and presentable. Or maybe it doesn't? How much time does it usually take? A couple quick seconds? A few practiced minutes? Or maybe even a couple well-used and patient hours?"

"Bucky..."

"It's rather important that you look presentable, otherwise you only get the decent-class snacks instead of the nest snacks."

"I'm this close..." Fenghuang rubbed her forehead in utter aggravation. "He hasn't even been here for that long...and yet I'm _this_ close..."

"You are not to harm him, Fenghuang." Shifu stated with authority.

"But Midget, he's asking for it! And I really wanna give it to him!"

"Like I said, you are not to harm him."

The bird huffed, folding her wings. "As I expected. The little Yao fanboy defends him on every front."

"I am most certainly NOT a fanboy! I just find his accomplishments and everything he's done to be incredibly interesting in many ways, and consider myself a loyal supporter of them!"

"Yeah...you're a fanboy for Yao. It's written all over your stupid face."

"And you're Tsundere for Po in the mentoring sense. Guess we're even."

"You're asking for a severe beatdown, you pint-sized fuzzball!"

The bickering of the two Masters continued once again, turning into yet another shouting match. The others have long sense stopped trying to break them up, instead settling on waiting for them to tire out their lungs without harming themselves. If it gets physical, then they'll try and step in. Though a certain wolfess seems to find the whole ordeal utterly hilarious, while her son thought a bit differently. In the sense that he didn't think it was _that_ funny. However, he was not lost on how it can be seen that way.

Xuě, in the meantime, was speaking with the group on a certain matter. Being the one who was locked up by Jong, she was surprised to hear that they had just let both he and his son go after all they've done to them. It was especially personal for Monkey, but he just dropped it entirely before he actually got to do anything. After seeing the damage already done to Jong, such as barely being able to walk, losing all of his money, and just being happy that his son is safe. Monkey honestly can't do more to the guy aside from killing him, and that just wasn't how he worked. Although bitterly, he sent the man away with nothing more than a wave of dismissal. That must have taken a lot of inner strength to do. If she had stayed a week longer in the conditions she was placed in, she wouldn't have restrained herself as much as she did.

But then hearing that the ghost of Master Ding is behind a majority of his recent truly despicable acts, such as ordering the Valley of Peace to be burned to the ground via Lin Kuei, when no one was competent or strong enough to prevent it. And those that were strong enough were either sent away, or they ascended...like Oogway. The world was cruel enough to do something like that to the Valley of Peace without anyone's notice, until it was far too late. Ultimately, to her surprise, it was the goofy panda who had decided that there was nothing more they could do for the fallen Valley, and that it was best that they move on. He didn't look like the type of person to make such important decisions like that, but it's true.

Further on, she heard that the wolf she was curious about was also the one who saved Mrs. Yoon and sparing her from sharing the same fate as the rest of the villagers. She was glad he did, because Mrs. Yoon looks and acts too sweet to die in such a manner. It was a matter of luck that Ànyǐng was able to save _someone_ , even if it was only one single villager. And it was someone Mr. Ping and Po held in high regard. She was sure that they've already showed their gratefulness to immense degrees. Yet he still feels like he's hasn't done anything that deserves serious acknowledgement. She wonders if he's downplaying himself on purpose for some reason. And another wonder of hers is if his mother knows something of it. One thing's for sure, he was kind of bumming her out with how little he views himself despite what compliments he's been told.

"So, Xuě." Monkey called on her, gaining the anthro goat's attention. "You seem like a rather calm person, with a rather steel glare. Anything we should know about you? You said that Jong had you in a cage for some reason. Something about powers?" She nodded softly as she rose a paw upwards, and a flake of snow appeared a bit above it, sparkling brilliantly. "Woah...snow powers?"

"And ice. Pretty cool."

"Ahaha! I see what you did there!"

"As I suspected, she's one of the special ones! I'm intrigued!" Master Yao beamed. "As I said earlier, she's gifted in a different sense. Everyone has their own gift in various ways, none are exactly the same. For examlple, our goat maiden here has a affinity for snow and ice, in a level that isn't possible to be taught. Another example would be extremely fast learning rates, such as Po and Master Fenghuang. The Twelve Impossible Moves are not easy techniques to learn, much less Master them. However...remember how there used to be Seven Impossible Moves? Fenghuang took it a step further and made five more! As for Po, he managed to depower them to a degree where he can use them a lot easier and yet they still pack a lot of power. The both of them are so different from everyone else, that no one can expect them to be so creative!" Master Yao clapped. "They're geniuses in their own rights!"

Mantis tilted his head. "Po? _Our_ Po? A genius?"

Master Yao simply smiled. "You wouldn't have expected me to be an experienced Master in my own right due to my personality, would you?" Mantis was a bit stunned by this. "Some expectations are meant to be surpassed. The matter of how and when it's done, it depends. Nothing is completely certain in this strange fascinating world of ours. Anything can happen." There were a couple moments of silence that took hold of the group after this experienced statement...then he broke said silence in the most unexpected way possible: "So Fuzzy! When are you going to truly reconcile with the Kind and Lovely Vixen Comrade of yours?"

"Ah, what an interesting conversation topic~" Mei Ling said while leaning close to Shifu with rather mischievous eyes. The close contact caused him to blush, and he shook his head while trying to regain focus. This only caused her to leaned even closer, lightly rubbing his cheek with her own, leaving him unable to hide his blush from her. "And your reaction to my closeness tells me that you agree~"

"Y-You're insinuating incorrectly, Mei Ling!"

"Am I _really_?" She said slyly, which only made the blush even worse.

"You two seem awfully close as it is? Why not get on with it?" Lièrén said, her paws behind her neck. "It's very clear that both of you still have a thing for each other, and both wanna get back to business." She scratched her snout a bit as she shot a glance towards Peng and Lian. "I wonder if..."

"Mom. _Please_." Her eldest son groaned silently.

"What? You don't even know what I'm going to say!"

"But I can make an accurate guess on what you're _thinking,_ and I'm sure it's worse than what you're about to say."

"...you don't know that." She said while turning her head to the side with her arms folded. "I can be interested in certain topics, you know. You think I can't innocently support a lovely couple when I see one?"

"No...but given enough time you'll twist it into something far less than innocent."

"Not true!" She said, her voice sounding like she was majorly offended...but Ànyǐng saw the look in her eyes that highly betrayed her words. She'll get like this only if his younger brother wasn't around to hear or see it. She does have _some_ degree of self-control over herself...once in a while. It really depended on what her definition of 'control' was with every passing day. She tends to change it often to suit her current mood.

Right now she was playing around and having a laugh. All while at some point or another, she quickly scanned the panda in the group with a few seconds of seriousness, before flashing back to her antics before anyone can call her out on it. There are rimes when even he cannot tell what his mother was thinking. Yet she seems to have a good idea on how to read people without accidentally giving a clear signal of her own intentions. It's a skill he lacked but wish he had, and didn't know how she acquired, given her personality.

"You want something?" She said after sensing Fung turn to her. A bit startled by hoq quickly she noticed, the croc regained his composure.

"Um...Ms. Lièrén?"

"You don't have to worry about that formality crap. It's fine."

"Okay. If you don't mind me asking...how strong are you?"

"Strong? Is that what you're asking me about? Really?" She rose an amused eyebrow. "Maybe you're just wondering how I manage to rein in an entire village sized pack of wolves? Ya see, it's actually quite simple."

"How?"

"By asserting my dominance and make sure that they remember that _I'm_ the boss. The Alpha Wolf. Now, that doesn't mean I'm not a nice wolf. I might be one of the nicer wolves you'll ever meet aside from my sons. I let everyone else roughhouse, couple fights, having some mischievous fun. I'm mostly a laid-back wolfess. But sometimes the pack gets a bit too wild when they gotta be tame for a specific situation, so it falls on me to make sure they do so."

"Meaning?" Monkey wondered.

She shrugged. "Lemme put it this way. When I actually get serious and tell them to they need to sit, they'd better **sit**. No ands, ifs, or buts about it. And if course anyone outside who represents a legit threat against my pack...it doesn't end well for them. Like, at all." Silence took over the area as she said this in a serious tone that seemed very unlike her according to how much they know about her so far, besides her sons. "...Zzzzzzz..."

"...You must be joking." Shifu's eye twitched as the wolfess somehow falls asleep while still walking down the path she was leading them down.

"She has narcolepsy." Ànyǐng said.

"Narco-what?" Mantis scratched his head.

"It's a sleeping disorder that causes overwhelming drowsiness at random times. I don't know how long Mom's had it, though."

"Huh. There are all sorts of crazy disorders out in the world, but there's one that causes uncontrollable sleeping. What do you think of that, Po?"

"..."

"...Po?"

Fenghuang quietly looked at the panda's back in slight concern. _He's been awfully quiet ever since that encounter. It's not like him to be so lost in his thoughts. What has he been seeing that makes him freeze up and completely reduce his reaction time? Does it have to do with anything that Masters Rhino, Croc, and Ox think they've got hidden? He won't be happy about it if that's the case._

Lièrén's snot bubble pops at an opportune time, and she looks upward. "Aha! Here we are!" Everyone followed her gaze, and were a bit awed to see that they were so far up the mountain path in such a short amount of time. Perhaps they weren't paying nearly as much attention as they thought they were. The wolfess smiled at the display. "The gates are up ahead. When you're ready, you can go unlock them. I'm sure that the many citizens trapped in there will appreciate the gesture."

"Wait...you're not gonna show us the secret way in that you always take?" Po spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Sorry sweetie, that's for my own use only. As such, this is as far as I go." She placed her paws behind her neck and began casually walking away from the mountain. "Be sure to take good care of my son, will ya? If he doesn't toughen up soon, he'll be mistaken for a wimp. And I know he's nothing of the sort."

"Mom..."

"Oh! I almost forgot! Kiss me goodbye." Ànyǐng blinked a bit in exhuastion at his mother's randomness, but complied. A sweet, affectionate mother-son kiss later, and she was on jer way, wishing them luck. Fenghuang aised a confused eyebrow at this action.

 _She'll show us the main entrance and not her own secret way inside? She just wants us to open the gates like that? Well...she suggested that she had her own way...she never said she would show it to us. Pup...I really don't know what your mother is playing at...but it's really got me wondering what she's trying to pull._

"Wow. It's that easy, huh?" Monkey wondered while scratching his head. "Heh. She's quite a nice lady, more than I thought of at first."

"I don't know. She's a kind of strange that puts me on edge, but not enough to actually feel threatening to me. It's a weird sensation." Crane said quietly, unsure of how else to say it.

"Whatever. I think we should just open those damned gates already and see what's up?" Fenghuang waved her wing carelessly. "Let's see what's really inside."

"Oh! I'll open it! I wish to see how it opens!" Yao said gleefully as he made his way to the gate in order to open a way to the city...

 **(Within Mount Penglai)**

How long has it been since this place has been locked up from the inside, and he's literally thrown away the only key to unlocking it? Qinchu didn't remember, not that he needed to for some reason. It's been made awfully clear that decision he made was absolutely finals and no one would be able to change his mind. Why would he? Everything's been going fine for years, so why change anything now?

The fox was a bit hesitant about one detail, though. The crows he sent out for patrol(since flying is about the only way to escape this place without his immediate interference, and very few citizens here have wings) have not reported back yet. His city has been in immense danger of being driven back to chaos ever since some skinny blackbuck named Master Yao managed to get his hands on the Key to Mount Penglai by sheer dumb luck. No one was actually supposed to find it, it was supposed to be impossible because of it's constant movement in the mail system. The only reason the Kung Fu Express never got it's hands on it was because very few could get into Mount Penglai at all, much less find the key to it. After all, they're never allowed to open messages that aren't addressed to them. Unfortunately, it seems as though that lucky break was about to end soon.

He was extremely tense about this turn of events. If someone else were to get into the city, and everyone else was able to get out...it could spell out problems for both his own well-being, and his reputation. Though to be honest, the latter matters so much less compared to his health, which has unsurprisingly values more than his reputation. Especially Since he knows full well the nature of his employer. He'd rather not have his health in a type of danger he can't recover from.

So he needs to find that key, and he needs to find it _soon_.

"Qinchu! We have problems!" He raised his head as his crows came spiraling out of control and into the palace, crashing into the ground, painfully. They struggled to get back up, and he's slightly annoyed to see them so worked up.

"What's going on with you all?"

"Some group is heading this way, sir! And they brought Master Yao along with the Key of Penglai! They're going to open the gates!" A small, strained pause took over for a moment. "It's a rather troublesome bunch, mostly being lead by a panda!"

...Yep. Qinchu feels like he's screwed doubly so. Getting the key back, that's one problem. But now there's a panda involved?! His employer is most _definitely_ not going to like this...if it gets out. He feels panicked, but not enough to be unable to act. Before bad news can get out to his employer, he'll have to get rid of the problem altogether, before it gets worse.

Yes. He knew what to do now. His employer doesn't have to know that a panda is running around...because he's going to devote all of his forces to eliminating said panda before he can grow to be a serious problem. Will it be horribly unnecessary? Of course not. He needed to be absolutely sure that the panda wouldn't be any sort of problem whatsoever. Which means he has to be separated from his party.

Qinchu narrowed his eyes. "Target the panda. Find him. Eliminate him. I don't care how. He can't leave this city, should he enter."

"Understood!" The crows all saluted, as they all flapped their wings and flew out of the palace, leaving the tall fox to himself. This city was far too important to his employer to be taken over by a panda. And the fact that it's a panda at all will be enough for everything to go boiling over and burning him intensely.

He would stay in control, regardless of who had to pay for it.

 **(With the Group)**

The city was looking unexpected, at least to Monkey.

It wasn't just a city on a mountain, like most of them sort of expected. It was a city surrounded by a forest on top of a mountain. And it was much...prettier...? Probably not the proper description to give, but it's how Viper sees it, to an extent. Most of the buildings were a bright pink along no with a dark shade of purple. Noticably there were a couple of cliffs that go a bit higher than the taller buildings, and the cliffs were also mostly covered in thick green trees, which extends the reaches of the forests.

Fung made special note that while the city was extremely big, it wasn't anywhere close to being big as Gongmen City. That they would experience for themselves soon enough. Right now, they had to get through this entire mess going on. There was no way that the citizens wouldn't recognize that the gates have been opened after who knows how many years. They certainly looked like they wanted out, so they were just granting that request.

Though they were a bit unprepared for what happened next, for two different reasons.

The citizens in question were walking out of their homes, visibly shocked that the gates were actually open. And they also looked extremely worried for the group at hand. Monkey tilted his head. "Those faces look like a strange mix of concern and gratefulness. Wonder what's going on?"

"Most likely, whoever is responsible for putting the people in a situation like this, is giving them a reason to be pretty angry over their conditions, and they choose to direct towards the one responsible. We just have to find out exactly who that is."

"I'll go look around." Po volunteered, gaining a couple looks from his comrades.

"Are you sure?" Fenghuang asked seriously.

"Master, I'm fine. I just...need a distraction. Is that the right way to call it...? I don't know. I just gotta think about other things for a while."

"If it'll make things a bit easier, I'll go with him." Viper said whioe slithering up his leg, around his belly, and coiled gently around his arm with her head appearing next to his. "He could use a looking around buddy, right?" Po manages a small smile due to this, and nodded quietly. "We'd better choose a path soon."

"Let's go one way. Which is this way." Po said while pointing to the side. He then folloeed that direction as Viper was wrapped securely around his arm. The others saw them off with a hint of concern for Po. Tigress and Fenghuang especially.

"I'm still sensing something is wrong with him..." Tigress said, clutching her scarf.

"Yeah. But look at it this way. If you all keeping prodding at him for answers while he feels so tense, he'll just close up even more." Bian Zao yawned, scratching his back. "Don't rush the guy. Give him some time to recollect himself before he opens up."

"Those blasted nightmares of his...now they've become...daymares!" Mr. Ping grumbled. Taotie turned to him with a look of bewilderment. The goose didn't understand why. "What? You've never heard of daymares before?"

"It just...sounds like a strange term to me."

"You're not nocturnal, you don't get to criticize." Fenghuang said, blinking her eyes a little. "Daymares on those that aren't nocturnal are no joke. I don't want them to interefere with Po's reaction times. It could prove dangerous."

"Exactly what I was thinking..." Tigress mumbled quietly while staring into the direction Po went with Viper. She chose to rein in her protective urges for the time being because he wasn't in any immediate danger. For now, she had to focus on something else. Tigress turned to Fung. "We should find out what these people know. I can feel how tense they are. They know the gates are open but they're too afraid to leave. We shoukd try and change that, but after we get some information."

"Yeah. That's probably for the best."

Shifu's ears twitched as he held his claim over his head. Some passing citizens were eying the group curiously. Too much curiosity in their part can prove a bit impeding on progress if left unchecked. "Standing around will get us nowhere. We shall disperse for the time being and meet back up in one place when one of us finds something important."

"Understood." The party dispersed in different factions, willing to explore the city if it means looking for the answers that they seeked.

There was a shift in the wind on one of the roofs on the buildings, as well as dust picking up...

Someone is watching.

 **(With Po and Viper)**

"This place is bigger than I expected." Po said, a bit entranced by the architecture and colors of the city. And to think, Fung insists that Gongmen is still much larger. It's strange that every time Po thinks about the word 'Gongmen', his head begins to ache terribly for a couple moments, then it goes away like it was never there. Strange.

"Yeah. It's prettier than I imagined it to be. Now if only people didn't look so nervous or angry. I don't think they're angry at us, though." Viper said, taking in the citizens faces. Most of them seemed angry at the mere fact that they were still in the city, yet there was the underlying fear in their eyes that prevents them from attempting to leave. It must be a very frustrating combination. "The gates are open...why won't they just leave?"

"Maybe they're not ready to leave yet. Who knows?"

"They do. But I don't think they're very willing to tell us about it."

"True..." His hat obscured his eyes just a bit after this. "Ah man...I don't wanna stay down in the dumps. I gotta find something to do." He looked up towards a palace far ahead of them, his eye raised. "Hey...there's a palace all the way over there! Maybe the guy in charge-"

"Ahem."

"-or _gal_ in charge-"

"That's better."

"-can tell us what's up with these people. If there's anything more suffocating than being imprisoned, it's being free yet still feeling imprisoned. It's one of the worst kinds of mind games I really don't wanna play."

"Right. We should hear there." Viper started. Then she flicked her tongue a bit, and she tightened her coil on Po's arm a bit, signalling for him to stop walking. "...but I don't think they'll let us pass that easily."

"What do you mean...oh."

Po's voice trailed off as he now saw why Viper made him stop. All the citizens quickly retreated inside their homes or businesses and locked everything down as tightly as possible. The reason why, would be the pack of wolves that tried to antagonize them earlier, except this time their numbers increased, and a couple crows accompanied them overhead. All of their weapons were drawn, a combination of hook sword wielders, staff wielders, and bow and arrows. And all of them were locked onto Po. They didn't even bat an eye to Viper, which was actually made her worry more.

"You've gone and done it now, panda."

"Done what?"

"You opened the gates of Penglai. No one was ever supposed to get in here without the Official's say-so...and yet here you are, breaking the rules. Now...this _would_ warrant being thrown down the mountain..."

"Um...yeah..that sounds rather painful. I would rather not do that."

"Oh that's fine. We're going with a better solution. We're gonna kill you."

"...Dude. What the hell?! That's nowhere near the terms of a better solution!"

"We didn't say it was a better solution for _you_ , now did we?" The wolves narrowed their eyes. "Don't take this personally. But if the big boss finds out that there's a panda running around outside of his notice, he'll never stop obsessing over it, and he'll pour all of his resources into killing you until he's sure you're dead."

"What? Who? Why does this guy you're describing to be sound like he hates pandas?"

"Because he does."

"Seriously?! Who is this guy and why does he hate me that badly?! I didn't do anything to him, whoever he is!"

"He's paranoid. It's what you _could_ do that's the problem, and it's enough for him to send big enough forces to try and deal you in. We can keep him from going over the edge by erasing you before he ever catches wind of your existence."

"That's...rather harsh."

"It's business."

Po quickly deduced that the conversation ended there, as one or the wolves shot an arrow in his direction. Viper uncoiled slightly so she could lash her tail out and break the arrow in half before it can reach him. He pulled his hat back so it hung around the back of his neck, and pouted as the wolves began moving closer with vicious looks on their faces as well as the killing intent emitting from each and every one of them.

"Business is harsh..."

 **(With Shifu and Fenghuang)**

Of course she'd still be stuck with him.

Fenghuang rubbed her forehead with her wings to soothe her growing headache. Shifu had insisted that they bring Master Yao into their faction, and she found out she didn't have a choice in the issue. Because Mr. Ping had agreed to the notion, and she forced her beak shut after that. There are some times she wished that the goose and panda duo didn't have such an effect on her.

Right now the blackbuck was describing everything he saw in explicit detail and admiring it to such a degree that it was making her headache much worse. Though Shifu seemed tolerant of it, Taotie simply ignored him, and Mr. Ping was happily going along with it. The last bit was the only reason she wasn't reacting violently. At least not on a physical level.

"Agh! Can't I just kick his ass a little?"

"No."

"How about I slit his throat?"

"No!"

"Not enough to kill him! Just enough to be sure that he can never use his voice again."

"Fenghuang, so help me..."

"Don't tell me you're not annoyed by his constant talking!"

"Just like how I'm annoyed by your constant whining?"

"You can't turn that against me!"

"Strange, I'm pretty sure I just did."

Mr. Ping and Yao were watching with amused expressions as the two went back and forth with each other over Master Yao. The blackbuck chuckled a bit.

"They must really care for one another."

"Are you serious? They look like they hate each other." Taotie said with disbelief.

"Some friendships are strange like that. The more that they bicker and spat, the deeper their bond is. The same goes for the younger ones."

"In that case they all must really care about one another. By what I've seen and heard, they've been at each others throats ever since their entire journey started." Mei Ling said with amusement in her voice as well. "Fufie is definitely fiery when he wishes to be." The mere mention of it makes her tail swish eagerly. Taotie takes notice of this, and chuckled. Soon...

Shifu's ears visibly twitched as he caught notice of a passing conversation. He didn't pay any mind at first, but then he heard 'panda' and immediately brought this to Fenghuang's attention. He pulled her to the side while simultaneously telling the others to hide on the other, kneeling as much as they can behind barrels. They were now able to hear the conversation themselves, though it was clearest to Shifu. However, what was said definitely reached Fenghuang first, as she watched a patrol of rhinos walk by. So tit wasn't just wolves and crows keeping this place on lockdown?

"-and he said all forces are needed for this. He doesn't want to take any chances."

"I still think his employer is too paranoid. I mean really, what can one single panda do against a whole army?"

"That's not something he wants to risk finding out, which is why this job is so important. Again most of our forces are to converge on the panda."

"And...?"

"Orders are that he needs to be terminated at any cost. He was pretty serious."

"Real serious, huh? Well I guess it can't be helped, then. We kill the panda at all costs."

The rhinos suddenly felt much, much, _much_ colder all of a sudden, as they shivered in their armor. The weather was perfectly warm and it wasn't windy outside, so they were immensely confused. That was, at least until they see a bunch of barrels suddenly being scattered from a powerful burst of wind. They shield themselves with their arms to attempt to defend from the damaging debris. When the onslaught of debris stopped at last, they were met with an unsettling sight. And they now see an owo with her wings raised, as well as her eyes narrowed to slits. She was also emitting a violent purple aura, which was the source of their sudden coldness. It was clear she was not happy.

"...I'm sorry. Mind repeating that?" She said in a deceivingly sweet voice. "Because...I could have sworn you all were talking about ganging up on a panda in order to try and kill him. Am I correct?"

The rhinos stared at her strangely in bewilderment, then anger. "Hey! We've patrolled this city hundreds of times and we don't remember seeing you anywhere! Who are-" The rhinos were a bit slow to comprehend what had happened. A swift white blur had appeared and kicked their comrade so hard into the ground it made a small crater with cracks in it. It was revealed that Shifu is the one who attacked swiftly and knocked out the rhino in danger. He looked up slowly with his eyes dangerously narrowed.

"...That's not answering her question." He said simply, though his voice was low and dangerous. "Fenghuang...go check on Po. We'll deal with them." He disappeared in a burst of speed once again, and another rhino was sent spiralling into a wall behind them. He revealed himself to have thrown the rhino with slightly ruthless force. The other thinks began reacting to the sudden events, and tried to charge at the red panda assaulting them. He turned slightly and once again vanished swiftly, hopping onto one of the rhinos heads, grabbing him by the horn and swinging him into his fellow patrolmen. One tried to sneak up on him with an axe, but Mei Ling intervened and sent him flying with a spiral kick identical to Shifu's. She took a stand by his side, noticing something.

"Looks like more of them are coming, Shifu."

"Let them come. I could use something to hit." Shifu retorted as both of them got ready to fight. Fenghuang nodded to them and flew off on her own in order to find Po.

Taotie, Yao, and Mr. Ping stayed back, allowing then others to have their space to fight. However, Taotie looked ahead of them and saw a building that's drastically different than the others. It was big, metals and it was emitting a lot of steam from the roofs and windows...

 _A metal factory...?_

 **(With Tigress)**

"I'm trying to think of a way for us to better bond with one another." Lian said as she was walkng beside Peng and Bian Zao. The latter sighed as he kept listening to her a bit absentmindly. "Don't give me that, bestie! I know you've been thinking about it! We should find some way to deepen our connection to one another on another rlevel of closeness, you know?"

"Why should we try so hard just to get closer to one another? We seem pretty close at this point, why rush the great progress we've already made?" The warthog shrugged slightly. "We'll end up tripping ourselves if we push it too hard."

"How'd I know you'd say that, you Lazy-Ass?"

"You're using that name too?!"

Tigress couldn't help but feel amused by the situation the youngest of the party were having amongst themselves. Lian and Bian Zao were kind of in the midst of an argument and Peng is trying in vain break them up. The others looked on with amusement as well, appreciating the lightness that the air seemed to have taken. Tigress sure could use a lot less stress, and this was helping. Eleven if it is a bit silly.

Though of course, this wouldn't last too long.

She sensed a disturbance somewhere close to her. The others seemed to have noticed, as Crane looked towards her in concern. "Something catch your notice, Tigress?"

She nodded silently, as she pointed towards the roof. "There." She said briefly, before she leapt up high and followed the disturbance quickly. The others gasped at her sudden movement and did their best to follow her. Monkey, Mantis, and Crane were the ones choosing to follow her. Fung, Ànyǐng, Xuě, Song and the rest chose to stay behind and wait a little for them to return, while they watch for something suspicious.

Tigress saw somebody across the rooftops, just stopping once she also jumped on the rooftop. They turned around slightly to get a look at her. She couldn't see a face under the cloak, which prompted her to get closer. Then he leapt off the roof and back into the streets, prompting the others to do their best to follow her. She was pretty determined to chase this person down, whoever they were.

Just then, another patrol of rhinos chose to get in the stranger's way, forcing them to stop. They all pointed their spears at the stranger. "Hold it, trespassers! No one's ever seen you here before, which means you must have came in when the gates opened on their own! No outsiders are allowed in the city!"

The stranger chuckled, and Tigress was sure it sounded male...and familiar. "C'mon, fellas. Be ressonable. I'm just passing by here, going on a little stroll." He raised his arms up in mock surrender. "I don't wish to cause chaos upon this city...even though the official is utterly unfit to lead it."

"You insult our leader one more time, we'll skewer you!"

"Easy, guys. Can't we just get along and be drinking buddies? I'll pay."

The response was for one of the rhinos to jab his spear at him in irritated rage, only to hit nothing. He was confused for a moment...only to immediately lose consciousness once he felt a fist impact his skull and bash into the ground with unrelenting force. The other rhinos gasped in shock but nonetheless tried to attack him too. They quickly found that idea to be foolish, as the stranger went on to rush them with brutal strikes to their chests and abdomens, before finally being smashed into the ground just like their buddy. He then stood up and side, and Tigress could see him shaking his head in disappointment.

"That's too bad. I know a place with quality wine, too."

He then turned to face Tigress, who instictively shifted into an attack stance. He stopped his advance then and there, allowing a few moments of tense silence to pass between them. He then finally found his voice. "Heh...how long has it been? Sixteen...seventeen years or so? I can't believe I bumped into you all the way out here. I gotta say, you've turned into quite a beautiful woman while I was away. You've also gotten much stronger, I can tell." She raised an eyebrow in confusion, which caused him to sigh a bit. "Yeah. Memories don't always stick together very well. We've both changed drastically sense the last time we've seen one another." This only caused Tigress more confusion, but she was definitely getting closer. He raised a paw over to his head, and he removed his hood so he could see his face.

Tigress dropped her stance immediately, as her eyes widened significantly and her scarf began dancing along the wind. "Wha...how...you...?" She didn't know what to make of this event, as it was the last thing she expected to happen here. Without a doubt, this day would prove to be one of the long lasting ones that put her slightly on edge. But right now, her guard was down and she was too shocked at the moment to put it back up.

Her foster brother, Tai Lung, was standing right before her. This time, it wasn't an illusion.

"Yeah...I figured that would be your reaction."

She couldn't see his entire body due to the cloak covering most of his body, but the face was recognizable enough. The fierce red eyes, the spotted fur, the whiskers...although the slash scar down his right eye was definitely new, but it wasn't permanently closed because of it, fortunately. She was also able to get s glimpse of the familiar purple pants and the now longer brown sash wrapped around his waist, and was also dancing with the wind. Her memories and mind fully accepted who this was, as he walked towards her, and pulled her into a hug. Her head was over his shoulder, and she could only stare forward as her face was still showing visible shock, without returning the gesture. He wasn't surprised.

"I heard about the Valley. Hell, I saw the aftermath. It was absolutely horrible to look at. And after that, I was spending my days concerned out of my mind because that seals the fact that I didn't know where you were. I wanted to know...I _needed_ to know that my little sister was okay." He tightened his grip on her just slightly, as he slowly closed his eyes.

"I'm so relieved and happy to see you...Tigress..."

* * *

 **Haha. Tigress's foster brother has made his official full appearance. And figures, Tigress is the first person he sees and recognizes. She has mixed feelings about seeing him again. Right on the boundary of happy and pissed off. No hatred, just anger. Justified anger...probably.**

 **And of course, the group climbs the mountain for a couple minutes and already there's chaos.**

 **Chaos is more fun though, under the right circumstances.**

 **...Heh.**


	45. Tai Lung

Tigress stood stunned still as her foster brother still had her within his embrace. She didn't know how or why he was all the way out here, of all places. She just happened to sort of need this place in order to proceed onward. A simple passing through the city, and to free it if need be, in order to gain more progress. Though this was much more than she expected, and she'd be lying if she said that a part of her was actually happy to see him. But the other part of her was still angry at him for what has transpired due to his actions, how deeply it affected her, as well as affecting the Valley's perception of her. And that's not even taking Shifu's emotional damage and initial coldness towards her for two years until she met Po and Fung. Even though she was officially adopted, she was still on her own.

 _Brother...I...I don't know how I'm supposed to react...what should I do?_

Tai Lung let go of her and stepped back to get a view of her face again. It was still understandably filled with shock at his appearance, and heavy confusion on what to do next. Her emotions decided to make the next choice for her. She took a deep breath, raised one of her paws up, slowly closing it and tightening it into a fist. And then...

"GRGH!"

The snow leopard felt the air leave his lungs as he hunched forward, his foster sibling having forcefully driven her fist into his gut with absolutely no warning whatsoever. On one hand, he was actually even prouder of her because of how much of her power she's begun to tap into. On the other hand, he knew he was perfectly capable of countering that strike if he really wanted to...which meant that he unconsciously and willingly took the punch. She removed her fist from his stomach as he held it with one paw, dropping to one knee as he tried to get air back into his lungs. He let out a few coarse coughs, as well as a small chuckle in-between. The reality of what she did caught up with her, and she blinked her eyes in concern.

"S...Sorry. I reacted on a sudden angry impulse without even thinking about it."

"Okay...to be fair...I deserved that..." he said, his voice slightly hoarse. "I give you a hug. You have no idea what to do, so you listen to the first angry thought that enters your head, and slug me in the gut. Heh...you're definitely my little sister."

"I just...I mean...that wasn't what I meant to do..."

"Tigress, save it. You don't have to lie to yourself, I know you're still pissed with me deep down. And I honestly can't blame you." Tai Lung sighed as he stood up fully, the blow to his stomach now mostly forgotten. He looked forward and chose not to make eye contact with her. "Tell me...how bad was it?"

"What?"

"I know how the Valley's villagers worked, Tigress. They've seen and endured some horrible stuff over the years despite Oogway's best attempts to keep it peaceful. I just know that what I pulled had some adverse effects on your growth. So tell me...how bad was the damage before it all got wiped out?"

At first she was hesitant to answer. But she could hear the sincerity and concern lacing his voice despite it also emitting a sense of power, so she found herself telling him her experiences. She began hating the concept of the Dragon Warrior, since he reacted badly to not being chosen for the title. Then after his rampage through the Valley, with his enraged and feral face being one of the last things she's seen of him, it plagued her younger self with many nightmares. He seemed to stiffen when she told him that his outburst has left Shifu a colder husk of his former self to go with his now newly formed limp, and he regarded Tigress indifferently for two years.

Then two years later, prior to the Winter Festival, she's met Po and Fung, the very first two people who weren't afraid of being around her despite the immense physical power she wields. They bonded together nicely for a week...until being nearly killed by a Lin Kuei spy had forced the two of them to go their separate ways for 15 years, once again leaving her alone. But they swore to her that they'd return when the time suited them best, and her patience was well awarded. But before then, she had to endure the constant scrutinizing glares of her villagers, and the harsh, hitter judgement of Master Mugan that heavily aggravated her more than hurting her feelings. And when she gathered the first half of their friend group and returned to check on the Valley...there was nothing left but ashes and corpses. Had Oogway not passed away at one of the worst times imaginable, he could have stopped the massacre himself.

Tai Lung's heart became heavy at the revelation. And the fact that _he_ could have prevented that massacre from happening, had he chosen to return much earlier than he actually did. Now there was nothing left to return to. Tigress and her friends have been roaming the lands for an awfully long time now, and it seems that they won't be settling anywhere anything soon. If there was any comfort he's taken in any of this is that she had friends waiting for her and actually came back for her, something he failed to do earlier. He was eying her scarf closely, seeing how protective-looking she was over it. He made an accurate guess that was the present one of the friends that left for 15 years had given her. She hangs onto it as if it was her lifeline, very rarely taking it off regardless of the weather. It was the first official present she's ever gotten, and she refused to let it go.

Tigress sighed as she stopped herself. "I'm rambling on..."

"No no, don't feel like you're saying too much. It sounds like you'he had quite the adventure. An adventure that I wish I'd have been a part of earlier." Tigress saw the regret in his eyes...which quickly turned fierce. "Looks like we'll have to continue this conversation later."

She turned to where he was facing, seeing that more rhinos have taken over the streets, and more of the civilians are taking cober indoors. All of the rhinos were armed. They immediately recognized Tai Lung, and they tried to look as fierce as possible. Though their eyes clearly radiated immense fear at the large powerful feline before them.

"There's...this is insanity! How did Tai Lung of all people get in here?!"

"'Impenetrable City' my ass, that's how." Tai Lung smirked. "Your security is piss-poor at best."

"W-Well...it doesn't matter! We just have to refocus our efforts so we'll be able to eliminate both him and the panda!"

And just like that, Tigress was peeved. Her fists clenched and a low growl rumbles her throat. Tai Lung raised an eyebrow as she stepped forward. "Eliminate _who?_ " They seemed to hesitate to answer, shivering under her fierce gaze.

One of them made the horrible mistake of answering her truthfully. "T-The panda-"

The fist of a furious tiger made contact with one of their faces, knocking him clean out and sending him flying into a wall. The others were unnerved by this, but they recovered and raised their weapons towards her. Her eyes shifted towards them after retracting her fist, and she backflipped once. During the flip, she grabbed one of them by the head, and when she finished the flip, she slammed him into the ground with heavy force. She turned back and pushed an incoming mace away with her paw, which caused it to go smashing into another rhino's face, breaking his jaw somewhat. She swiftly grabbed him and swung him into the other attacking rhinos, knocking a majority of them down. One was about to come down on her with an axe, causing Tai Lung to begin to move to stop him. Though he found that it wasn't necessary.

The axe stopped abruptly before it could reach it's target, courtesy of Tigress catching it with her paw, but she was a couple feet off from grabbing the handle, and caught it by the blade instead. Tai Lung winced slightly, expecting her to be reeling in pain...but was surprised to see that her steeled expression didn't shift in the slightest. Her attacker was also speechless at how calm she was, even with the blood dripping from her paw. He was about to voice his disbelief, but was silenced by a swift blow to the skull, effectively knocking him out. She huffed a little as she stared at the cut on her paw with annoyance rather than pain. However, Tai Lung was slightly less calm about it.

"Tigress, are you okay?!" Tai Lung runs up to her, holding her paw. "How the hell are you able to just shrug off a deep cut to your paw? Not that I'm not proud of that, you know."

"I've been punching Ironwood Trees for a decade and a half. I can no longer feel pain in my paws." She stared at her slashed paw with an annoyed pout. "That cut ruined this glove. I'll have to get this stitched up."

"What about the cut on your paw?"

"A minor inconvenience. One which I will deal with later."

"...Wow. I'm both concerned and proud."

"Don't be concerned. I've taken worse damage on multiple occasions. As I said before, this is merely a minor inconvenience. I don't have time to waste here, regardless. I have to regroup with the others. We separated when I got too busy chasing _you_ down."

"Yeah, I'll take the blame for that one. But watch as I fix it." Tai Lung turns his head, noticing yet another large group of rhinos heading their way, this time wearing heavier armor...as if it's going to make a difference. "You go on and regroup with your pals, sis. I've been relieved enough just by seeing you. Besides...I could use a workout." He says while casually cracking his neck, eying his incoming punching bags...er...enemies. Tigress eyed her brother for a couple moments, contemplating his offer to keep the rhinos at bay. After that, she nodded and took off in the other direction, on all fours.

He smiled softly at her retreating form, before turning towards the rhinos. They each pointed their weapons at him...but they were all shaking in fear. "Alright fellas. I've just begun to reconcile with my sister, and I plan to do the same with my father next. So let's make this quick, shall we?" They all shivered even harder at his casual demeanor. He rolled his eyes. "Good grief. Every single one of you look like you're gonna piss yourselves. Fine. I'll be the sporting type." He clasped his paws behind his back. "I won't use my paws at all. Feeling confident yet?"

They all thought he was bluffing, but after a moment of not moving, they couldn't take the tension. They all charged at him with their weapons raised and looking to strike. He simply bent down and jumped up high, allowing them to charge right under him. Then he came back down with a kick to the ground, which picked up large amounts of earth debris. He then jumped slightly and kicked every piece of debris in rapid succession without ever bring his paws away from his back. Every heavy piece of debris hits them in the head, hard enough to knock them out upon contact. Their armor meant nothing, as they fell to the ground unconscious. He sighed, bringing his paws out in front of him.

"They couldn't handle it...what a bunch of chumps. Oh well." He said with a shrug. "I as well do something else. I can't exactly run into Shifu yet, and Tigress needs to help her friends." His ears shifted as he noticed a distinct sound of sniffling. He turned towards the sound, and noticed a small goose sitting in a corner which provided views from the conflict. His eyes softening, he walked up towards the child and kneeled slightly. "Where are your parents?" He watches as the child shakes his head fearfully. The chaos must have separated him from his folks. Tai Lung gently reached one paw out to scoop the child up, holding him in one arm. "It's alright. You have nothing to fear from me. I'm a friendly kitty."

"Friendly...Kitty...?"

"That's right." He smiled and began walking down one of the paths, awaiting if someone would be brave enough to come out of their homes and reclaim their lost child.

He looked at a couple slightly opened windows where a couple of them peeked a look at him in confusion. He couldn't blame them. For all intents and purposes, they knew perfectly well who he was, yet they couldn't understand what he was doing and why. That was perfectly fine with him, he didn't have to explain anything to them. After a short amount of time passed, he was able to locate his parents when he pointed them out, wondering where their son went. Though they didn't see Tai Lung, so he set the boy down gently and allowed him to waddle back to his parents, who embrsced him with immense relief appearing on their faces. When they asked who had brought him there, he mentioned the 'large friendly kitty' taking him out of danger. They never saw him for themselves, as he vanished before they could properly see him.

He appears on one of the rooftops, sighing. "Okay, got that outta the way." He looked to the side, then to the other side. "Alright. Wonder what I should do next about this whole thing?" Looking up, he saw a single owl flying through the sky, a cloak flowing along her back. He managed to recognize her from one of the scrolls he read about his father and the Furious Five. This must be the one that split off from the group. He wasn't sure what she was doing here.

But he was sure about the look on her face. _Fury._

Fenghuang grew rather frantic with her flying, more than she probably should be. She didn't care too much at the moment, not when she's been provoked in such a manner. Learning that her student was being singled out for death for whatever reason really put her in a grumpy mood. Once again, she does not care for the reasons. Her main concern was to get to Po as soon as possible.

She narrowed her slitted eyes as she scanned the city multiple times, trying to gain sight of her panda student. For the sake of his pursuers, he better not be harmed in the way that they intended. This was different than someone targeting the entire party. Po was the single, direct, priority target. That's the only thing that can cause her to be immensely concerned for him, because the Lin Kuei is a group that's most likely keeping Po as a priority target along with the wolf in their own ranks. She was still worried about that subject.

During her search, the panda in question was currently trying to evade the wolves pursuing he and Viper, taking for the rooftops in an attempt to gain his master's attention. She's most likely in the sky looking for him.

"These guys really take business seriously!" Po said while leaping across the rooftops, with Viper securely wrapped around his arm. "I'm still really curious as to who I made angry enough to want to kill me outright. I consider myself a pretty likeable guy!"

"They're just being mean, Po! You're totally likeable!" Viper reassured with a small shout over their fleeing, and the wolf arches firing arrows that whizzed by them every couple of moments.

"Aww...thanks Vi. Though I still gotta get these guys off our tails!"

Viper tilted her head slightly at the last word...then she nodded. "Po, thrust your arm out!" Po tilted his head just as much as she did, but complied. She coiled even tighter around his wrist, as he lashed his arm out. She uncoiled quickly enough for her tail to lash out and strikes one of the wolves in the head, knocking him off balance and falling off the roof. Po pulled her back, and she wrapped around her arm again.

"Woah...whip mode...Awesome!" Po beamed lightly. He then skidded to a stop as the wolves approached him and began surrounding him. "Okay, here's our Po-Viper combination!"

"Right!"

They stared down the wolves attempting to overwhelm them. Po would swing his arm a couple moments, then thrust out so Viper would lash her tail, smacking them in the face. He pulled back again and they again lashed out, this time hitting one in the eye. Both of them winced as he howled in pain and also fell off the roof. They continued on like this, constantly whipping the wolves in mutliple places in somewhat rapid succession. Though they realized that their progress was lacking as the wolves continued to come from many directions. Po was thinking over finding a way to make them stay down, and hopped off the roof to return to the streets. The canines followed them easily, earning a groan from the panda.

"Argh! Can't these guys just leave me alone!?"

"I don't think they're interested in that prospect." Viper noted.

"Still...it'd be nice if they did..."

"I don't think they're nice either, Po-WATCH OUT!"

"Watch out for whaAAAH!" Po gasped ahead as he saw one of the wolves jump ahead of him and swing his hook sword towards his neck, which he dodged by sliding under it just slightly. He stood back up as the assault was relentless, constantly swing the hooked blade in multiple directions towards the panda. "Sharp! Pointy! Deadly!" He ducked an overhead swing, clinging to his hat while shaking his head rapidly. "Not cool! Totally not cool!" Viper hissed and lashed her tail again, striking at his muzzle, while Po kicked him into a wall. "Bad wolf!"

"They're still coming after us!"

"Seriously?!" Po jumped up high to avoid a flurry of arrows that stuck into the wall in front of them. He turned to see the wolves closing in on them, and he sighed. "Alright fellas...it seems like you're not gonna stop chasin' me...what's it gonna take for you to get you guys off my back...uh, besides death? I don't like that option very much."

"Sorry, Panda. Orders are orders. Our official needs you dead before word can get out. No exceptions.'

Viper raised an eyebrow. "Is the official your boss that wants him dead?"

"Hehe...good try. But that's not something you need to know."

"Fair point. But I would like to thank you for giving us directions anyhow." She smiled softly while turning around to where their believed corner was. But in truth, all of their dodging and jumping during their chase, lead them right to the palace. The wolves finally realized their folly and paled considerably. "Wonder who's making life seem like a prison for these poor people? Let's find out, shall we?"

The wolves eased towards them slowly, growing more hesitant by the second. "H-Hey now...let's not be hasty...y-you don't want to mess with the official. If something happens to him...the main man in charge will get really pissed when he doesn't get the supply he needs that the official gives out...then you'll really be in trouble, more than you already are..."

Po thought over this for a couple moments...then shrugged. "Cant be worse than what we've dealt with already. And I'd say you have bigger things to worry about than what your bosses might do. Luckily...I don't care too much about what happens to you guys." He shrugged. "Welp. See ya." He raised his paws in the air with a confident smile on his face. A couple moments later, the paws were grabbed by a pair of talons that swiftly took him into the air with no effort at all. The wolves were dumbfounded, jaws comically agape to see that an owl has taken Po and Viper into the air and above the palace. "Hey Master! You've come at quite a good time!"

"I'm gonna tear their throats out..." Fenghuang snarled angrily. "Singling you out like that...the cowards!"

"Master...calm down. No need for all of that." Po pouted lightly, noticing the owl was gravely upset. "Now, just get drop me into that palace, I got stuff to do there."

"You want her to just drop you in there? Are you sure?" Viper said nervously.

"Yeah. We've got this covered. Master, drop us in."

Fenghuang looked down at the panda for confirmation on his request, and he nodded quietly. Sighing, she released her grip on him and allowed him to fall. Her eyes then turn to the wolves below her, and they turned to slits once again. The wolves felt ice cold when she suddenly sped towards the ground and hit the ground, cracking it in multiple places, talon-first. She raised her head and glared at them with extreme hostility.

"You tried to gang up on my student. It's different than simply going after he AND the party, but you solely singled him out for death. That's a definite no-no."

One of the wolves barely gained the bravery to speak, and he did it shakily. "W-What happens n-now...?"

"What happens now, you ask?" She repeated sarcastically, as she raised one of her wings, and they formed a blade. "Your asses are _mine_ , that's what."

The wolves were terrified beyond recognition, but they steeled their nerves and charged at her for an attack.

The streets were then filled with the agonized yelps of wolves, as well as slicing sounds and grunts of pain. Though to her credit, she left them all alive.

...she almost didn't.

Within the palace, the fox behind the operations, Qinchu, was looking out his window with extreme wariness, unsure of what he should do next. By the looks and sounds of thing, everything was most certainly _not_ going his way. His soldiers were going down one after another, and in multiple places. Instead of just eliminating the panda, they were spread thin and being taken out in multiple locations without much of a hunch, due to their shorter number factors.

If things continued going this way...it won't end well for anyone involved.

His crow minions suddenly entered, slightly out of breath. "Sir...things aren't going the way they're supposed to."

"Gee, you think I don't know that? How hard is it to take out a panda?!"

"With the kind of friends he has, it might as well be impossible. We can see Master Shifu in the area, Master Yao, Mei Ling from Lee Da Academy, Mei Ling the Thief, Master Fenghuang, Tai Lung-"

"How in the world does he have those kinds of allies on his side?! Who IS he?!"

"We don't know! We all thought he was just some nobody panda, but clearly that's not the case! What do we do?! Should we-"

They were interrupted by the sound of the roof giving way and shattering. Light poured through the hole, as a shadow fell down from it. Unable to move quickly enough due to surprise, the shadow crashed into the three crows and slammed into the ground, picking up a cloud of dust in the room and causing Qinchu to cover his eyes. There was a brief pause, before he heard two voices coughing from all of the dust.

"Uck! Po...maybe you should have focused on achieving a better landing than this. This was a bit poorly prepared..."

"We got inside, didn't we?"

Qinchu looked to see the panda himself swing his arm around in an attempt to clear the dust away, and he showed himself, with a serpent wrapped around his wrist. Po's face became visible, and he could now see the fox in front of him. He stood up and pointed.

"Hey fox! Are you the official of this here city? You might as well resign now before I kick your ass!"

"Um...Po. Speaking of that, might wanna take a good look."

"Huh?" Po turned his head to look at his rear, to see that the three crows were dizzy and confused from the sudden heaviness brought upon their backs. "Oh... _that's_ what I landed on. Uh...lemme just..." Po said awkwardly as he grabbed each crow by the wing and pulled them off one at a time, placing each of them on the ground beside him. "Ah, there we go! Now, where was-" He was cut off as the fox immediately tried to kick at his head, which he immediately deflected with a strike of his paw. "Oh yeah, this poser."

"Do you have any idea what you're trying to do?!" Qinchu shouted at him while kicking at his legs to trip him. Po fell to the ground but recovered easily, then rolled aside.

"Yeah!" Po paused for a moment to look around the room. It was filled with pictures of the fox before him in a variety of puzzles and frames, as well as different perspectives and poses of authority. Po tilted his head. "Being creeped out by the many portraits you have of yourself...no one should have that many portraits of just themselves all over the room..."

"That's because I'm of a higher standard than you, fool." He snarled while standing tall. "You've no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"Probably not. But I'm liking my chances so far." Po grinned as he bounded forward and struck the fox in the chest, followed up by a tail slap from Viper, which them wrapped around his wrist and threw him overhead into a wall. "And I have plenty of friends who can back me up. So we'll figure things out as a team, if there's something goin' on."

"Of course there's something going on. Are you really that much of a dolt?"

"You're not one to talk, given the situation you're in now." Viper hissed lightly. "You clearly don't have much fighting experience like you're bluffing to have."

The fox narrowed his eyes as he rushed the duo, intending to strike Po in the head, though he was caught by the wrist, and his paw was pushed down lightly as Po tilted his head. "Dude, let's face facts. The three of us know that you're not gonna win this."

"Don't be so sure!" Qinchu jumped up to knee Po in the chin, causing him to let go of his wrist and step back a bit, thought Viper latched onto his wrist and swung him into a pillar, resulting in a groan of pain. He managed to get up slowly, but the damage was getting to him. "You're both goners, along with your party. If something happens to me, along with the cargo of metal that I send out periodically, my employer will be aiming to take your heads. Especially yours, panda."

"Yeah yeah, I've gotten the context that this dude doesn't like me." Po rolled his eyes. "Though if he wants our heads, he'll have to take them himself instead of hiring someone else to do it. And...why does he want supplies of metal delivered to him periodically?"

Qinchu stood shakily, Viper's tail still wrapped around his wrist, which he was weakly trying to undo. "It's part of something big...something you can't comprehend unless you see it yourself...but then you'll be dead before you can do anything about it. Know this. If your face gets seen in by my emplyer in Gongmen City...there will be orders for you to be killed on sight."

"Seriously? How can Gongmen City call that kind of order on Po?!" Viper hissed, clenched her tail on his wrist, resulting in a pained growl once more.

"I...I don't know what he has against pandas. But if you want to find out...then head to the city yourself...if you dare."

"Um...we were all already heading there anyways...duh." Po rolled his eyes. He then gripped tightly on Viper. "Shutting you up now. Time for a bit of Viper Whip..." Po yanked on Viper as her tail was still wrapped around Qinchu's wrist, pulling him towards them. He smirked. "Aaaaaaand...Belly Gong!" His enemy found himself face-first with his round belly, and was ricocheted across the room and into the hard wall, cracking it lightly before falling to the ground, unconscious. Po adjusted his hat, dusted off his scarf, and allowed Viper to slither back up to his shoulder. "That fox sure was full of himself, wasn't he?"

"I'm starting tonget very worried, Po." Viper said with a sigh. "These guys seriously want you dead just because you're here, and that you're a panda. What could warrant such a reaction, and why?"

"I dunno..." Po's belly rumbled a little, and he rubbed it gently. "But I'm in the mood for some grub."

"Po! This is serious! We have to-" Viper's eyes widened when her own belly begins to grumble in protest, and she blushed lightly while looking into the side, her scarf following her movement. Ooooh...alright. We'll get something to eat, first."

"Awesome idea, Vi." Po smiled as he opened the doors and ventured around the palace, in search of food.

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Okay, so far so good. Everything seems to be going smoothly so far." Tai Lung gazed as his cloak once again shaded his face as he jumped large bounds from rooftop to rooftop, searching for signs of Tigress's comrades. He sighed in amusement. "What are you talking about, Tai Lung? This isn't at all how you planned out your day." He skidded to a stop and looked on as he saw another group passing by. A crane was leading the way of yet another party, and quite a large one. "That must be them. Gotta admit, not a bad-looking bunch." He huffed slightly.

...only for his eyes to widen when they caught sight of Peng alongside them. Bells rung in his mind, as if saying 'You're missing something important, figure it out!' Or something along those lines. Regardless, now he felt the powerful urge to follow them from a distance and see what they were up to. Especially Peng.

"How do we lose a tiger? I mean, seriously!" Monkey sighed in exasperation while following Crane, who was flying low so they could keep up with him. The scarves of he, Monkey, and Mantis flowed with the wind with their speed.

"That really doesn't matter right now!" Crane insisted, flapping his wings steadily. "I have full confidence in whatever she needs to do. We should head towards that building I saw in the distance! It's unlike anything I've ever seen before."

"Now that Ya mention it, I don't think I've ever seen a building like that either. Why do you think it's here?"

"Obviously it's not for anything good. Did you see those rhinos trying to mess with us? We're clearly not welcome here."

"That just means we're on the right track." Song added. "The more they resist, the more certain you are about going in the right direction. Or at least...finding something they don't want you to find."

"What does that mean?"

"Think about it for a sec." Song hopped onto one of the rooftops, with Mei Ling by her side while gazing at the building up ahead. "The building is much different than any building we've seen, yes. And the closer we get to it, the more resistance we come face to face with. Whatever is ther, .they don't want anyone from outside the walls to find out. Which only hastens our need to figure out what the big deal is, and expose it. Whenever there's some kind of place that's being locked up as tight as this place, with the purpose of isolating the outside world...it usually means that something's going down."

Lian huffed. "And their cover-up is poorly executed. 'Perfect Paradise' my ass!"

"Lian, let's relax a bit, okay? Can't go into this too hot-blooded." Peng tried to cool her down, which was most likely barely effective. He sighed at his wasted efforts, but only slightly. He also noticed that Bian Zao has become mostly silent, which was also not missed by Lian. They both stopped in order to get a better view on his thoughts. "Bian Zao, what's wrong?"

"That building looks somewhat familiar..." He observed. "The steam and smoke coming from the roofs and vents...they're making something in there, and it's in mass production. It most likely isn't something good. It looks like something that Dad would..." His understanding of the building seemingly increased, and he pulled out the Shadow Crown he kept around. They grew closer to the building, stopping right in front of it. "I'm gonna sneak in and see what's up."

"No. You're not as sneaky as he others." Ànyǐng said as he gently took the Shadow Crown from the warthog. "Certainly no offense to you, I promise. I just think I might be more prepped for recon." The wolf apologized softly as he turned invisible via Shadow Crown, and jumped up through one of the windows to sneak inside. Xuě watched him curiously, then shrugged it off. They all waited patiently for him to come back out. Being a former mole for the Lin Kuei has much more advantages than one would think, their sneaking techniques are not lost on him. After a while of tense waiting, the wolf came back out and undid his invisibility, handing it back to Bian Zao. "There is a lot of metal material in there. Pots, pans, things of that sort. And there's some underground passage that leads out of the city and into the outside. They form caravans in order to transfer the metal cargo somewhere else. Specifically Gongmen City."

"Gongmen...? THIS is one of the places where they get their metal? And within a city on intense lock down? That metal can't possibly be used for good intentions." Fung narrowed his eyes. "We gotta bring this place down."

"But how? Storming in there in conquest mode doesn't seem to be one of the better ideas." Song pouted.

Bian Zao thought over this and did another quick look around the corners of the factory. He spotted a couple barrels in the distance. Most likely filled with gun powder. He checked his surroundings once more...no civilians nearby. Good.

"Peng. Lian. I need you two to back me up on something."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Don't you know? We're gonna blow the place up."

"Eh?!"

"You heard me. And we'll be using those to do so." He pointed to the barrels filler with gunpowder. "A bunch of those things at once would really cause a severe inbalance in the architecture, causing the entire place to collapse in on itself. Or just one large explosion. Either will do nicely."

"Bian Zao...and here I thought you'd be without any intelligent potential!" Lian smirked.

"I'm not totally behind in that department. I don't care too much about it. Having a father all over your back with boring junk...sometimes I really do pay attention. I learn a couple things...I just don't think that I'd ever put any of it to use."

"Well it's being put to use now." They turned to see that Tigress has caught up with them, a piece of cloth wrapped around her cut paw. "I see something that can carry those explosives. A cart. We can load it with the gunpowder barrels and sent it rolling into the entrance."

"Again, that'll create a very large boom."

"Innocents are very far away from the place. No danger will impose them lest they come here themselves, which is unlikely."

Crane sighed as he adjusted his hat slightly. "Well...no use arguing against it. Let's do it. But we'll need to keep the outside guards busy long enough to load them up."

"Distraction time? Leave that to us." Monkey grinned while pointing to himself, as Mantis hopped on his shoulder. "That's a great specialty of ours!" The party nodded to them, and they all split in order to achieve their desired goal.

Rhino guards were sitting outside the main entrance. They remained semi-vigilant, as well as looking slightly lazy, and even a bit close to sleeping. But they were soon wide awake when they felt something impact their faces in rapid succession. With surprised grunts, they wiped their faces of the substance. It was mud. They looked ahead with anger as Monkey and Mantis laughed at their irritated faces.

"Ha! Eat mud, suckers!" Monkey chuckled while Mantis joined in. As predicted, the rhinos brandished their weapons and chased after the duo with enraged faces. This left the entrance wide open for the others to use.

"An opening for the taking!" Crane called out as he flapped his wings, resulting in a shock wave of wind blasting the doors open. After that, came Tigress and the others pushing the cart of explosives through the entrance. They then retreated far away from the blast zone. A couple minutes later, the rest of the hostiles inside the building were scrambling out, jumping through windows as well as out of a couple side entrances and rear exits. What followed as a series of explosions that severely rocked the lower half of the right side of the building, which caused it to collapse due to no longer being able to support the weight of the upper half. And the result was the building falling apart completely and crashing to the ground, along with whatever operations that seemed to be going on inside.

Lian placed her paw on Bian Zao's shoulder as she whistled at the damage. "Sheesh...that was quite a spectacle, dontcha think? That was some damage we did. Though we might have gone a bit overboard."

"The important thing is that the factory can no longer be used. Doubt these people will care about it, especially since they've been trapped here in the city against their will for who knows how long."

"Still...that was an extreme risk we took." Crane said while taking off his hat for a moment to rub his head.

"Yes it was. This factory was not used for good intentions, so taking it out will do more good than harm." Mei Ling nodded. "Though those guys probably won't agree with us."

The rhinos and wolves that just escaped the explosion managed to catch up with them, and they were beyond angry with the circumstances...along with a hint of fear within their eyes. Not of them...but of the ramifications of what they've just done. There was no time to ponder it, as a swift blur of gray swooped upon the remaining enemies and took them down with brutal blows that left splintered cracks in the ground as well as the walls. The party was surprised by the sudden assistance, and unsure of who it was. Except for Tigress, who only nodded to him in acknowledgement, as he disappeared somewhere else.

"Eh. You know who that is, Tigress?" Monkey asked her.

"Yes..." She nodded. "He's someone...very important."

In the meantime, the rhinos that Shifu and Mei Ling were battling are now purely on the defensive, since offensive has now proven to be a mistake. Though defending against them is not doing too much good, either. Their speed was in excellent sync, as they ran around them with matched swiftness and battered then with small strikes to various parts of their bodies, which only increased the damage overtime because of being unable to stop them.

Mei Ling thought to herself as they jumped up and delivered a dual kick to one of their faces, knocking him into the ground unconscious. They both landed and moved swiftly to jump up to another rhino and struck him with a dual double palm strike to the midsection to send him flying. Once again they landed on the ground as the rhinos grew ever more hesitant to attack them. Shifu remained in stance, while Mei Ling turned her head to him with a smile.

 _Even when we've spent years apart, our combination is still in amazing sync. Just as I expected from us, Fufie~_

Another well placed combo kick down another rhino into unconsciousness. So far, most of their forces were battered and beaten, while the two of them hasn't taken a hit yet. Realizing at last that they were hopelessly outmatched, they cut their losses and picked up their unconscious men for an unceremonious retreat. Shifu sighed as he relaxed his stance while seeing them off.

"They've retreated...they're unlikely to bother us again."

"Haha! That was amazing, Fuzzy! You pack just as much punch as I remembered!" Yao said with glee, seeing the rhinos retreat. "Overwhelming them with swift strikes that wear them down was quite an impressive feat! Though I don't think they appreciate how amazing you are though."

"I most certainly do~" Mei Ling purred affectionately, prompting Shifu to try and find something to distract himself from her. Taotie provided one, but only because he was curious about something.

"That metal factory I saw...it suddenly exploded and collapsed on itself." He observed while sighing. "I bet the kids are responsible for that."

"You saw the boom too?! I certainly did!" Yao noted while turning to the site of the destruction. "Quite the loud and large boom it was! It even shook the ground a little bit. And look, the smoke makes it look like a mushroom!" He cheered while waving his arms around slightly in a noodle-like stance. "Hello, friendly mushroom! My name is Master Yao! What's yours?"

"I'm starting to support Fenghuang's opinion of leaving him behind..." Taotie muttered.

"I still like him." Mr. Ping smiled. "I wonder if everything's alright with the others. We've stirred up quite the ruckus, I must say. Hopefully these people don't think too badly of us..."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Mei Ling said casually while hugging Shifu's arm, her tail wagging playfully. "Meanwhile, I simply have to praise you for acknowledging that our combination is still going strong!"

"Mei Ling, stop fooling-" Shifu was shocked silent when Mei Ling leaned in and kissed his cheek, her eyes closed and her tail wagging even faster. His eyes widened a bit, and he blushed lightly. "...around..." Mei Ling snickered at his reaction.

"I knew she would be the one to make the first significant move. Shifu is much more shy about this than we anticipated." Taotie whispered to Mr. Ping, who nodded agreement.

"Oh my, look how adorable you two are!" Yao smiled while wrapping arms around both Shifu and Mei Ling. The latter smirked widely at this, while the former seemed to blush even brighter than he was supporting them as well. The blackbuck sensed something amiss...and familiar. Then he unwrapped his arms and rose his arms up cheerfully. "Big Fuzzy Kitty!"

"Big Fuzzy wha...?" Shifu looked where his eyes went, only for them to widen in deeper shock.

Tai Lung lowered his good before he got there. He found himself unable to hide from the man he antagonized a long time ago. The man that tasked himself as his father without question...and he had betrayed that love and compassion for his own selfish desires. He's wronged his sister terribly, and he wronged his father even worse. They were both at fault, he just didn't accept his part in it initially. Now that he does...he wants to fix what he can. The Valley was no longer an option, so he could only hope to reconcile with Shifu and Tigress. The latter was a start. Now for the former, who was standing mouth agape at his foster son standing before him. He took a deep breath and made the first move.

"I have come back, Mas..." He paused for a moment, and he shook his head after a few moments of thought. "No, that's not right." He stepped forward to the small Master, kneeled down to pick him up, noticing he was offering no resistance and therefore took it as a sign to continue, and pulled him into a genuine hug, closing his eyes once again, like he did Tigress.

"I have returned to you, Father..."

* * *

 **With the Valley of Peace burnt to the ground, and Master Oogway perished earlier than expected, Tai Lung's connections to Shifu and Tigress, and the memories they share, are all he has left of his past there. This realization is one of the major things that have drastically changed him...**

 **...and Master Yao plays a significant role in this change. It will be my personal test in how well I can get his occasional wisdom down. Something I shall do...in the next chapter! A chapter in which, Po won't be struck with more hallucinations.**

 **...hopefully.**


	46. A Chance At Redemption

**Okay. I haven't updated in who knows how long, and I'm sorry. Other stories have taken up my time, as well as significant events. (Finished with High School :D)**

 **So now, hopefully you can forgive me with this chapter. I SHOULD be getting back into things for this story. And as I said in the previous one, it's mostly about Tai Lung. And it's...less impressive than I imagined. I'm actually a bit disappointed. But I had to get this out soon or it won't get anywhere. So...here Ya go!~**

 **...Pleas don't hate me...**

* * *

Shifu could hardly believe his ears nor his eyes. Or a majority of his senses, really. That's how surprising and unbelievable this moment was. Mei Ling had a similiar reaction, her eyes widening and her paws covering her mouth and stifling a gasp. Taotie was looking on, trying to decide on whether this was either a touching heartwarming moment or a moment of total awkwardness. Mr. Ping just looked incredibly confused. Mrs. Yoon seemed aware of what was happening but chose to just let things play out. Master Yao seemed even _more_ aware of what was going on than anyone else, but was either just letting it play out, or for that moment, found Tai Lung's fuzzy fur to be much more interesting.

"Fuzzy Kitty~"

...Blast it, Yao.

Back to the matter at hand...

Shifu was still in a state of shock, with his eyes wide open and staring into the skies, while Tai Lung's eyes were closed and his powerful arms were holding the red panda close to him in such a gentle hug, as if he's taking special care not to break something that's incredibly fragile. It wasn't totally untrue, as he was the one responsible for Shifu's limp in the first place. While the red panda was still incredibly fast, that speed has been reduced quite a bit because of how difficult it was to re-sync his legs to work with his slight disability. Tai Lung mentally winced at being the cause of such an injury, and instinctively softened his grip on Shifu.

He doesn't want to break him.

The moments of silence have finally passed as Shifu squirmed a bit in Tai Lung's grip, though not in retaliation. More like justified confusion. "Tai Lung...why...how...?"

"Father...I...I..." Tai Lung stuttered a bit, before shaking his head in embarrassment. "Ah damn. I've been thinking about seeing you this entire time, and yet I haven't even figured out what exactly I should be saying when I do. I really should have thought this through." He admitted, before finally setting the small Master down, very, _very_ gently. He finally stood up, and rubbed his neck. "How's your leg?"

Finding the mental strength to continue the conversation, Shifu cleared his throat. "It's...not as bad as it used to be. I've been doing much better as time passes. So...what about you? How...how did you get that scar on your eye?"

"Yeah...that." Tai Lung closed his right eye and placed his paw over it and the scar, sighing deeply. "There's...let's just say that I've been through a lot ever since our...falling out. I've already met up with Tigress, so she knows I'm here. However...I don't want to tell the story until she gets back from whatever she's doing."

"Which would be right now." Mei Ling said, flicking her tail towards the approaching group. Tigress lead the way. When they spotted Tai Lung, they were highly surprised. Though no one was quite as surprised as Peng and Lian.

The latter lightly tapped his shoulder. "Woah...look at that guy. He's like...an older version of you!"

"Yeah, I was gonna ask about that." Tai Lung turned to Tigress. "Do you know who this boy is?"

Tigress rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I do, actually. He's...well...he's..." She turned to Peng, who was wearing a look that absolutely spells awkward, and back to Tai Lung. "He's our nephew. Yours by blood, mine by foster relations."

If Tai Lung had been drinking anything, he would have done a spit take. Instead he just stared at Tigress for what seems like hours, then at Peng for what seemed like a couple more hours, then at Shifu, for a couple _more_ hours. Until he's come back to Tigress, with a look of utter shock.

"...You're kiddin' me."

"It's true, Tai Lung. That is Peng...your nephew."

Lian gasped, lightly tugging Peng's arm. "Peng! That's your Uncle right there!"

Peng stared at Tai Lung with shock. "My...Uncle."

"My...Nephew? Okay, I was completely and utterly unaware of the fact that I had a nephew." Tai Lung shook his hear in confusion. "How the hell did that happen? _When_ the hell did that happen?"

"Hey buddy! You tell us your deal first, and we'll tell you ours. Sound fair to you?" Lian said, placing her fists on her hips and puffing her cheeks.

Tai Lung raised an eyebrow. "She's a sassy one."

"She's also my girlfriend." Peng rubbed his neck awkwardly, a blush appearing on his face when she leaned in and kissed his cheek. This caused his Uncle to blink owlishly while slapping his forehead.

"No way. I just find out that I have a nephew, a rather shy one according to his reactions, and he apparently has a feisty girlfriend? I don't know whether to be confused or proud." He rubbed his own neck. "She seems to be the roughness to his softness, personality-wise. Is she at least tough?"

Lian stuck her tongue at him. "I can handle myself just fine, thank you!"

Tai Lung chuckled in amusement. "Yep. I've known him for a couple moments. Already proud." He then lowered his eyes softly. "Alright...I'm gonna tell you my story. Its gonna be a long one, so you might want to grab a couple seats."

"I can do that." Lian said as she gently pushed Peng down so she could sit on his lap and wrap her arms around him, nuzzling into his neck. "...Oh, you can go ahead. We're listening."

Tai Lung turned to Tigress. "How's that feel?'

"It...took a bit of getting used to." She said while readjusting her scarf. "So...?"

"Yeah..." Tai Lung sighed as he took a seat, looking at everyone with a neutral expression. "I've had...quite a realization before my travels went fully underway. And that geezer over there plays a pretty critical part in it." He said while pointing towards Master Yao, who was currently hugging and petting Shifu's head. Sweatdropping at this display, he continued.

"As I was saying, I've been through a lot ever since I've...left..."

 **(That Night...)**

 _Big brother...why are you hurting Father...?_

 _Tigress..._

Tai Lung has never felt so much agonizing guilt swell up in his chest before her heard that tone of voice that came from his foster sister. He had snapped towards her and let out a loud and intensely hostile growl in her direction before he could stop himself. When he realized who he was snarling at, and that it caused her to have even more years streaming down her cheeks, his eyes immediately when from slitted to normal, and he felt his fiery anger snuff itself out almost instantly.

What had he done? Even though he's only known the child for a couple months, he's really bonded with her on such a deep emotional level. It may have been because he didn't really have anyone to spend time with outside of training, and she had been desperately seeking for someone to love her, to care for her, to provide her safety, and to be convinced that she wasn't just a beast needing to be caged away because of her dormant but still threatening power. Tai Lung was supposed to be providing her with all of those things. And yet here he was, feeling the hypocrisy of his actions crawling on his back. He had told her that claws, fangs, and power don't make someone a monster.

He had shattered that mindset, the one he was helping her build up. The chances of her fully recovering from this was very unlikely. He wanted to apologize, he so desperately wanted to run up to her and hug her, comfort her by petting the fur on her head, wipe the tears away from her face, and tell her that her big brother is very sorry for what he did. But he couldn't. The damage was done, and further action would make it worse. Oogway would soon be here after he's finished tending to the chaos he caused outside, and he's not arrogant enough to stay behind and try to stand up to the tortoise. He'll be flattened within seconds. Angering the Sage Tortoise after most likely pissing him off is a **very** stupid idea.

Not wanting to make the situation any worse than he already has, he pulled the bloodied, barely conscious Shifu up to his face, snarled out the words "This isn't over.", dropped him harshly on the ground, and fled. He leapt towards one of the walls and busted through it with a well-placed kick, which was successful in shattering it effortlessly, sending debris and rubble flying throughout the air. His leap became mighty, as he pressed forward, his claws digging into the side of one of the nearby mountains, sliding in a lower diagonal direction before leaping off to the next.

This pattern repeats for a while, until he looked back and couldn't see the Valley of Peace anymore. Reassured that Oogway wasn't following him, he brings himself to a stop, lightly creating a line in the dirt. It took him a couple moments to calm himself down and realize what has just happened.

Not only had he been denied acquiring the Dragon Scroll, but he had lost his temper at the absolute _**worst**_ time. Not only did he rend a majority of the village with his powerful rage, but he had woken up Tigress in the process, and therefore she saw him with Shifu at the mercy of his claws. His mind was so blurred by rage that he didn't know if he was about to kill the red panda or not. Though seeing his Foster sibling so terrified of him had snapped him out of it before he did something worse.

This was a disaster. If he had failed in claiming the dragon scroll, then at the very least he could have taken Tigress with him. But the last expression he saw on her face was proof enough that that would have been a terrible idea. There was no way she would be able to look him in the eyes the same way again. There was no way _Shifu_ would be able to look him in the eyes the same way again. Oogway is not even a question. He had put the innocent in danger with his reckless rampage, severely wounded his surrogate son, and terrified his granddaughter. Oogway **_will_** put him down if he tried to go back for the scroll. He had learned that Oogway will never hit if violence can be avoided, but he'll never hit softly if it can't. Tai Lung had most likely killed a couple innocent people with his rampage, crippled Shifu due to beating him to near death when he and heavily traumatized Tigress. There was no way in hell that Oogway will let him go near ANY of them ever again, not after that. Which means as long as Oogway lives, obtaining the Dragon Scroll was impossible. Going back home was impossible.

Apologizing to Tigress... _impossible_.

Tai Lung snarled as he ran a paw down the right side of his face, clearly frustrated by how badly tonight had gone for him. Everything that could use gone wrong on this day had gone wrong, and it could have ended a lot worse if he stuck around longer. He had no interest in turning back, though. He doesn't have the strength to take on Oogway, and the Sage reptile will sense him out the nanosecond he breaches the border to the Valley. He had no choice but to go on and continue in the direction he was going, not looking back.

Tai Lung was now an exile. A self-made exile, no less. This was definitely not going to be a bright chapter in his life. But despite this, turning back was definitely not a viable option for him at this point. He could only accept his new status with whatever grace he might have left and continue on without looking back.

...no matter how much he might want to.

 **(A week later)**

Well then. This went about as well as he expected. For being such a genius at fighting, he _really_ didn't think this exile thing through.

First off...he left off on such an abrupt note. He retreated quickly, rightfully expecting retaliation from Oogway. This means that he had no money. No food. No water. No supplies. Just pure survival instinct and a little bit of blind rage.

Wow. He was very poorly prepared for exile. In other words...

"This _sucks_." The snow leopard groaned aloud as he was sitting in a tree, feeling the warm rays of the sun...as well as the discomfort of an empty stomach. "Still, it beats prison. Give or take twenty years. That would have REALLY pissed me off." He opened his eyes as the sun rays hit his eyes, he raised a paw in order to provide some degree of shade, since he doesn't have a significant degree of it. "Sun is awfully bright today..." A slight rumble occurs. "And I'm still awfully hungry. Dammit."

Admittedly, he was surprised that he was able to stave off hunger for as long as he did. He may have trained until his bones began cracking from the pressure, but there's at least the reprieve that he would have a decent, well-deserved meal afterwards. Shifu was strict, but he wasn't cruel. Plus, when one hasn't eaten in quite a long time, especially for a time period longer than a day, they're bound to get weaker. If he didn't get anything to eat soon, the effects were definitely not going to get better.

With a sigh, he got up while standing on the branch, stretching out a bit. "Welp, I won't make any progress sitting here. Gotta get a move on." He leaned forward and fell off the tree in freefall, doing a slight flip before landing accurately on his feet. "The question now is...where do I go without someone knowing my identity? I have to take into account that the news spread about my little rampage at some point, so I have to be extra careful about how I proceed..."

"Proceeding is believing, my friend!"

Tai Lung jumped as he heart the voice behind him chant, and he turned around with a swift kick. His company effortlessly dodges it by tilting his head to the side. Tai Lung blinked at the unbelievable reaction time, before he saw himself standing before a blackbuck, an awfully skinny one. Yet at the moment, his senses began to fully comprehend that this was no mere elder. Physically frail he may be, though the Chi around him, just like Oogway's, spells unbelievable power.

"You're fantastically fuzzy!"

...though he could tell this one has his head in the clouds more than anything. Though his face definitely spells something related to total and other ecstasy at the prospect of discoveries. And apparently his discovery of Tai Lung was the most interesting part of his day today. Can't imagine why.

"Er...are you alright, old-timer?"

"I feel great, my friend! Today is one of those super rare occasions in which I get to do a lot of exploring!"

"Super rare...? You don't get out much, do you?"

"Nope! Haven't gotten out at all, really. For about a couple decades or so."

Tai Lung's eyes widened. "D-Decades?! How in the-"

"Hold it right there!" Tai Lung turned around to see that a platoon of rhinos have come about the area, weapons in their hands. He sighed in great annoyance at how fast he's been found out just because an old blackbuck distracted him. "Tai Lung the fugitive! So, you've the gall to kidnap Master Yao after devastating the Valley of Peace?!"

"Kidnap?! _Master Yao?!_ " Tai Lung choked out while he stared at the blackbuck in shock. _You mean to tell me that **this** is the elder Master that Shifu tends to fanboy over when he thinks that no one is looking?! I've never actually seen him...come to think of it, NO ONE has seen him outside his box! He looks like he's using all of his energy just to stand! On another, more important note... _"I didn't kindap him, I just found him right next to me!"

"Heh! As we're supposed to take the word of a monster like you!"

"And I'm not about to be captured by a bunch of dumbasses like you." Tai Lung shrugged. "Guess we're even, then."

"Your arrogance will be your undoing, Tai Lung."

He turned around and found himself rammed by a rhino charge from behind, and was sent crashing into a tree. Grunting angrily, he stood up to see that this rhino was definitely different than the rest of them. They looked incredibly incompetent, compared to him. Which was a rather irritating though, which mean he would be more difficult to deal with. He at least had to know the guy's name. But apparently the stuck-up think decided to introduce himself, sparing him the hassle of asking.

"The name is Commander Vachir, fugitive. And I am a prized student of Master Rhino. I have taken it upon myself to bring you in!"

Tai Lung raised an eyebrow. "You think if you explained to me who you were, I'd be afraid or something?"

"You mock me now, but you're still a wanted man." He cracked his knuckles while managing a side-glance towards Master Yao. "For destruction, the deaths of civilians, _and_ kidnapping, apparently."

"I told you I didn't kidnap the geezer! I-" He was cut off as another rhino shared and slammed into his side, sending him flying across the landscape a little, until he stopped himself by forcing his clawed paws into the ground and drastically reducing his momentum. He sthen opened his eyes, which became slotted with rage. "Okay, _now_ you're just pissing me off."

The other rhinos didn't acknowledge his, all charging him without a care for his words. He could only sigh as he counters the first punch from one of them. He grabbed the wrist, swiftly breaking it, and slamming him into the ground. His eyes shifted as he stepped back to avoid another blow and kicked the next rhino in the chest, forcing him back into the trees. One of the other rhinos came at him with a mace, though he caught it in his paw and tossed them both to the sides effortlessly. Though when he looked to the sides, he saw that one of the rhinos were carrying Yao away, much to his chargin. He might not be the best person...but leaving Master Yao in the hands of this specific rhino feels like a rather horrible idea. So he narrowed his eyes and followed the rhino, though once again the others cut him off. He snarled.

"Outta my way. Leaving him with you fools is a bad idea waiting to happen."

"Not as much of a bad idea as Shifu showing mercy on you just because you're his foster son. He's mornic for allowing someone like you to roam free, when he should have put you down." One of them stated without fear...okay maybe a little bit of fear. "We heard about the situation. Luckily Master Vachir is more than willing to do the job that he failed at."

"Okay... _look_. I know I'm not a big fan of Shifu right now, but only _I_ any rights at calling him out, and not on dealing with me properly. It's much more than that."

"Much more than you throwing a temper tantrum that nearly wiped out an entire village, because you didn't get what you want? Though cats tend to be like that a lot, don't they?"

Any patience Tai Lung had was thrown out the window at that one. He narrowed his eyes darkly, and the rhinos realized far too late that a serious line has just been crossed. They didn't have enough time to react when he was suddenly in front of them and knocking them out with brutal blows to the head, then being kicked aside. One of them, with extreme hesitation, tried to strike him while he wasn't looking, in which he grabbed one of the unconscious rhinos and swung him into his comrade, sending them aside. He didn't care enough at the moment to check if they were down, he just went straight to trying to catch Vachir.

"I dunno about you, but I think you angered the Fuzzy Kitty." Master Yao ssid as he was being carried over the shoulder by Vachir. "And it feels like angering the Fuzzy Kitty is not a very wise idea if you don't have the strength to match him...which you sorely lack. This most likely won't end well for you."

"Who's side are you on, Master Yao? I'm trying to save you from him!"

"Really! Thank you friend! Though...it's still just a _touch_ too bad that you'll fail. Too bad, so sad...is that a butterfly?" Yao pointed around the flying insect. "It's so pretty~"

"You're really weird, you know that?"

There was a sudden crash in front of the both of them, making Vachir stop in his tracks. Tai Lung was revealed as the dust cleared. He glared at him angrily. "You've signed yourself up for a lifetime of pain."

"Have I really?" Was the following taunt. Tai Lung only grew more irritated as he began stomping towards the overconfident rhino. But when he got within a few feet of him, Vachir pulled a handheld axe from his hilt and held it in front of Yao's neck. The snow leopard's eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks. "Oh! Looks like you have a heart after all, dontcha?"

"You're a disgraceful coward." Tai Lung deadpanned, clenching his fists. "And you call yourself a prized student of Master Rhino?"

"Sure. _I'm_ disgraceful. I'm not a murderer, Tai Lung. Here, I'm only taking pragmatic approaches in bringing you in. Any that can give me an advantage over you, I'll take." Vachir chuckled. "What...you actually thought I would stand a chance against you in a fair fight? No, course you didn't. Though I'm surprised you'd actually have the heart to care about this geezer."

"This axe is very rusty. It hasn't been clean in quite a while!" Yao examined, pointing at the blade slightly. "Weapons like these are much more effective when they're clean."

"You're not helping, Yao. Why would you even-" The distraction was taken advantage of, as Vachir tossed the axe upward, managed to catch it perfectly in his palm, and slash down on Tai Lung's head. He backed up a couple seconds too late, and felt the blade cut down on the right side of his face, though luckily his eye was not damaged. Though this new scar was likely to be permanent. "RAGH!" He placed his palm on the newly bleeding wound, angrily hissing at the pain. He was still able to glare at Vachir, snarling viciously. "Asshole! That was a cheap shot!"

"It's the best kind of shot." Vachir sneered.

The snow leopard snarled. "Alright, fine. You've gotten your free hit in." He removed his paw from the wound, allowing it to bleed freely. "Now here's my retaliation!"

"Hmph. May I remind d you that-" Vachir was heavily surprised when he realized that Master Yao had lost interest in playing hostage, and was now sitting against a tree, seeing how things play out. The sadistic grin on Tai Lung's muzzle had made it clear just how much the rhino had screwed up. And now he had a speechless, horrified look on his face.

"What's the matter, prized student of Master Rhino? Did you lose your nerve? Feeling a bit helpless?" He roughly grabbed him by the vest. "Good thing I couldn't care less." With that, a forceful blow to the face sent the rhino flying into the ground, cratering it slightly. The snow leopard sighed, notncaring about the fact that he snapped the guy's horn off because of how hard he punched him. He turned around to see Master Yao was waiting for him. He blinked at him a couple times.

"You hit the rhino really hard!"

"Yeah. Kinda wanted to do that."

"Good to be honest! Might want to do something about the red dripping from tour face, though."

"Oh, yeah. This." Tai Lung placed his paw over his face again, signing in frustration. He should have been able to avoid being cut by some stupid arrogant cowardly rhino with an axe. Hunger and exhaustion has been taking it's toll on him, slugging his reflexes. This was humiliating. He needed to get himself back up so this situation doesn't repeat often. Though he still had to make sure that Master Yao gets back to where he needed to be. So without further ado, Tai Lung picked the elder Master up and slung him over his shoulder. "That's enough excitement for you, old timer. Gotra get you back to your box."

"Your tail is also very fuzzy~" Yao beamed, occasionally catching the limb in his hooves and petting it. The younger Master sighed in aggravation. The right side of his face was still bleeding and hurting like hell...

...he'll walk it off.

 **(An Hour Later)**

"I spy with my little old eyes...something spotted, tall, and muscular!"

"...Is it me?"

"Correct! How did you know?"

"Ugh..." Tai Lung had beem traveling with Master Yao for a long time now. And good lord...the old man really likes to talk. Admittedly, he _does_ provide quality entertainment. For himself. And usually for the both of them. But mostly for himself. Tai Lung doesn't hate the old timer for it. Who else would have their mentality perfectly intact when you spend decades in a box before you even reach double digits in age? But still...it was difficult to stand him a little bit.

Then the conversation went into a different direction that he wasn't prepared for.

"Tai Lung...you're very angry." Yao said with a rather relaxed voice. It wasn't a question.

Tai Kung raised an eyebrow, the eyebrow that wasn't slashed. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"You're constantly giving off Chi in rather irritable fluctuations. And it was before we ran into those rhinos. You're in a rather grumpy mood."

"...You wouldn't understand."

"Of course not! You didn't tell me yet!"

Tai Lung paused a bit, still quietly carrying the elder master over no his shoulder while thinking about whether he should tell him or not. Well...he can't have company and _not_ talk to him. With what's been happening thus far, he could really use someone to talk to. Lest he lose his mind...just like the elder over his shoulders that kinda lost his mind. Huh.

"I...might be a bit pissed about something."

"Do tell!"

"My Foster father...Master Shifu...he's been training me for years on end. He saw my inner potential, and he wanted me to reach it."

"Inner potential. Always carries the biggest surprises. Do go on."

"I've train so hard, for so many years. Shifu had believed in me so much, supported my successful progress so much. He saw me as...the one. The Dragon Warrior. My head slowly filled itself with dreams as I trained even harder every day of my life with him. I grew more confident in myself, in my skills and power. Shifu really believed in me, so making him proud was something I really wanted to do. I wanted to live up to his expectations down to the letter. I couldn't imagine not having the Dragon Scoll in my possession, I saw myself worthy of the secret of unlimited power." He frowned a bit.

"This is when the badness hits, right?"

Tai Lung clenched his fists. "I've always known that Shifu believed I was the Dragon Warrior. I've always known he believed that I was. But...then Oogway said that I wasn't worthy. He refused something that should have been mine. I looked towards Shifu, expecting him to support me. But...he stayed silent. He didn't even try to defend me. He just...let that happen without even the tiniest hint of resistance despite how much praise he gave me, how much support he had for me, how much _pride_ he had in me. Everything just went...white for me. All I could recall before I regained more of my control was blind rage, blood on my paws, villagers screaming, and I had Shifu in my grip. The old man didn't have it in him to fight back, but I didn't care. Oogway was focused on the villagers, so he wasn't going to help until it was too late. I was very close to killing him. But then...Tigress..." Tai Lung's scowl disappeared, as he ran a paw down his face. "Tigress..."

"Ooh...I sense sadness in your voice."

"For a couple months, Shifu took in another kid. Tigress, a Bengal Tiger, as well as my five-year old sister. She's had it rough with people because they were usually freaked out by her claws, fangs, and uncontrolled strength. She broke out of her own orphanage and ran off, where Shifu saw her and brought her back to the palace. He introduced us to one another, and I was in charge of building her confidence, and making her realize that having claws and fangs doesn't make her a monster, that many were just like her and me, but slightly different. For a couple months, we spent lots of time together. Training, playing around, eating some pleasant foods...I actually found myself quite fond of her. I found myself wanting to make her proud, too. She looked up to me, and I wanted to be worthy of that attention. So...her look of disbelief and horror when she saw me in my rage-induced rampage...I instantly snapped out of it. I wanted so badly to hug her and wipe her tears away...but I couldn't. Oogway would have caught me...I had to escape. I had to leave her behind. That's the only thing I regret from that rash decision...I can't apologize to her, nor I could take her with me. I can't go back...not so long as Oogway is there."

Master Yao rubbed his chin, even as he was being hung upside down. "Familiarity, those words have..."

"What?"

"Can we stop for a moment, Fuzzy Kitty?" Tai Lung was confused for a moment at the interruption of their trip, as he set Master Yao down. The elder wobbled a little bit, but managed to regain his balance. Then he looked up towards Tai Lung. "It may be possible that there is a just reason for Oogway's decision. He never makes a decision this serious without a reason."

"What do you mean?" Tai Lung narrowed his eyes.

"Tai Lung. What exactly do you want from the Dragon Scroll?"

"Didn't I just tell you? It holds the secrets of ultimate power!"

"That is a rather pressing motive, yes. But what's the _real_ one?"

The snow leopard stared at the blackbuck for a couple moments. Yao's face was unchanging, but not stern. Just curious. Tai Lung has quickly figured out that curiosity was Master Yao's main motive for a lot of things. After a while, Tai Lung relaxed his muscles. "I wanted...I wanted validation. Shifu raised me with all of his training, the praise he gave me for my potential, and the dreams he filled my head with, telling me that becoming the Dragon Warrior was my destiny. Thus, I wanted...no...I _needed_ the Dragon Scroll to confirm that I was worthy of all of that praise and support. That I was worthy of Shifu's pride in me. That I was...worthy of his love. Because otherwise-"

"You'd feel like he was just wasting years of his life on someone who doesn't meet his expectations." The snow leopard didn't respond initially. It was all Master Yao needed. "Let me ask you another little something, hm? Do you really think that there's an actual secret to ultimate power? Is your self-esteem so low that you needed outward confirmation to justify that you were worth Shifu's time?" Tai Lung still didn't respond. "Your case is not uncommon, Tai Lung. Many children in China are raised in a similar way to you, and they want to feel like they are worth something. But they lack the confidence to prove themselves worthy, instead wanting something else to do it for them." Master Yao then decided to try an entirely new direction. "You said you have a foster sister. Tigress, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me more about her. What is she like?"

"...Well...aside from the things I've already said...she's actually a very quiet and reserved little girl. She won't talk to anyone unless they talk to her, because trying to make friends has never ended well. So she mostly spent a lot of time with me and Shifu. She felt safer with us, more open. Shed talk a lot about how I was training so hard, and she wanted to be strong for herself as well. She's her own little champion, in a way. She also has a love-hate relationship for tofu. Plus she can't seem to take it going down that she's cute." He chuckled softly.

"Good good, what else?"

"When there was this pretty intense claps of thunder one night, Tigress got really freaked out. She immediately ran out of her room and into mine, crying her little eyes out. I got up and picked her up, holding her in my arms. She was quick to hug me and cry into the fur of my chest, while she kept mumbling that she wasn't afraid, despite how much she kept shivering whenever another thunderclap struck. I'd hug her back, pet her softly on the head, and reassure her that I'd keep her safe, and that it was okay to be afraid. I told her that being brave isn't about being fearless, but to face those fears head-on. I wasn't cold-hearted enough to send her back to her room alone though, so I let her stay with me for the rest of the night, and she was relaxed enough to go back to sleep."

"So she saw you as someone to go to whenever she was threatened or scared, or just needs someone to talk to. You were the first person she went to for safety."

"Yeah...she'd admire me...and I'd appreciate her admiration." He rubbed his neck, growling lowly to herself. "Though now all of that admiration has come crashing down because of my actions. I don't think she'll look at me the same way again."

"...Tell me. Of all the time she's spent with you, was she interested in the Dragon Warrior...or Tai Lung?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I think it's quite significant. Though it depends on your answer."

Another pause...realization crossed his face. "...Tigress...has always supported me when it came to my goal. But...she was always more focused on me just being...me. She was less interested in the Dragon Warrior...and more interested in me. I feel that if I never told her about the Dragon Warrior prophecy, nothing about how she treated me would change. She didn't care too much on whether or not I became the Dragon Warrior. She just...wanted me to be there for her when she needed me. She called me Big Brother...and it felt nice to hear. Even if it was only for a couple months...she's become a significant part of my life...because she's the only person who didn't care about the Dragon Warrior title more than she cared about me just being me."

"And what realization did you come to when you recall how much she cared about you and loved you for who you are, instead of who you're _trying_ to be?"

Tai Lung because utterly silent as another heartwrenching realization hit him. It felt like years before be finally spoke up again...he sounded defeated. "What worth is there in me becoming the Dragon Warrior...if in the process, it ruins my ability to be the best brother I can be to Tigress? Tigress, who was utterly starved of love because of how she was treated so early in life, and counted on me to provide it, as her older sibling, foster or not. Now because of what I did, she's going to suffer even more than ever. I've...I've failed her." He placed both paws on his face, back up against a tree, slowly sliding down until he hit the ground. He didn't uncover his face, as he quietly mumbled:

"I don't deserve to be the Dragon Warrior."

"No. I suppose you don't." There was no condescension in Yao's voice. He was just calling it as it is. Which only made Tai Lung feel worse, because he felt like he deserved much spite for his arrogance. And it had deeply cost him.

"...I can't go back. Not now. I...I don't know what to do." He mumbled again. "I'm unworthy of the Dragon Warrior title. But if I'm not the Dragon Warrior...then who am I? What do I do now?"

"That is something you have to discover for yourself, Tai Lung. Only _you_ can determine your own self-worth. Expecting it to be done for you will only lead to more pain for yourself. And not in the tummy ache kind of way. More like in the heartache kind of way." Yao smiled. "All in all, I think what you needed to get that anger off your chest was someone to talk to. And someone who'll listen. No more Grumpy Kitty!"

"...I guess so..." The snow leopard's ears flicked as he heard someone coming.

"Ooh! There are my servants. They took longer than usual!" Yao said, standing up with effort. "I think it's time for you to go, Tai Lung."

"What? You're not the kind of guy who seems to like being locked in a box. You don't want to come with me?"

"A path of discovering self-worth must be walked alone. Besides, It's not my time to leave my box for good. But I'm sure we'll meet again anyway." Yao turned around and began walking towards the voices, but waved. "Bye, Fuzzy Kitty!" He cheered with a smile, which made Tai Lung freeze up from how loud he was being. He jumped in the trees to avoid being seen.

He watches silently as a group of antelopes appeared around Yao, spouting concerns and scolds about how he shouldn't be leaving his box without supervision. Though Yao didn't seem to be paying attention. Like...at all.

 _Such a weird old geezer._ The snow leopard thought quietly as he watched them move out with the elder Master, and he was left completely alone.

...

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "So...this is how it is, huh...? I'm going solo for a long time..." He said to himself as he gazed towards the skies. "A journey of self-worth I have to walk alone...well...it's not like I can go home. And I have nothing better to do." Tai Lung decided. He had a lot of traveling to do.

A loud grumble came from his stomach, and he sweatdropped while pinching the bridge of his nose.

Dammit. He forgot he was hungry.

 **(Present)**

Tai Lung opened his eyes. "From that point on, I've been on my own journey of discovering my self-worth. I've been to a lot of places, talked to a lot of people, beat the shit out of bad guys that pissed me off, kissed a couple women-"

"Wait what?" Tigress snapped her head towards him.

"Your brother's a player?!" Monkey gasped. The response was the striped feline punching him in the face, knocking him on his back...a couple feet away.

"The important thing here!" Tai Lung raised his paws up nervously after seeing Tigress's accusing glare. "Is that I've done a lot of thinking for myself and for others. After s while, it's become clear that I couldn't avoid either Tigress or Shifu for any longer. I had to come back and confront you two. To confess and apologize for the grave personal crimes I've dealt towards the two of you. Though because the Valley of Peace is nothing but rubble, and Master Oogway is dead, I can never fully make up for it. And that deeply wounds me." He clenched his fists tightly. "I've made my choice. I need to do whatever I can in order to make up for what I've done. Traveling with you seems like my only way of assuring this."

"Reconciliation is what you seek? Better late than never!" Mr. Ping exclaimed.

"Though...I don't understand." Tigress turned towards Master Yso with a look of exasperation. "Master, how come you've never told me or Father that you knew Tai Lung?"

"Because it was a personal subject for both of you. Plus, neither of you asked." Yao responded with a relaxed tone. Neither Shifu or Tigress could find no way to respond to this.

"Hey guys! What's going on?" Everyone turned towards the sound of the cheery voice, and many were relieved to see that Po and Viper were making their way towards them, multiple crumbs left on their faces. They've helped themselves to the food in Qinchu's palace, obviously. Tigress immediately got up with a start.

"Po!" She ran up and lightly envelopes him in a hug. Viper slithered off of his arm and into the ground, allowing the two to embrace. The feline then released him and adjusted her scarf, as well as his own. "You didn't come back for a while. We were getting a bit concerned."

"There's no need. I had Master Fenghuang and Viper to watch my back." Po smiled. He then sees Tai Lung amongst the group, curiosity peaked. "Hey Peng! There's a guy here who looks a lot like you!"

"That's Tai Lung, Po."

"Oooohhhh." Was the long and drawn out response. He then scratched his cheek in wonder. "When did he get here?"

They were amazed at Po's level of undereaction to the snow leopards presence. Justified, he doesn't know Tai Lung as well as Shifu and Tigress, and Peng was his nephew, which he didn't know he had, so the surprise wouldn't reach him as well as the others.

"So...this is 'Po'. One of the friends Tigress think so highly of." Tai Lung analyzed, looking the panda up and down. "She didn't mention that he was a panda. I didn't see that coming at all."

"There's a lot of things the people we meet don't see coming. This happens to us a lot." Fung noted while scratching his snout. "We've already come to the conclusion that pandas are quite a rare species. And that kinda makes him a target. It's becoming a serious hassle. And I think we might be getting close to an answer."

"Though I'm getting the feeling that Gongmen is not going to be as safe as you remember, Fung. The fox guy that we've knocked out seems to have relations in Gongmen City, and they're not the good kind of relations." Viper recalled. "We might be in for some serious trouble."

"When are we not..." Crane said quietly.

"Gongmen City. That's where you're heading?" Tai Lung asked. "Well, in that case, I'm going with you. I can provide some assistance for all of you, I'm sure."

"Are you sure you want to go with us?"

"I literally have nothing better to do with my time. I also want to be there for Tigress and Shifu, like I've failed to do for such a long time. I gotta start making up that time now. By any means necessary."

"Any means necessary...? And just what do those 'means' of yours entail?"

"I'll surprise you."

"Not entirely assuring."

Lian shrugged as she stood up, placing Peng's arm around her waist. "Eh. We can't make much progress without some leaps of faith. Like we did~"

"You'll have to give me details on your first kiss." Tai Lung teased.

"I believe they can provide that info. Wouldn't you agree, Peng?" Bian Zao said, lightly punching him in the shoulder. The response was for the teen to sigh in embarrassment. Lian however, didn't seem to have a serious issue with the idea.

"But for now...I think we all better get some rest." Tigress suggested. "We can head out tomorrow."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

 **(Later that Night)**

Shifu was sitting on the roof of the house that everyone was sleeping inside, staring up and watching the bright glow of the moon. There's so much happening at once, and he didn't know how to deal with it properly. They would be heading for Gongmen City tomorrow...with Tai Lung in tow. Of all the things he thought would change Tai Lung for the better it was Master Yao listening to him and talking him down from his obsession. It _did_ seem a bit anticlimactic, it probably is. But that doesn't mean he isn't grateful. Though according to the looks she gave him, Tigress isn't as prepared to fully accept him again unlike Shifu, despite what she's already said.

Shifu wasn't sure if he was ready for so much change, or the changes weren't ready for him.

He would sigh while sitting in meditative position. _So much is happening all at once...is there a reason? Is the universe preparing us for something...? Something significant?_

"You have to stop sitting by yourself, Fufie." Mei Ling walked up by his side, and takes a seat right next to him. Taotie also came by and sits next to him. Fenghuang flapped her wings while landing next to him. Tai Lung was the one who sits right behind him. "Think about this, you don't have to keep being a loner."

"I think you have to realize that solo no longer cuts it, Pipsqueak. You're stuck with us." Fenghuang huffed. "You and I are the only two members of the original Five who are still trying to stay together. Let's keep it that way, hm?"

"We're also deeply connected to your past. Do you think we can stay together and not try to handle of the mental burdens single-handedly if there's something we can do about it?" Taotie offered. "Id like to be a recently good best friend again, but you also gotta help me out with that."

The red panda makes eye contact with them all, one at a time. Then back at the moon. "So much has changed...and it's likely that much more will be changed. I just wonder...are we ready for those changes? Or are those changes preparing us for more things that the universe sends are way...?" He rubbed his forehead. "It's just that...Tai Lung has come back so suddenly...it throws a lot about what I usually think for a loop. These...these are the times I wish Oogway was here to help me understand better..."

"Hey. One of the most exciting parts of a journey is the mystery, and not immediately knowing the answer." Taotie shrugged.

"Plus Oogway is gone, Midget. At this point, we're the best you've got." Fenghuang said smugly, though Shifu could tell she was also being genuine.

"We'll remind you of this as many times as it takes." Mei Ling smiled softly at him, leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes. He smiled softly at the gesture. Then he turned towards Tai Lung.

"Tai Lung..."

"I already know. Due to my journey of finding myself, I've figured out that our falling out was a two-sided fault. You were training me in many different ways...but humility was clearly missing from all of them. And I wasn't as emotionally stable as you bought I was. Though I guess I didn't really make the situation better by going off the way I did."

Shifu lowered his eyes. "I allowed you to turn into the minster that rampaged the village. I could have prevented a great deal of pain had I taught you humility as well as everything else. I'm...sorry..."

Tai Lung paused for a moment, gazing into his father's eyes. Then he smiled. "I'm sorry too, Shifu. Plus it's pretty obvious that the Dragon Scroll was destroyed in that raid, so I would have been directionless anyway." He turned towards the skies. "Plus...trust me. I've had plenty of humility beaten into me during my travels. My journey has made it loud and clear that I'm not the best warrior in all of China like I previously thought I was."

"Damn right you're not. It's obviously me." Fenghuang grinned.

"In your dreams." Mei Ling rolled her eyes.

"You got something to say, Furball?"

"Sure. I'm a Furball. While you're a rat with wings. Rat-Wing!"

Soon enough, the fox and the owl were in each others faces, glaring hard at one another, their chi lightly sparking against one another. Taotie lightly patted Shifu's back. "This is our life now. Get used to it. And I mean ACTUALLY get used to it."

"Do I have I choice...?" Shifu chuckled awkwardly. Tai Lung smirked.

This was gonna be fun.

 **(Po's Mindscape)**

 _Po opened his eyes and was completely confused by what he saw. Or rather...what he wasn't seeing. He couldn't see anything due to the many amounts of red smoke everywhere, blocking any and all vision that he might have had. He looked around for any signs of life...nothing._

 _"Hello!? Guys?!" He called out, cupping his muzzle to enhance his voice. "If this is another one of Monkey's pranks...I'm not laughing! I mean, I would if I knew what was going on...but that would kinda defeat the purpose..."_

 _No response._

 _"Great. I have no idea where I am, and it looks like no one else is here. What am I supposed to do now?"_

 ** _"I'll tell you what you can do."_**

 _"What?! Who's there?!" Po turned around quickly, but saw no one. He wondered if he was just hearing things, but that proved to be false, he definitely heard metal scraping against the ground._

 ** _"You should have kept your existence secret, Panda. Otherwise you wouldn't be currently trapped in the jaws of death."_**

 _"Jaws of death? That's a little cynical, don't you-" Po wasn't able to finish, a bright flash blinded him, and he was suddenly on his back, covered in ashes and feeling immense pain in his right arm, without knowing why. "Gaaaugh! What...what...?"_

 _He then sees something standing over him, red, demonic eyes glaring down on the prey. He also saw what looked like more red eyes above him, though Po could faintly make out that it was just an elegant tail. More likely the train of a peacock. Though he wasn't too sure. **"You've made a fatal mistake in thinking you can challenge me. Allow me to make a suggestion that's more likely to succeed."**_

 _Po weakly tried to stand up, but found himself unable to._ _He then sees a weapon...a curved blade of sorts. A Guan Dao. His eyes widened as he noticed it was aimed towards him. He faintly tried to call for help..._

 _But nobody came._

 _The red eyes glowed in a sinister manner, and one word followed: **"BURN."**_

 _The Guan Dao then strikes his heart._

 **(Reality)**

Po woke up with a start, and instinctively placed a paw over his heart. His hat fell off of his head, but he was in too much shock to notice. He needed the reassurance of his heartbeat to clarify that he was just having a REALLY bad dream. After a minute, he relaxed a little, though the gravity of the dream still hit him hard, as he lied on his back.

That...was so much worse than any of the other dreams he's had. This time, instead of being a cub, he was an adult, and clearly at present times. He didn't know what to make of the dream. Normally dreams were just that. But now he was slowly becoming convinced that they were more than that. And not only that, they were becoming more and more frequent. There's no way that they can't mean something.

But if it _does_ mean something, then what was it telling him?

He didn't have an answer. All he could do was groan in frustration and cover his face with his hat, hoping he could get some sleep.

His sleep was dreamless for the rest of the night.


	47. Mr Ping's Fatherly Concern

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, PO?!"

Fenghuang opened her eyes when she heard the shouting. Her feathers ruffled, she let out a soft and quiet yawn, blinked a bit to clear her vision...and came across a troubling sight. Mr. Ping was angrily waddling back and forth with his wings folded, a scowl on his face that represented both fury and concern, and his feathers are much more furiously ruffled than hers. And following him with worried eyes of his own, as well as a look that spells apologies. Speaking of apologies, he was spewing a bunch of them while trying to calm his worked up father. This could only mean one thing.

 _Oh dear...they're fighting._ She actually lowered her eyes in deep and genuine concern. This was Po and Mr. Ping they were talking about. Those two were father and son in anything but blood, not that it's ever mattered to them. They've never even taken into account that they weren't related...it's obvious. Even so, those two get along with one another better than anyone else in this group, and that's saying something, as Po and Tigress were a very, _very_ tight second. She's seen the father-son relationship firsthand for years, and she's grown accustomed to how they interact with one another, how they talk to one another, and how much they deeply loved one another.

So seeing them argue like this, which was extremely rare, was a definite warning sign for Fenghuang that something was **_very_** wrong.

"Dad...it won't be for very long. Please don't be mad about this. I don't want to this either." Po pleaded to the goose, his hat behind him and scarf a bit messily wrapped around his neck. He was definitely ready to leave...but not with his father alongside him.

"If you don't want to do this, then don't do it! I can't believe you would even suggest it!" Mr. Ping shouted, turning around and waddling into the other direction so he doesn't look his son in the eye. "How can you just tell me to stay behind?!"

Fenghuang blinked in confusion. So far, Po and Mr. Ping have been everywhere together. Even if there was danger around that Po had to face, Mr. Ping was never too far behind. The panda has never had a problem with his goose father, even if his fighting powers was lower than most here. He's always managed to keep his father safe when she trained him to be strong enough and confident enough to protect him from harm. So hearing Po actually suggest for Mr. Ping to stay behind in Mount Penglai for the time being...it spells wonders. And it means something else.

Po's confidence has dropped a couple levels. There was no way it had nothing to do those repeated nightmares that he keeps having. Though it had to be especially bad if it's making him consider leaving his father behind being his only sure chance at safety. Just what was it with Gongmen that's causing Po such great distress, enough to get a reaction like this?

Monkey was able to wake up, and was the last of the Five to do so. He blinked when he saw the others, and their worried faces. "What's up?"

"Po and his Dad are having a bit of an impasse." Crane explained, not turning his head away from the scene. "Some dream he had last night has put Po in a bit of a panic. Now he doesn't want Mr. Ping to come with us to Gongmen afterall."

"What? Is he worried about his safety? I'm pretty sure the lot of us are more than capable of protecting him if things get dicey."

"Po doesn't want to chance it. He doesn't want to do this, either. It's really hurting the both of them." Viper said, her and Tigress's concerns being the highest of them all. "It hurts because they've always been together no matter what. This is the first time Po is suggesting that they take some time apart, for his own safety. Neither of them like this, especially Mr. Ping."

"I can see that clearly. He's _not_ happy with this at all." Mantis noted.

"Why are you telling me to stay?! There can't possibly be anything dangerous enough to warrant you just leaving me here!" Mr. Ping shouted.

"That's exactly what is going on! I just _know_ that something is off! It has something to do with Gongmen, and I haven't even been to the place yet!" Po strained to say. "The dream I had got me seriously freaked out. It's much more different than all of the others. Something is going to happen. Something dangerous. I don't want you getting caught up in it."

"You think your friends aren't capable enough to protect me if you can't? _You_ don't think you'll be able to protect me?"

"Agh. Daaaaad. Please don't go there." Po groaned, placing both his paws over his face. He was very well aware that this was a case of concern from both sides. However, neither seem willing to consent to the other's wishes. It's proving to be quite difficult for the others to watch. "I just...don't want you to get hurt. I feel like something seriously bad is gonna go down in that city, I don't want you to get caught in it."

"If you feel like it's too dangerous, then just don't go! It's not a place we _have_ to go to! We have plenty of other destinations to choose from!"

"But Dad, Fung really wants to go and show us the place, and he wants to check on Master Croc and his squadmates. He's getting a pretty bad feeling about it too."

"There's something going on in Gongmen, I can feel it." Fung lowered his head in deep thought. "I was never worried about my squadmates being unable to handle themselves, since I was trained alongside them as the leader by Master Croc."

"YOU were personally trained by Master Croc? Huh. He must have had free time." Tai Lung grunted in amusement, tying his cloak around his shoulders.

"You know about Master Croc too?"

"I know a lot of things, Fung. Not on the level of Shifu or Fenghuang...but I know things. I just did a lot of studying, is all." He shrugged.

"He picked Fung specifically because of how similiar they are. There aren't _many_ exact similiarities between them, per se. But the more significant connections are definitely present." Fenghuang added. "Now, back to the more important matter at hand..."

"Ah yes, the quarrel." Tai Lung clapped his paws together a bit dramatically as he saw up and addressed the goose-panda duo. "Now, if I were to take a stand on this issue that was mostly a neutral standpoint...Po should leave his father behind. Under protection of coirse, but him coming along might be a seriously bad idea."

"You're siding with Po?" Tigress asked him. Not out of hostility, but curiosity.

Tai Lung shook his head. "The final choice is entirely up to them. I"m just implementing my little perspective on it in the mix." He said while turning towards Po and Mr. Ping. "Now...it's obviously clear how much the two of you love one another as father and son. And must I say...a couple people here are jealous of you for that." He knew exactly who they were just by looking among them, but those were personal wounds he would rather not intentionally unravel. Now wasn't the time for that. "And it's a truly great relationship, really, it is. But what Po seems to unconsciously realize that this isn't something he should be doing with his parent, especially since cosntsnt visions spells that his life is in danger, and doesn't want it to stick to Mr. Ping. They've been doing pretty well so far, I'll give them that. But for the panda to be the one to cut the cord, even if it's only temporary, spells how worried he is. I don't know him as well as you all because I just got here. But he's really serious about this, that much I can tell."

"I know he's serious about this! I just don't approve of it at all!" Mr. Ping says a bit desperately.

"Mr. Ping. You are concerned. That is fine, as a parent tends to be, no matter how capable the children may seem." Shifu spoke up. "But...Po really seems to think that staying here is what's best for your safety. Given that he's never been this visibly shaken, at least as long as I've seen him in action, convinces me that we should heed his request."

"You too, Shifu?!"

"I...might not be as in-tuned with all of your 'kung-fu senses' and all of that nonsense." Taotie folded his arms. "But I'm going to have to side with Po on this."

"Taotie?! Even you?! But...but what about YOUR son?!"

"Of course I'm worried about Bian Zao. Heck, I'm a bit outright terrified. But...he's still a growing boy. And he has those two great friends of his, Peng and Lian. As well as the rest of these youngsters. It's painful for me to watch and say, but I'm choosing to trust Bian Zao to be wise...or at least _capable_...of doing things without his dutiful genius father assisting him."

"You don't gotta worry about that, Dad." Bian Zao deadpanned as he casually sips some morning tea, his ears twitching a bit, before he stops for a break and wipes his mouth. "I've always wanted an extended break from you and all of you're craziness, and I'm pretty sure now is the best time to take it." He shrugged. Lian then unceremoniously punches Bian Zao in the arm. His reaction was predictable. "OW! Why?!"

"That's going a bit over the line. Apologize. _Now_."

Tai Lung immediately turned to Peng with a mischievous eyebrow. He didn't even need to say anything. All Peng could do was blush.

"No no, he's right, Lian." Taotie raised a hoof. "I haven't exactly been 'Father of the Year', and I doubt that it'll change overnight. Not that I'm not working on it, mind you. Maybe...this is just what we both need. Some time apart to build ourselves up. And when we're reunited, we'll have a better relationship than ever, without having to deal with any separation anxiety."

"Pretty sure I'll be just fi-OOF!" This time Lian elbowed him hard in the ribs, forcing him to change his tune. "...I mean, I'll miss you, Dad. It's gonna be a bit lame without you enlightening my day." Oh how much Bian Zao wanted to scoff at his own words. Not out of spite, but amusement. His father was anything BUT enlightening if it has nothing to do with technology. However, he isn't willing to get mauled by Lian for indirectly voicing it.

"I know. At least you somewhat appreciate my genius, son." Taotie nodded.

Mr. Ping was shaking a little. "There has to be a way! If this place is causing Po so much emotional distress without even _being_ there yet, I want to help him through it! Or better yet, let's not have him go at all! This is different than the other times! I just-"

"Mr. Ping." Fenghuang interrupted him calmly but sternly, looking him in the eyes. "We understand your concern. We all do. But if Po insists that you stay in Mount Penglai for your own safety, then I'll trust my student's judgement and keep you safe right here." The goose was about to retort, but she shushes him with a swipe of her wing. "Don't think you're the only one worried. When it came to Master Ding, I was panicking out of my mind for the first time in a while. But with sheer luck, assistance from his comrades, and his own determination, he handled himself fairly well even in a very troublesome situation. So he's definitely earned my trust in being able to operate without the requirement of me watching over him. As should you." This was something Mr. Ping didn't want to hear, because he already knew. But his parental instinct just won't let those reasons win without a fight.

"Mr. Ping." Mrs. Yoon placed a hoof own his shoulder, causing him to turn towards her. "Po is clearly not a defenseless cub anymore. He is more than capable of fending for himself, and he's proved this multiple times so far. It is a rather worrying stage to endure...but you must realize: You cannot hold his paw everywhere he goes. This marks the first time, according to your reaction, that he's ever wanted to go anywhere without you. It is not meant to be taken negatively. It's just a sign that he's growing more independent. It's like he said, it's not going to be forever. Its just how he feels is the just course of action. Whether it proves to be a mistake or not...those are consequences he's willing to face without you paying for it."

"I _will_ be paying for it..." Mr. Ping again tried to retort...but nothing else came out of his beak. He lowered his wings and sighed deeply. "...But you are right."

Po lowered his eyes softly. "Dad..."

"No...no. It's okay, Po. I'm no longer mad." Mr. Ping smiled a bit weakly. "For all intents and purposes, Gongmen City is calling out to you, or some strange stuff like that. You're conscious tells you to heed those calls, but you believe I'll be in more intense danger than ever before, and you want to keep me away from it. I understand." He turned to the side towards his cart, placing a wing on top of it. "I can't stop you from going, just like no one can stop me from worrying about you. They're right...you're not a cub anymore. You can make your own decisions and I'll support you, even if I don't entirely agree with them. But I seriously can't help but see you as one whenever danger strikes and there's the _slightest_ implication that you won't be able to handle it yourself. My first thought is to stay with you, but that can't always happen, can it? This is the first time you've seriously considered leaving me behind for my own safety. It'll also be the first time we'll be separated for much longer than a day, and it most likely won't be the last. It's just...something I'll have to get used to, I reckon."

Po looked at his father with even softer eyes then before. He walked up to him, placed his big, strong, fuzzy arms around the much smaller goose, and pulled him in for a large and loving hug, cushioning him with his soft and jiggly belly. Mr. Ping didn't hug back initially, but he did look up towards Po. "I'll be fine, Dad. I have my friends to back me up if I get in a jam. We're more than capable of handling whatever comes our way." He smiles widely. "As soon as I'm done with whatever needs to be done there, I'll come right back. Then we can cook all day together and earn you some more money."

Mr. Ping scoffed playfully at the offer, it made him appear a bit cheap. Which isn't exactly a lie, but he always considers Po a much higher priority. "Hmmm...that does sound promising. Plenty of father and son time to go around." He then slowly returns the hug that Po gave him, his wings not able to completely wrap around him due to his large belly, but the message was clear. "However, I do expect you to return to me. And when you do, you'd better be in one piece. Or else you'll be in VERY BIG trouble for lying to your father!"

"Pfft! Puh-lease. No lying required. I _got_ this." Po rolled his eyes playfully. But nonetheless, he kneeled down a little and lightly kissed his father's cheek, his jade colored eyes managing to become a bit brighter while looking at him. "I love you, Dad."

Mr. Ping smiled brightly at this, as he gave Po's nose a gentle, affectionate, fatherly nuzzle. "I love you too, Son." They then embraced in another hug. Tight, loving, and also serving as a good luck gesture for Po. One more big hug before he takes off without Mr. Ping, so the latter wanted it to last.

"Awwwww!~" Viper, Song, and Lian couldn't help but squeal at the scene. Such a father-son bond like this one was extremely rare, especially if the child was adopted. But that doesn't seem to matter to them at all, it's not even an issue.

Mr. Ping was now actually able to touch the ground when Po released him from his bear hug. The panda looked towards Fenghuang, smiling. "No." She said curtly. Po then pouted a little bit in disappointment, and she seemed to instantly feel guilty for causing it. She caved in quicker than she liked, and groaned. "Fine." Po smiled widely again, running up to bear hug the owl, lifting her off her feet. It was purely out of affection from student to Master, as they won't be seeing each other for a while, either. "Just don't prove us wrong by getting your ass kicked." She scoffed. As usual, she tried to play it off. But everyone there knew better than that by now.

"I'm not gonna let you down, Master. I'll be fine! Just be sure to keep Dad company for me." Po pulled back, and turned around. "Alrighty guys, forward march!"

"Sir yes sir!" Monkey and Mantis saluted mischievously, the former latching onto his back, the latter hopping onto his head, and he began moving towards the exit to the other side of the city.

Tigress had carefully watched the interaction between Mr. Ping and Po, and how quickly they were able to make up despite the subject the argument was about. Mr. Ping was deeply distressed by the thought of being so far away from his son, but he chose to trust him, and let him go while his concern was made known, and his trust was made clear. They then split up on pretty good terms.

...She took notice that Shifu didn't seem worried about her at all. She's well aware that it had nothing to do with his love for her, which she knows is there. It might be his total confidence in her to fully take care of herself because of how much he's taught her, and might not need words of encouragement. She honestly didn't know whether or not she should find this comforting or not. Nevertheless, she believes she should at least provide her own farewells. She made her way over to Shifu, kneeling down and pulling him into a hug.

"Goodbye for now, Father. I'll be sure to take care of the others. And be sure to protect Mr. Ping and the others, in our absence. He'll definitely need the company if Po isn't going to be with him."

Shifu was a bit surprised by the suddenness of her gestures. But nonetheless, he returned her hug and closed his eyes for a moment. "Of course, Tigress. I've sensed something amiss in regards to the mentions of Gongmen as well. So I do implore you and the others to be careful." She pulled back a bit after this, though her paws were still on his sides since he was so small. He took the time to lightly caress her cheek, and lean upwards to kiss her forehead. She closed her eyes for a couple moments during this, and opened them when he pulled back. It was all she needed to know that he was definitely as concerned for her as Mr. Ping was for Po. "I wish you luck, Tigress. This might be your first test at complete independence from my instructions. I trust that you'll do well."

"Of course." Tigress nodded as she stood up, tightened her scarf, and ran off to follow Po.

Tai Lung watched her pass by, then turned back to Shifu. But it was Fenghuang who got his attention. "Heya, big guy. You wanna be a part of our one big happy family? Be sure that the little ones don't get slaughtered. We acknowledge you as the strongest among them...but be a team player more than anything else."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Best of luck, Fuzzy Kitty!" Master Yao waved.

"You can leave 'Daddy' in my capable paws." Mei Ling purred, sneaking up from behind and lightly nuzzling into his neck. He blushed heavily in embarassment. Tai Lung chuckled.

"Ah...um...excuse me, Tai Lung? If I could...um...say something?" Mr. Ping raised a wing as he waddled over to him. "Um...you're trying to make amends for the things you did in the past...right?"

"Yeah?"

"Good to know, good to know." He twiddled his wings, lightly kicking at the dirt beneath his feet. "So...since you're undoubtedly the strongest amongst them. You'll be able to...um...keep them safe?"

"Pfft. I'm more than capable. I might even get them to toughen up a little in the process."

"Oh! Good, very good." Mr. Ping nodded politely. "I'll just need to be sure that my son is in safe hands under your watch, as well as the others. As you saw and heard, I think very highly of my son. While I realize I can't go everywhere he goes, that doesn't prevent me from worrying."

"Of course. You have my word, Mr. Ping. Even if we do run into something...unsavory...the panda will be back to you, completely safe and sound. I plan to do the same for my sister. I'm well aware she has the power and skill to handle herself, and the comrades to back her up. Buuuuut..." He shrugged. "Can't be too careful. Besides, I'm interested in seeing what they can do."

Mr. Ping smiled happily. "Oh thank you! Its such a relief to know that my son and his friends are in capable paws! However..." Mr. Ping waddled closer to Tai Lung...leapt up and pulled on his cloak to bring him down to his level, and he glared intensely into his eyes. "If you come to break your word...if for any reason at all, my son is unable to return to my wings for a comforting hug and a bowl of noodles...it won't matter if you're some powerful Kung-Fu Master. I _promise_ you, you will _**NOT**_ like what I turn into. Fenghuang will be unable to restrain me. Not even _**Shifu**_ will have the power to keep you safe from me. Let me repeat incase you misunderstand. If Po was right about the danger ahead, and he doesn't come back from it, I'm holding YOU responsible. Do you hear me? NO ONE will be able to save you. I will **Tear. You. _APART._** " His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are we clear?"

Tai Lung has faced a multitude of death glares over his journey when he runs into someone who antagonizes him. He brushes them all off without a second thought. However...looking into this goose's eyes, seeing the deep concern and love he has for his son, and that there will be **hell** to pay if he doesn't come back to him on his watch...Tai Lung couldn't help but fearfully gulp, and wiped the sweat forming on his head. "Y-Yes sir. We're clear. We are SO clear."

And just like a flipped coin, the waiting hellstorm within Mr. Ping's eyes was swapped with bright sunshine and happiness. "Excellent!" He let go of the snow leopard's cloak, lightly dusted it off, and clapped his wings. "Well! I'd better go get lunch ready. Farewell! Lalala~" He then waddled off with such a cheerful tune that it brightened up the moods of the civilians he passed by.

Fenghuang chuckled. "Don't feel ashamed. Protective Father Mode Ping terrifies me too."

Tai Lung pawed his forehead, lightly gasping. "I...I don't know what happened. I had some witty confident remark ready...and then instinct told me to just obey or face severe consequences." He then looked at Fenghuang. "You're not going to threaten me like he did?"

"Sweetie, Mr. Ping is trusting you with his son's life, and is threatening you if you somehow screw it up." She shrugged. "Whatever he plans to do, it'll trump what I have in mind. Easily. But of course...you still don't want to try me, either. Be sure they all get back."

"Of course." Tai Lung nodded as he turned around and bounded for following the others.

Shifu was tiredly rubbing his forehead. "Now I'm worried for my son's life ending at the hands of two angry fowls...the universe definitely has a sadistic and strange sense of humor sometimes..."

Meanwhile, Mr. Ping pulled something out of his robes and opens it. One of the things that survived the Valley's raid, a portrait of himself and younger Po, when they were almost the same height. He sighed. He really didn't want Po to go...but he had to.

Fenghuang noticed his concern, and tried to cheer him up, placing a wing on his shoulder. "He'll be fine, Ping. Po's strong. I know, I trained him myself. But we'll be able to sense if he'll be in trouble, then I'll rush to help...and then I'll kick Tai Lung's ass for breaking a promise." She laughed heartily. "Bah! Who knows? He might even be back before you can say 'Noodles!'"

Mr. Ping looks at the portrait, then up towards the retreating Po and friends. To the portrait, and back. This repeated a couple more times, until he stuck to watching Po's back. He was deeply missing him already, his parental concern was powerfully evident. His eyes lowered, and the cheer he had earlier when he finished speaking to Tai Lung was now gone. When they were all far out of sight, Mr. Ping uttered so softly, so quietly, and so sadly that everyone still there could literally _hear_ his heart aching with worry, and not even Fenghuang could find anything else to say that could immediately comfort him:

"...…Noodles..."


	48. Gongmen City

**(Láng Wō)**

"You gonna leave already, Baby? Your little brother was really looking forward to spending more time with you." Lièrén said as her son was getting his things ready to follow his friends. "In fact...why don't you take him with you? He could use the adventure."

"You know I can't do that, Mother. Especially not where we're going." Ànyǐng said while packing his supplies for the next stage of their journey. "I can't head to Gongmen with Zing. It's very dangerous there, if Shen is really went back." He closed his eyes. "Po will be in danger. Everyone will be in danger."

"Of course they will be. It's Shen." She tilted her head. "I'm more worried about you doing something and it results in something...a little less than what you're trying to achieve." She then tilted it back. "If it's not obvious, I'm saying that there's a high chance you might something up and it bites you in the ass later."

"Mother, _please_. Zing could have heard you."

"The little pup is asleep, I'm not worried about him. Once again, what I'm worried about is you. What if you run into your pops?"

He was silent for a very long while after that. Then he continued. "Then I guess I'll figure it out when it happens. _If_ it happens."

"You don't really care if you actually see him, do you?"

"If I do, that's fine. If I don't, I won't lose sleep over it. We've been doing fine without each other, there's no reason the arrangement can't still be maintained." He slung a satchel over his shoulder, and nodded. "I will be off. They'll be waiting for me to catch up."

She shrugged. "Fine. I can't stop you. You're a big boy." She said while walking up to him with her arms initially folded. Then she reached out and wrapped her paws around him, hugging him. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're still _my_ big boy. Do try not to let yourself get your ass kicked by your old man when you meet him. He's not that bad a guy...but his loyalty to Shen is extreme."

"I know, Mother." He said as he returned the hug, pulled back and kissed the top of her paws. "I'll be careful." With this, he let go of her paws, and went out to join his friends, running on all fours.

Lièrén nodded as he ran off. She then sat back down in her den as her other son lies peacefully sleeping in his bed, while the older one went off to dangers known. Then she lied back and closed her eyes at the events that's about to come.

 _It looks like the panda is heading towards Gongmen after all...just like you said, Geezer Tortoise. And he has the comrades to back him up. Including Tai Lung of all guys. Who would have thought._ She thought silently to herself as she kicked her leg up a bit.

 _Which is good, because for now...I don't have to lend my own paw out for him. It'd be a bit too easy if I repaid my debt now..._

 **(Gongmen City)**

Shen was supposed to be in a good mood. All of his men thought he would be happy, even. He had taken control of Gongmen City in such a short time with little to no resistance whatsoever. Master Rhino, Master Ox, and Master Croc were forced to coerce with his will, and with an army as large as his own, there weren't many able to stand against them. And just so they couldn't send for help, he had _all_ purposes of messaging shut down and/or completely destroyed, and the Masters under very keen surveillance. All possible transports to Gongmen were under his control, and he sent his men out to multiple locations that could possibly lead back to Gongmen. No one in the city would be getting help, and no one would be coming to offer it. Thus, when he was ready to begin his attack, no one would be prepared for it. He made sure he was prepared for that possibility. It seemed that there would be no way to stop him.

As such, while he was reveling in his apparent success, he had confronted the Soothsayer in order to have his fortune be read. He clearly expected something that met his standards and expectations.

He got...less than what he desired.

"WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

And he was incredibly displeased.

The Soothsayer was sitting in front of him with a rather indifferent yet non-antagonistic look on her face. Shen had asked her to tell him his future since he so confidently believes that everything was going his way and falling in his favor. He's believed he's already won. Though the fortune she's told him was much less what he expected, and even less of what he wanted to hear. Because...

"I have already told you. You're just refusing to listen. One defining trait of yours that you still have even after all of these years." She said, not flinching at all from his infuriated and enraged glare. "A peacock...is defeated by a warrior of black and white. Fate had not changed for you, nor will it ever, if you continue the path you're on now."

Shen shook his head furiously. "No...no no no...that isn't...there's no way. It CAN'T! I've killed them all, I'm absolutely sure of it!"

"You don't sound too sure." Soothsayer said patiently.

"I don't care about your perspective!"

"Then why did you ask me for a fortune if you don't care for my perspective?"

Shen snarled fiercely, throwing a knife into her bowl, shattering it into pieces. He turned around with a huff. "Hmph. I have no reason to worry. What you're saying is impossible and you're merely trying to bluff me. Well it won't work."

"Well, if you don't believe me...then do what you will." She shrugged carelessly. "Though I have never had any reason to lie in my predictions, Shen. And no matter how vile you're acting, I'm still not lying now. You may choose to believe me, or choose not to. Either way, it won't change your fate if you stay on this path. And I cannot say what the consequences will be for failing to heed my warnings."

"...Zhong. Take her to her room. We're done here." Shen says without looking at her.

"Alrighty, Granny. Let's get a move on." Zhong said as he gently took her by the arm and lead he away. She could only look at Shen with a sad look before she ultimately turned away from him. She knows he will be very stubborn no matter what she says. But she still cares about him, and feels like she has to at least try. But currently, she won't be reaching him, not now. And if things are looking really bleak...probably not ever.

Shen still didn't bother seeing her out, but when she was truly out of sight, he let out a deep-thoated sigh. "Blasted goat...how can she not see things _my_ way...?"

"That's pretty cold of you, Shen. Giving your nanny the cold shoulder." Shen sighed once again when he heard the voice of Storming Ox echo through the room. He turned to see that he and Master Croc were entering the room. "Especially since she's constantly given you windows to give up on the chaos you're intent on causing."

"The things she's muttering about are not useful to me in any way. If she's not going to assist me, she's getting in my way. And I'm more than willing to move her if need be." Shen raised an eyebrow. "Where might Master Thundering Rhino be?"

"He's still on patrol for any...signs of trouble." Master Croc said quietly. He was the most obedient of the trio, if only because his students were still imprisoned, and Shen _will_ hurt them if he doesn't cooperate. Though if his heart was right, Fung will sense something amiss, and come for them. And that's when he'll truly begin to worry. Right now, his facial expression is completely neutral, even when the soldiers take advantage of his lack of resistance. Discipline was something he's not a stranger to. When it comes to being pushed around, he now takes it quietly.

Storming Ox was obviously the most rebellious of the trio, he was the one to usually back talk Shen and is even the one who tries to to lash out. Those attempts were not successful, judging by the talon marks across his body and bruises on his face. Shen does the clawing, his gorillas do the bruising. Even right now, his look towards Shen was the most antagonistic. And as such, he takes the most punishment. The wolves even consider him the 'Punching Bag' of the trio. Because no matter how much he resists, he knows the people are at risk of annihilation if he doesn't submit.

Master Thundering Rhino was the most reluctant to follow Shen's orders, but he does so no matter what he has to say about it. The patrols Master Croc was talking about was Rhino going around and assisting the civilians however he could. He prevented Shen's men from being too hostile towards them, he sneaked food to those who starve, and he's the one who takes punishment without flinching. He won't give them the satisfaction of seeing his apparent helplessness affect his emotions. He refuses to break. Even if the people of Gongmen suffers, as much as he hates it, the status is currently better than Shen turning his weapon on them. He won't risk their lives.

And he especially won't risk Po's life. Shen was still blissfully unaware that the three of them are fully aware that there _was_ a panda still around in China, parts of China that they were familiar with. Though the danger was still very possible, because it obviously couldn't stay that way forever. Either Shen's forces spread farther throughout China and inevitably find the panda...or the panda will come to him. Either path shall result in a very violent confrontation.

"Ah...I see." Shen said as Croc was brought out of his thoughts on the situation. "I trust he is doing his job at attending to the civilians...their lives _do_ depend on his obedience...as well as yours. Is that understandable to you, Ox? You do tend to do a lot of charginf even thought shall bring you nothing but pain. Pain to your being...and pain to your comrades."

"Punishing me for my 'insubordination' shouldn't even involve them! They don't try anything at all!"

"Ah, you're right. But even so...what kind of example would I be setting for everyone else if I let _all_ of you off the hook? Nonono...you all must be taught a lesson, every time you resist, I shall bring you down a couple pegs. Everyone should be reminded that you three are no longer in control. There is only me. And that won't change by your actions, or by some fantasy prophecy that has no chance of succeeding. Especially since I've eliminated the threat _long_ before it could become one." Ox rolled his eyes at the statement...which was unfortunately noticed by Shen, who's eyes turned critically dangerous. "What's with the eye roll? Can't handle the truth? Or...could you be hiding something from me?"

Ox scoffed. "You're a real paranoiac, Shen. I've only rolled my eyes because of how overconfident and egotistical you sound. It really makes me laugh on the inside."

"Ah yes, I've seen that part. But what intrigues me is the way your eyes flashed afterwards." Shen announced coldly as his metal talons scraped across the ground, before standing in front of Ox. "Not only do you mock me, you're doing something else as well. Could you possibly...be hiding something from me?"

"What could I possibly be hiding? It's not much of a secret that I think very lowly of you. You're still being a tyrannical little punk forcing everyone under your heel. All Hail Lord Shen, the Royal _Nobody_."

Shen frowned as he stared at Ox for a very long time, their eye contact not breaking for an instant. Master Croc grew incredibly nervous at the fear of a confrontation that Ox would surely lose, especially since the wolves in the room had their spears pointed at his neck. After a long while, Shen simply smiled. "Very well. See if I care if you hide things from me. It won't change how all of this will end, anyhow. Besides, out of the three of you, you're the most durable chew toy for the wolves to play with, since Rhino is always out." Shen said as he turned away and waved his wing. "Take him."

Ox growled lowly at the sound of his hands being shackled behind his back, and another wolf punching him dead in the face, knocking him into the floor. They all cackled gleefully as they grabbed him and carried him out of the room. Master Croc looked after him with an overwhelming sense of sadness. After everything they have been through, this is how things turn out. But at the very least, Ox didn't reveal anything significant about Po. Though how long can they all last under this severe abuse?

 _An extended period of time, definitely. But not forever._

"Master Croc." The named Master stood straight in attention. "Do check the waters again. Can't be too careful for any surprises from below, can we?"

"Of course, Lord Shen." He bowed submissively and quietly, before moving out to do his 'duty'. Shen was left alone, continuing to look out towards Gongmen City. What was rightfully _his_. No one else could understand how he sees things...but they shall. Sooner or later. And he hopes for the former.

Still...the Soothsayer's fortune is still plaguing his mind. She was right about one thing...she doesn't lie. She wouldn't be a very credible fortune teller if she lied in her predictions. He just couldn't fathom it. He was absolutely sure he had killed them all...and his future, according to her, hasn't changed. There's nothing he can say to sway her, because she's insisting she's telling the whole truth. He thinks it's nonsense, he _knows_ it's nonsense...but the very back of his mind is telling him to take special caution when managing the city, just to be on the safe side.

Even if... _if_ he hasn't really changed his fate back then, there's still a window of opportunity for him to be able to change it _now_. Again, this is a precautionary action. The Soothsayer insists that his fate hasn't changed. That means somehow, _somehow_ , he had missed a panda or two. No matter, if there is a panda still out there, he'll find him. And then he'll kill him to assure that his future changes.

"If there is a panda out there that's this famed 'Warrior of Black and White' I'll have to take special care in dealing with him." Shen said quietly. "Him being the one to stop me, he must be very powerful, very resilient, and he puts fear into all those that cross his path. Ha...I can only imagine what kind of threatening force he may pose. For all I know, he's well aware of what I did." He narrowed his eyes.

 _He's most likely full of vengeance, and is plotting my downfall...right this moment..._

 **(Meanwhile, right this moment)**

"Fenghuang said that I wouldn't be able to fit forty-eight bean buns in my mouth...you can just imagine the look on her face when I proved her WRONG!" Po said cheerfully while he had a rather wide grin on his face.

"Forty-eight. I never knew any mouth could get so spacious." Tai Lung said, slightly impressed.

"No way! He's bluffing!" Mantis denied, pointing an accusing foreleg towards the panda.

"Bluff? Mantis, you underestimate me." Po grinned, lightly patting his belly. "I could have gone for more, but Mr. Ping slapped my back thinking I was choking, and I spit them all back out right into Fenghuang's face. It was hilarious!" He laughed a bit, relishing the memory. Then he lowered his tone and shyly twiddled his fingers. "Then she kicked me into a tree and made me go without lunch for three days and made me work out all day for all three of them. The day after, I fell asleep."

"Wow. That's...a bit much." Song tilted her head.

"That was cub's play. When I woke up I began stuffing myself like crazy because I felt like I couldn't walk."

"Indeed. She must _really_ care panda. It could have easily been much worse, since she's more sadistic than Shifu. Trust me, if she wanted you to break from the pressure, you would have most definitely been broken." Tai Lung said, paws behind his neck.

Po laughed sheepishly. "Yeah...that might be true. But there is a trait of mine that she really fines impressive."

"And what would that be?"

Po tilted his hair a bit, smiling. "I'm not a guy who gives up easily."

"Oh believe me, I can tell that just by looking at you. Both you and Tigress." Tai Lung looked around. "In fact, _all_ of you seem to share this trait in some form or another." He blinked a little at Bian Zao. "Except you. You look like a Lazy Ass."

"What?!"

"Yeah. You look like someone who will give up at the first go."

"Told ya it fits you." Lian smirked smugly at the warthog, who was just looking at Tai Lung in disbelief. Peng merely patted his shoulder lightly.

"If it's too much to ask, mind telling us how far we are from Gongmen City?" Crane brought up, a bit shy of due to Tai Lung's presence.

"Well we should be decently closer, due to a map I've required. I usually prefer not to do much traveling if I don't have a map. When I do travel without a map...well...eh, I just wing it." Tai Lung grinned, wrapping an arm around Crane, making him flinch slightly. "Come on! There's no need to be afraid of me."

"Don't mind him. He's always been jumpy." Fung snickered. Crane glared hard at Fung.

'But ever since we've set out with Po and the others, he's definitely been getting better." Mei Ling smiled proudly at Crane. Crane's response was to lower his hat enough so that his blush couldn't be seen. Tai Lung had accurately guessed that they knew each other for quite a long time.

"I'm gonna have to agree with that one. Crane turned from Cowardly Crane to slightly less Cowardly Crane." Monkey snickered.

Crane loomed over the primate with a dark look on his face, which made Monkey sweat a little. "I dare you to say that again, to my face. Go on. _Say it_." No response was made to the threat, which seemed to be the wise move to take, as Crane lowered his wings and huffed. "Didn't think so."

"Heh. The skinny one has a strong backbone. I can definitely respect that." Tai Lung chuckled, as he looked forward. "Look, there's a harbor over there. One of them should surely lead us to Gongmen City via river. Though I can't really show my face, so you all are gonna have to do it." He said as he pulled his cloak over his head, hiding his face.

"It's that easy? No problem!" Mantis hopped over to who appeared to be the ship's captain. Tigress took special note that he was a fairly large Komodo Dragon. She doesn't really see many of them. Though this one didn't look that trustworthy. But it seemed like he was their only ticket to Gongmen. "Hey buddy! Do you think you can give us all a ride to Gongmen City?"

The reaction was to instantly narrow his eyes at the insect and stand straight. "All transports to Gongmen have been canceled. No one goes in or out." Fung instantly narrowed his eyes at the statement. Something was definitely wrong.

"What?! What do you mean by that? 'No one goes in or out'? What kind of stupid rule is that?"

"It's a new rule that's just been put in place. Gongmen is on a complete lock down of almost every possible way." He folded his arms and glared. "It's none of your business anyway. Take a hike, insect."

Mantis narrowed his eyes, forelegs folded. "There's no need to be an asshole, buddy."

"I'm not your buddy."

"Clearly!"

Tigress pinched the bridge of her nose in aggravation. The LAST thing they needed right now was to start a fight in the harbor, especially since there were a strangely large number of komodo dragons all around them, and they looked ready to hear down anyone who antagonizes them at any moment. Of course, she was confident they would win, but then they'd lose their only method of transport.

"I can force him to comply." Tai Lung offered, silently cracking his knuckles under his cloak. Tigress quietly shook her head in response. They needed that transport, they shouldn't ruin that by starting a needless conflict, regardless of how much they wanted to. There had to be a way to get their approval without starting a huge brawl. There were still smaller citizens such as sheeps and bunnies that they clearly didn't want to endanger.

"Now now boys. Let's not get hostile so soon." Song interrupted, moving past Tigress and in front of the Komodo Dragon, using her tail to gently brush Mantis aside, to his great annoyance. "Now then...are you sure that we cannot take one of your boats to Gongmen City?'

"I'm under orders to keep all transports to Gongmen shut down. NO ONE can go in or out."

"Really? _No one_? Boy, what a bummer." Song pouted a bit, closing her parasol and handing it to Monkey, who was lightly confused by her actions. "I was _really_ looking forward to bringing me and my friends there. I heard it's quite a metropolis, and a fairly vast one. I really want to go there and check it out for myself."

"Sorry miss, but I can't make any exceptions. You all best turn around and leave."

"Really? No exceptions whatsoever?" Song asked curiously, walking up to him and lightly standing on her toes, fluttering her eyes. "Not even for me or my friends?"

The Komodo Dragon grunt's posture weakened slightly, and he began to blush. "T...That's right..."

"Come oooonnn...be a team player." She says as her tail swishes slyly from side to side, as she lightly patted his chest, her eyes halfway closed. "I do find it quite amazing that you're dedicated to your job..I find it _really_ respectable how devoted you are."

The grunt began to smile, trying to find a distraction anywhere. "Well, I have to set an example for my unit in some way..." He tried to regain his composure. "It's exactly why I can't let anyone on the transports. My superiors won't take it kindly."

Song flirtatiously blinked at him, as she placed a paw on his cheek. "Is that what this is about? You don't need to be so stuck up all the time. Be a rebel! You have a right to act as a free spirit once in a while! I just _know_ that you're stressed out all the time for following orders down to the letter all of the time. It makes you seem like a mere soldier grunt than an actual person." She smiled. "Luckily, _I_ don't see you that way. I know you can be the first of your unit to act like a total free individual. That way, as they follow your excellent example, they won't end up as mindless grunts, either."

He seemed to think deeply on the thought, his own tail stopped moving to showcase it. Everyone watched him with quiet expressions. Po was clearly the most anxious. Ànyǐng was the one who was most likely to strike, if only out of caution. Ultimately he didn't need to, as the komodo dragon managed a cracked smirk. "Heh...I'm most likely gonna get into serious trouble if I do this for you."

"I'm a pretty great secret keeper. I won't tell anyone. Snow Leopard's Honor." Song raised her right paw as if to swear it.

"Grrr...fine. I guess I can make this _one_ exception. I'll get the boat set up. But just know that if you all get caught, I've never seen you before in my life."

Song jumped cheerfully as she grabbed his snout and kissed his cheek. "Thank you! You're so awesome! You have NO idea how much this means to me!" He seemed pleased by her actions, as he turned and began barking orders for his until to get the boat ready. After he got out of hearing range, she turned towards the others and grabbed her parasol from Monkey, and she smirked victoriously and mischievously, with a small bow.

Tigress folded her arms in disapproval. "That was deceitful, dishonest, conniving, and manipulative."

Song walked up to her and lightly poked her nose. "Tigress, I come from a group that has all of those traits as second-nature. Besides, I got us a free boat ride out of it, thus avoiding bringing damage to the boats in a fight. You're welcome." She patted her cheek and walked past her. Tigress took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"She _did_ help with the situation. Don't punch the snow leopardess...don't punch the snow leopardess...don't _maim_ the snow leopardess..."

Tai Lung smirked a little under his cloak, his face still mostly unseen. "You don't like her much, do you?"

"I respect her as a comrade and a friend...but sometimes our personalities contrast so much that we come _dangerously_ close to coming to blows...and sometimes I want it to come to that so I can knock her teeth out."

"You know, sister stuff." Viper beamed positively. Po seemed to disagree with that just a little bit, but he didn't make a comment about it.

Tigress wasn't the only one who was peeved. Fung had seen the entire thing...and he wasn't happy. He had been quietly snarling behind his teeth the entire time, trying not to lash out at the Komodo Dragon to attempt to bite his head off. Monkey noticed his angered look with a raised eyebrow. "Fung? You okay buddy? You look pretty aggravated by something."

"Aggravated? _Me?_ Pfft! Don't make me laugh!" Fung scoffed, not noticing that he had ripped off several planks from the wooden harbor, placed them between his jaws and bit down hard, completely snapping them all in half. No damage to his jaws whatsoever. "I'm totally cool, Monkey. Why would I possibly be aggravated?"

Monkey blinked a little bit...then he shrugged. "Eh. You're right."

Ànyǐng slowly eased his paw away from his blade and sighed. "That was too close. We don't need that sort of attention so early. Not this time."

"Agreed." Tigress nodded, calming down.

Po looked around at the Komodo Dragon's armor and their shoulder plates...then he saw they also have that same symbol in his dreams, and those other wolves. _He began seeing multiple flashes of red, as well as fire and blood all over the place, and found of himself in a village he didn't recognize, and yet at the same time, he did. The flashes ended, and he suddenly lost balance, only for Tigress to catch him before he could fall. In it's place, loud ringing, as well as screams of terror and blades cutting through flesh began to fill his ears, and he slapped his paws over them in a vain attempt to block them out._

"Po...? PO!" Tigress said, lightly shaking him as he blankly stared forward for a full minute. Any voice he heard was blurred and disoriented, therefore unable to be undersrood, therefore interfering with his ability to respond. The others noticed this and surrounded him with their eyes full of concern. He blinked when the ringing stopped and his vision became clear again.

"Tigress...?" Po said slowly as he still had a hard time standing up on his own. The visons are beginning to greatly shake him on a mental level. Tigress helped him stand up, though he waved his paw in a gesture to show that he could do it on his own. His eyes looked...distant. "Let's just...get on the boat. We don't want to waste too much time." he said this in a low tone of voice as he walked onto the boat meant to take them to Gongmen. Tigress still eyed his back with concern, but reluctantly nodded and followed him onto the boat along with everyone else.

Tai Lung was at least the most aware that the way Po was reacting was some sort of trauma reaction...and those symbols on the Komodo Dragon's armor, as well as the wolves, are most likely the triggers. It wasn't looking good for Po's mental health.

"Alright, you all! Here's your boat. Should lead you _straight_ to Gongmen City." The Komodo Dragon mentioned to them. "But don't blame me if you get killed. I'll completely deny all claims of me knowing you all."

"We'll be perfectly fine, I assure you. Bye bye!" Song cheerfully waved as the most began to take off, moving down the river at a steady pace. Mei Ling and Tigress rolled their eyes at her, while Lien wnd Peng laughed softly at the ruse. At the very least, they were finally on their way to Gongmen City.

 **(The Following Night)**

Po was standing over the railing of the boat, his hat lying on his back hanging by it's string, and his scarf flowing with the cold night wind. Everyone else was sleeping peacefully...well...most of them. But he didn't know that yet. Right now, he had been thinking to himself for a long time, staring at the moon above him, as the light reflected off of his jade eyes. He was thinking about how intense these visions have been getting the closer he got to Gongmen City, as well as the more he kept thinking about it. He still had doubts about the connection, but they're now absolutely minimal.

He was also right, and oh so very glad, that he had requested(close to the point of begging) Mr. Ping to stay behind and that Fenghuang and the elders watch over him. He was subconsciously sensing the danger, and he did NOT want his father to be a part of it. It's best that he stays safe with someone he knows will keep him that way. It was just a gut feeling for him to keep Mr. Ping away from where the danger was, and he feels like he's definitely made the right decision. But he definitely doesn't feel too good about it. He misses him dearly. Plus, these nightmares are becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

He looks slightly down the river, _then he sees flames dancing around on the horizon, and smoke filling the skies, which have turned red._ He blinked and the cool blue of the area returns. He groaned and held his head in aggravation.

"Graaaag! Why won't these stupid visions just leave me alone?!" Po grumbled, his eyes closing tightly. _Seriously! It's getting to the point that I can't even sleep properly without waking up with coldness in my heart and sweating all over! And now they're interfering with my focus for when I'm awake! Just what am I supposed to do?!_

"You're still awake." Po turned his head around to see Tigress standing on the roof of the boat, looking over him. "You seem deeply disturbed. Those nightmares and daymares of yours are getting more and more unbearable, aren't they?"

"I just don't know why this is happening. The closer we get to Gongmen, or even mentioning it at all, the worse they get!" Po shook his head. "I'm seriously feeling like I'm losing it..."

"Maybe you could use something to ease your stress." Tigress then flips backwards off of the roof of the boat, and right behind Po. She then folded one arm behind her back and held her paw outward. "I am ready."

Po blinked. "Ready for what?" He asked. Tigress waved her paw a bit again. "Oh, you want me to strike into it? How is that supposed to help?"

"It should be worth a try, right?"

"Alright. If you say so." He shrugged as he stood up fully and stood in a battle-ready stance. Then he clenched his fist tightly, reared it back, and threw it hard into Tigress's palm.

 _BOOM!_

The impact was enough to cause the water around them to splash upwards a couple inches and spreading outward away from them. Then the water splashes back downwards and the water became calm again. After a couple moments of silence, Po drew his paw back, grabbing it and jumping around in pain.

"HAAAAAAOOOoooowwwww! Ow! Ow! All of my Ow! Dammit!" Po hissed in pain, and repeatedly blowing on his paw. "Geez, Tigress! Were you just holding back this entire time against the bad guys?"

"It's not always about me restraining myself, Po. I've just grown stronger." Tigress explained calmly. "There are two certain ways this can happen. You're either training, or you're growing experience through battle. As you can see, we have our share of both and it's definitely helped us so far. Mostly through the latter."

"Yeah...I guess I can see that as a thing.' Po mumbled, fully standing up and rubbing his paw. "Well, on the bright side, the pain in my paw is temporarily my brain's main focus, so it won't be pounding me with nightmares." Po managed to block out most of the pain and raised his fists again. "Well, we most likely won't be going to sleep soon. We might as well chat some more."

"Hm." Tigress nodded in amusement, paw raised. "Again."

Po nodded as he began practicing against her one paw, while seemingly baffled by how far apart their levels of skill are, yet they're still in the same league as one another. Probably because his skills lie in more chi based attacks and custom, mostly unpredictable Panda-Style, with his just as unpredictable behavior throwing enemies off, plus his fat making him quite durable. While Tigress's skills lie in her Tiger-Style with her raw power and much more practiced, disciplined, polished physical might, and she tends to make quite a tactical fighter when she needs to be.

"So...Tai Lung. Your big brother is back. What are your thoughts on that?" He said as he placed multiple strikes at her paw, as she effortlessly catches them all and pushes them in different directions.

"My thoughts on him are... _mixed_ at best, and mildly antagonistic at worst." She admitted as she caught his fist, lightly pushing it away. "My mind hates the fact that he's here, due to the horrible memories and nightmares he's given me. I'm not a big fan of the fact that he's trying to squirm his way back into me and Father's lives as if nothing happened." She pushed away a roundhouse kick from him. "Yet my heart speaks differently. While it may have been in pain due to his actions, it also feels like he deserves a second chance. It wouldn't be right of me to deny him the fhsnce to redeem himself just because of my own personal feelings. Like or not, he's family. Second chances are almost automatic."

"I feel ya there." Po nodded. "So, how strong do you think he is now?" He said while throwing another kick, which she caught.

"I'm not sure. But I'm going to take a bet that he wasn't spending his time lazing around during his redemption journey. We should be glad we're on the same side and not the other way around."

"Of course he's on our side. He genuinely wants to make things right. Besides, you're his sister. He wouldn't hurt you."

"I know. I'm not too worried about me. I'm worried about the influence he might have on Peng. Unlike me, he's actually blood-related to him."

"Come on, Tigress! Peng's a good kid, and Tai Lung's working his way to be a good guy again. He's not gonna 'corrupt' him or some junk like that. Oogway took care of that before it could begin." Po jumped back a bit, catching his breath. "Tigress, just be straight with me. Do you love your big brother?"

"Without question." She answered calmly. "Though my trust in him is another matter entirely. I'm not as lenient on the issue as Shifu. Tai Lung wants me to trust him, so he has to earn it. Because nearly all of it was lost on that day, and I'm unsure if he'll ever be able to get all of it back."

Po sighed. "At least you're willing to give him a chance to try. Who knows, it might work out! Look at me and Fenghuang!"

Tigress thought about it for a little bit, and a soft smile graced her lips. "I suppose you're right."

"I totally am." Po said. He then flipped right over her and aimed a kick at the back of her head, thought he was instantly caught by the wrist by her tail. "What the-?!" Was all he had time for as he was unceremoniously flipped sideways, landing on his back with a rather painful this. Tigress turned around and looked down with a sly smile.

"Tail strength. I've begun incorporating it into my skill set." She then walked back into the boathouse. "Good talk, Po."

"Glad...I...could help...ow." he groaned while sitting up and rubbing his aching back.

Unknown to them, Tai Lung hadn't been completely asleep. His left ear had twitched slightly the moment Po awoke, and he begun to truly listen in when they began talking about him. He felt his mood dampen as Tigress said she still loved him as a sibling, but confirmed that gaining her trust wasn't going to be easy like Shifu. If anything, it would possibly be significantly harder.

That's okay though. Tai Lung appreciates a good challenge.

 **(Early Morning)**

"Peng. _Peng._ Wake up." Lian whispered softly, placing both paws on her boyfriend's arms and shaking him awake. "Time to get up. Seriously dude, you gotta check this out!"

"Mmmm..." Peng opened his eyes and stared up at Lian. Smiling softly, he sat up and allowed her to hug his arm and sweetly kiss his lips good morning. "What is it, Lian?"

"We've made it. Gongmen City is really close!" Lian said excitedly. Bian Zao was still sleeping soundly. Lian fixed that by lightly kicking him in the side, which still hurt him quite a bit. "Rise and Shine, Lazy Ass!"

"I don't think kicking me was really necessary. Lame..." he grumbled while trying to force himself awake, very reluctantly. "Are we really getting close to the city?"

"See for yourself." Lian pointed out down the river.

Indeed, when they looked further down the river, they could see the city clearly. Even Bian Zao got himself to rub his eyes and look again in surprise. The city was _huge_. They weren't even inside yet and the number of buildings in the distance seems close to uncountable. Granted, he knew there were a couple cities in China that had to be larger than Gongmen, but he never actually got interested enougb to go out to see them. So seeing them for himself...isn't completely lame.

"Not bad." Bian Zao nodded in acknowledgement. "I can see the harbor. Those boats are really bunched together...maybe that Komodo Guy was telling the truth about Gongmen being off-limits on nearly every angle."

"But why? When I left the joint, everything was fine!" Fung grumbled as he sat up, placing his helmet. "I'm not liking this at all..."

"If there are hostile parties at work, we're running the risk of getting caught in a group as big as ours. So we'll splitting up for a bit." Tai Lung folded his arms and nodded towards the harbor. "Croc-boy is right to be cautious. Peng, Lian, Bian Zao, Song, Ànyǐng, and Xuě are going to go with Fung in one direction of the city and figure out what's up." The latter nodded quietly. It would be a pain for the goat, but using her powers would not be wise at the moment. "The rest of you. Po, Tigress, Crane, Monkey, Viper, Mantis, and Mei Ling. You all will go to yet another part of the city to do the same."

"What are you gonna do?" Po asked as the boat began approaching the harbor.

"I'm gonna go solo to see what I can dig up. In the meantime, you all just do what you need to do." Tai Lung said while he looked in one direction. "Time to get off. You all ditch the boat. Can't risk you being found on it, not with the rumors we've heard from those Komodo Dragons."

"Right. Good luck to you guys. And Fung...make sure to stay safe. As best as you can." Tigress nodded softly as she and her team noticed the decks were currently unguarded, and they hopped off one side of the boat and sneakily dashed off in one direction. Fung nodded back while he took his own team and went in the other direction.

In the meantime, Tai Lung cracked his neck and rubbed his paws together as he docked the boat himself. Sensing it come to a stop, he stepped off the boat and began moving along the harbor. Though he stopped when he heard something behind him. He turned to see a wolf just exiting one of the boats after checking it, and his eyes laid upon Tai Lung.

There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two. The wolf recovered, and tried to sound a warning howl. But he found his muzzle to be forced shut, as well as finding Tai Lung using his left paw to do so.

"Now now, there's no need for that." Tai Lung shook his head silently...then swiftly knocked the wolf out with a hard blow to the head, them hid him inside a barrel. Making sure there were no more where that one came from, he lowered his cloak over his head and has begun to move. Infiltration was a success. Now they needed to know why they had to resort to that in the first place.

...nobody seemed to notice Master Croc's shadowy form follow Fung's team while underwater...


	49. Beginning Of Rebellion

"This place is _much_ bigger than I thought it would be." Po mumbled in slight amazement as he and others began moving over the rooftops of Gongmen, cautiously. They were finally beginning to take the warnings of the Komodo Dragons into account and realizing that the entire city was very much on a deep and thorough lockdown, for whatever reason they couldn't yet figure out.

The place was actually pretty rich in regards to buildings, citizens, decorations, and the like. There was constantly a flow of citizens passing in and out of buildings, casuaaly or not so casually passing one another by at almost every second they travel. There were some carts around that helped them carry things from one point to another, though sometimes they'd still bump into one another in the rush they looked like they were in. A lot of them looked completely frantic, as a matter of fact.

It was then that they finally took notice of a majority of their faces...deep-rooted fear. From what, they wondered until they took a good and closer look at the ones most likely responsible for that fear. A large number of Komodo Dragons, wolves, crocs, and even a few gorillas seen in the distance. The later two were very scarce, while the former two could also be seen almost all over the place like the citizens. They were all glaring down on the helpless scitizens, glaring at them, snarling and growling at them to get them to move along, and they looked a bit smug as they embraced the power that they have over those who couldn't defend themselves.

The very thought was causing the groups blood to boil, but they reluctantly stayed quiet for the most part. They were having outnumbered because an entire city was filled with these thugs, so trying to defy them without a proper plan wouldn't exactly be the safest idea. But their caution would be for not, as one of them would surely snap and jump in to help the helpless however they can. Sitting by while others suffer wasn't in any of their styles.

What caught Po off guard was the symbols on their armors...the same symbol that he kept seeing both in his dreams, and it was throwing him off again for a couple moments. _There was another brief flash of fire terribly burning the landscape, it's crops, the houses and huts on top of said landscape, and the screams of pain and agony once again pounded his ears relentlessly._ Po shook his head harshly and lightly slapped his cheek in order to try and stay focused.

 _C'mon, Po! Now is NOT the time for you to let these visions freak you out. You need to stay focused on the issue at hand, such as figuring out what's going on in this city that's caused all this!_

"Po? Are you going to be alright?" Tigress said while placing a few comforting pats on his back in an attempt to call whatever might be stressing him. The lands gazes back at her and lightly shakes his head.

"No...it's nothing, really. I'm fine." Po waved it off as he kept looking forward. Tigress wasn't fully convinced, but quietly dropped it as it wasn't the main thing to be focused on right now. "What are we supposed to do? In order to figure out what's goin' on, we have to ask someone. But there's so many of those guards everywhere...anything we do, we're gonna be seen...man. This sucks."

"I'm sure we can think of something, we just have to stay low, as low as we can possibly be without getting caught." Viper said quietly. "So far, it looks like only myself, Mantis, or Monkey can pull this off accordingly. But since they most likely will recognize that we aren't from around here, we'll be immediately questioned. Then things will get worse from then on."

"Well, I'm not gonna stand here and let these guys be assholes and think that no one is gonna retaliate because of it." Monkey stated strongly, gripping the edge of the building he hung onto. "Rebellion is a pretty strong reason I was notorious in my home town, you know? How about we give these guys a taste of it?"

"I'm...not sure if that's a safe idea, Monkey." Crane worried.

Monkey rolled his eyes at Crane's hesitation. "I'm not entirely up to the idea of exposing ourselves so early, either, but we gotta find _some_ way to get the answers that we need. Only way we're gonna do that is if we start taking action.

"Guys...plan or no plan, we might wanna make a decision soon. We've got trouble. Riiiiight over there." Mantis said while pointing towards an area that gained his attention.

Crane followed his line of sight, and his eyes widened in worry. "Oh..."

They finally caught sight of one of said citizens under harassment by one of said thugs. A crowd of wolves were surrounding a bunny who was looking helpless and scared, nervously letting go of the cart she was pushing. The ones helping her push were a litter of much smaller bunnies, most likely her children. Po narrowed his eyes as he got up and began hopping across rooftops towards them. Tigress immediately followed his lead, and everyone else made their decision and followed suit. Crane had sighed while stressfully rubbing his beak.

"Not even ten minutes..."

"Let's face it. Without a clear plan, we won't really accomplish too much by sneaking around. Best take the situation by storm, yeah?" Mei Ling patted the top of his hat and hopped along the roofs, the avian hesitantly following her.

Po did his best to sneak around the rooftops, though he slipped a bit on the edge and almost fell off. Though Tigress managed to catch him just before he fully fell backwards. He breathed a sigh of relief before continuing to move onward across the rooftops. With a few more well-placed jumps, he managed to reach just above the group of bunnies and the wolves, and waited for his chance.

"We don't have any more metal to give! What more can you possibly take?!" She said a bit desperately as she stood in front of her children in order to shield them.

"Don't hold out on us, lady!" The leading wolf growled as he lead the blade towards her head. She didn't flinch, because she was more worried about the state of her children. The wolves kept surrounding her while the bunnies stayed gathered behind her in fear. Though they quickly exploited this and effortlessly brushed her aside while picking up one of the bunnies by the ears. "Do you wanna bet your kids on keeping somethin' from us?"

"You said you leave them out of this! Heathens!"

"Then maybe you should start giving us what we ask." The wolves began cackling wildly as the wolf holding the small bunny eyed him viciously. "Or we'll be having something small and furry for dinner!"

She gasped and glared at them darkly. "Drop him, this instant!"

"Hm...maybe I will." The wolf said after a while of deep mock thought, and raised him over his head, opening his jaws. The mother's eyes widened in horror as her son was helplessly dangling over his jaws.

"Stupid doggies! I ain't scared of you!" The bunny said in defiance and without fear.

"Hehehe. That's adorable. The little one's a brave boy." He laughed maliciously while he lowered the bunny in front of his head licked his chops. "Haven't had a feisty meal~"

"Fite me!" Another burst of defiance made the bunny swing forward and kick the wolf right in the eye, causing him to whine loudly and pull back his head.

"ARGH! Little brat!"

That was the distraction needed, as something large and heavy suddenly crashed on top of him, doing major damage to his back and making him let go of the bunny. A pair of black-furred paws caught the bunny before he could hit the ground. The bunny is gently handed back to his immensely relieved mother. Then he got off the wolf he landed on and then towards the others, his eyes hidden under his hat. The wolves eyes widened in realization.

"That's...that's a panda...shit, that's a panda!"

"Shen's gonna be pissed!"

"He doesn't have to find out, we just gotta kill him quickly!"

The Panda looked from under his hat. "Look...I don't know who this 'Shen' guy is...but I don't care right now. I do know one thing." Po lifted his head and it showed that his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"EATING! KIDS! ISN'T! COOL!"

The panda ran straight towards them, the first wolf immediately knocked over by his headfirst charge and knocked to the side with a palm strike to the chest. One of the other wolves regained his bearings and tried to attack him from behind, though he was pounced upon by Tigress, landing on top of him hard enough to make a crater in the ground. Followed by this, was Mei Ling and Crane intercepting two other wolves from both sides and knocking them out with well-placed kicks to the sides of the heads. Mei Ling seemed a bit excited, while Crane looked awfully tired, on a mental level.

"Aaaaannnnnd now we're in the middle of a street brawl. How did we sink so low so quickly?" Crane sighed as he dodged a sword slash from behind and kicked the wolf hard in the chest and sending him across the street into a bunch of crates. This gathered the citizens attention as they watched Viper, Mantis, and Monkey follow right after the others. They see more wolves streaming from out of alleyways and charging right at them.

"Well, to be honest, we weren't that high up to begin with." Monkey shrugged as he managed a swift backflip and dodged the spear of one of the other wolves, his tail latching onto his wrist and swinging forward, sending him spiralling into one of the other wolves. "These guys seem pretty angry."

"Doesn't matter!" Viper yelled as she slithered around Po's arm and jumped up, tail slapping one of the wolves against the walls due to the added force from Po. "We already have a name! Shen, is it?"

"Right!" Mei Ling reminded as she ducked under a swing from a wolf with a mace, grabbing him by the arm and throwing him over her shoulder. She then grabbed her staff quickly and struck an approaching one in the back of the head when he tried to jump her. "Now if we can just get one of these wolves to spill about the guy and what he wants!"

"Don't bother. Cooperating with us looks like the absolute last thing these guys wanna do." Mantis zipped past multiple wolves, grabbing one by the tip of his tail and swinging him into another pack of wolves and sending them into disarray as they tumbled and tripped over one another. "I doubt they know much, anyway."

Tigress didn't say much at first, as she was mainly focused on defending the family of rabbits, as they seem to be a target of the wolves aggression due to Po being the first one to strike. All wolves that tried to reach them were immediately thrown back with rough strikes to the head, leg sweeped then kicked in the ribs, and sent flying through the crowd with well placed double-palm strikes to the head. "Most wolves may be thugs, but their strength of loyalty can be respected. They won't tell us anything no matter how harshly we beat them down."

Po caught the wrist of one of the other wolves and sent him flying into the other wolves again with a thrust of his belly. Then he decided it was time to clear them out. He pulled his paw back and the familiar green glow of Chi gathered at the center. It turns into a ball, as he lifted his head slightly so he could get a clear shot on the wolves. His comrades moved out of the way, also taking care to move civilians out of the way. He narrowed his head and pushed his paw forward. **"Wind Hammer!"** The green ball of Chi flew towards the tightly packed wolves. There was an explosion of green wind that spiralled around and created small gusts that had to be shielded against. The wolves were sent flying, landing in different spots at a time, some on other carts, others in roofs, or they just straight-up face-planted into the ground with their tails up. Simply out, the landings were painful.

They slowly got up and stared at the warriors with shock and slight bits of fear. Moments later, they chose to run away with their tails between their legs. Mantis and Monkey laughed as they retreated from the one-sided brawl. While the people around them slowly began to come out of their hiding places and stare at all of them in pure shock and awe.

"They...they sent Shen's wolves packing!"

"Don't they realize the ramifications what they've just done?! They'll be hunted down for sure!"

"Judging by the looks on their faces, I don't think they care."

Po let out a huff of air as he turned towards the family of bunnies. The mother went up to him and looked straight towards him. "You lot actually stood up to those hoodlums for our sake. And you also saved and protected my children. Thank you." Her smile lessened a little. "However...now you'll surely be branded a target for resisting them. They're definitely going to come back after you...and there will surely be more of them."

"Meh. You let us worry about that." Po waved off the apparent threat and casually placed his paws behind his neck.

"Such bravery...excuse me, would you all like to come inside for a while? We have at most a couple hours before they start hunting you down like the dogs they are. I can provide the information you seek, along with some snacks."

"Aw, you don't have to do that. You were just being shaken down, after all. We're just happy you're safe." Mei Ling smiled back at her. Though she was gently pushed by Monkey who walked up to the rabbits with a look of curiosity.

"...What kind of snacks?"

"Monkey!"

"She's showing us hospitality via snacks! I'm not about to turn that down!"

"I second that!" Mantis pointed out, hopping on the primates shoulder.

"Third!" Po raised a paw following the two of them.

"Not to mention her children are super nice too!" Viper said as the bunny children began gathering around her. In response, she coiled around all of them and had them in a stretched hug. "FLUFFY CUTIES!"

"Can we just get a move on? Because I don't think we should still be here when those wolves get back, with extra friends." Crane gently warned everyone.

They heeded his silent warning as the bunny mother began leading them all to her house away from where the conflict took place. Crane was still letting out a deep sigh as he followed the family of bunnies to a their private home.

He knew that they've just started something that will surely build up into something chaotic.

 **(Meanwhile)**

Song was the one who was staying vigilant the most, as the streets were filled with passing citizens, along with thuggish wolves and komodo dragons watching over them with condescending glares and smirks. It wasn't difficult to see that these people were under oppression from whoever this army belonged to. Though it was clear that none of them liked what they were seeing.

"Geez, Fung. This place isn't as great as you made it out to be." Bian Zao noted as he was jumping across the rooftops, though his jumping was the most clumsy because he wasn't used to jumping around or even moving like this. So multiple times, Peng and Lian had to catch him in order to keep him from falling off the edge and getting caught.

"I'm telling you, guys! Gongmen was in a much better state them this! I left it in a much better state than this." Fung said as he lead the way across the rooftops, scratching the top of his snout in aggravation at the entire situation. "Darn it, when did this all happen?! I haven't even been gone longer than a year. Things got bad so quickly here..." He shook his head. "Gah! I need to find my team! Erm...you know, my croc squad and all that."

"We get it." Xuě rolled her eyes. "Any chance you might know where to reach your croc squad?"

"You don't have to worry, guys. I know this city and what's in it almost as much as the Kung Fu Council. So I have a closely accurate guess on where they might have taken my men." Fung said as he narrowed his eyes while looked a bit towards the northeast. "If they actually managed to overpower Masters Croc, Ox, and Rhino...then the most likely place they might have taken them to Gongmen Jail. Either a few of them or all of them, we'll make our way there, first."

"Sounds easy enough. So long as we don't get caught. I don't want to go through the hassle of having an entire army on our tails. That's gonna prove to be _really_ lame." Bian Zao groaned softly as Peng once again helped him up onto a roof after another wide leap.

"Eh. We've taken on a an army before haven't we?" Lian said with a rather cheerful smile.

"That was an army of _mailmen_. Very tough goat mailmen maybe, but they weren't really looking to try and kill us. These guys...are gonna try and kill us dead."

"You need to show show a bit more positivity, Lazy-Ass. So much negativity can't be healthy for you." Lian smiled and lightly patted the top of his head. She did this while he looked completely deadpan as they made their way across yet another rooftop. As established before, Fung knew the city best, so he was the one they followed behind, while everyone else kept careful watch for others they would less likely want to be following them.

After scaling yet another rooftop, Fung stopped everyone with a small wave of his tail. "Over there. Gongmen Jail!" Fung pointed towards a building that had a label sign of said name. They also caught sight of two gorillas guarding the entrance of the prison that used to be a school/arena. Fung narrowed his eyes. "They're guarding the entrance...that means there's something inside that they want kept under wraps, obviously. We need to get inside if we're gonna make some progress."

"I agree. It doesn't look like we'll be able to sneak past them." Ànyǐng noted while slightly narrowing his eyes.

"Then we won't sneak." Fung said as he jumped down from the rooftop, which gathered a look of surprise from Bian Zao.

"Wait...we're really just going along with this?"

"Follow the leader." Lian shrugged as she also leaped off of the rooftop and followed Fung. Song and Peng followed after him. Bian Zao sighed a little as Ànyǐng helped him down the rooftops and approaching the jail.

The Gorillas caught sight of the group approaching them, and began asserting themselves upright, intending to look intimidating. The size definitely helped them in this regard. Too bad the ones approaching them had no fear of them in the slightest. "What is your business here?"

"It really isn't any of your business. Guys, I'm going to have to ask you to please step aside." Fung said, flashing his sharp teeth for a couple moments, also being a method of intimidation. It also helped that he was most likely not in the mood for being held back from whom he was looking for. The gorillas chuckled condescendingly at the croc attempting to scare them.

"Ha! Check this croc out, thinking that he can actually scare us into moving out of his way!"

"Heh, he thinks he's a big man. He's just like all those other crocs that tried to act tough when they really aren't. They're nothing but snivelling cowards when push comes to shove!"

Fung's teeth flashed again at the mention of said crocs. His eyes slotted slightly and his tail began hitting the ground behind him multiple times, unaware that he was making a crack in the ground. His fists clenched tightly as well, opening and closing multiple times. "My men...what the hell did you do to my men?!"

The gorillas blinked in confusion at his words, before they grinned. "Ooooohhh...now it makes sense! _You're_ Fung, aren't you? Seriously? YOU'RE the guy that they kept calling to?!" They both began laughing again, which only served to infuriate Fung further. "Those guys truly are pathetic! Every time we rough them up, every time we beat them into a bloody pulp until they cried..." Song became concerned when she noticed that Fung's tail was now smashing into the ground at this point, creating larger cracks. "They didn't call out for Master Rhino. Not for Master Ox. Not even for Master Croc, their teacher. Noooo...above all, they wanted 'Fung'. Their _Boss_. Especially that skinny one. He seemed most loyal to you. Gary, was it? Yeah, he was the most loyal...so we've beaten him down the hardest. Even when he fell unconscious, he was saying your name every time he passes out. Being your right-hand man, we'd thought he'd be much harder to break...but we were very disappointed when he's been beaten down so badly and unable to get back up."

The other Gorilla grinned. "To be honest...we wouldn't be surprised if he died."

The Gorilla on the right was suddenly sent flying right through the doors of the prison, crashing into the ground with a loud thud. It was the result of Fung dashing forwand and slamming his tail into the side of the gorilla's face. The other gorilla looked on in shock from Fung's outburst, only to be ambushed by Peng from behind, who grabbed him by the arm and managed to toss him into a wooden cage that shattered apart on impact, causing a couple splinters to dig into him. Peng and Lian leaped inside first, while Song, Bian Zao, Xue, and Anying followed suit, soon filling the prison area. Both of the large simians got up from the surprise attack, though the first one was once again slammed into the ground with a vicious lash of Fung's tail.

"Fung is pissed..." Bian Zao mumbled quietly, looking around the different cells while Fung and Peng were taking care of the two gorillas. Lian helped him look through the cells, semi-ignoring the sounds of fighting. Though Song looked a bit worried as Fung leapt up and slammed his tail into the Gorilla's head again, knocking him into the wall.

Peng narrowed his eyes as the other Gorilla recovered from the shock and threw a large punch towards his way. He was able to swiftly dodge and catch the fist with both of his paws. Then he tugged hard and flipped him over his shoulder, throwing him into the geoung and creating cracks in the ground. He jumped onto the apes chest and pulled his fist back.

"Sleep."

He punches the gorilla in the head, which had enough force to crack the ground further, as the enemies eyes rolled to the back of his head as blood lightly covered his face, and he went limp, now unconscious. He sighed a bit as he got off the unconscious gorilla.

Fung was thrown into the wall by the other gorilla. He wasn't down for long. He pushed himself up and flashed his teeth again, his jaws just slightly parted as a snarl escaped him again. He turned towards the gorillas and watch him charge him again. With proper timing, he side stepped the gorilla and watched him run headfirst into the wall. His tail latched onto his wrist as he pulled and swung him around in an arc, until he crashed into the wall once again, now unconscious like his partner. Fung continued to snarl at the fallen gorillas, until Song grabbed him by the arm, gaining his attention.

"Fung..." Song's voice managed to soothe his anger a little as his snarling slowly decreased in volume and his breathing became more relaxed. He sighed as he fully regained control of himself, prompting Song to slowly let go of him. He sighed as he scratched his snout.

"Sorry...I just...I..." He shook his head while trying to regain his thoughts and focus. "Which cell?"

"Over here." Anying called out, pointing to a specific cell. Fung immediately made his way over to the cell, slamming the doors down with another swipe of his tail. He gazed upon a couple crocs that seemed very familiar to him. Irwin, Wong, Wall-Eye...they were all hurt in different ways.

But Gahri looked worse off than all of them.

Fung managed to get a good look at the three of them, then focused entirely on Gahri, running up to him as he sees him slumped against the wall. As the gorillas said, they had beaten him. There was blood running down his face and out of his mouth, one of his eyes was completely swollen shut, his tail looked broken, and there seemed to be a couple slash marks across his face, luckily none of them were deep enough to be fatal. Though Fung noticed that they weren't joking about how badly they had beaten him. It really did look like he was crying.

"Gahri. Gahri!" Fung shouted as he placed his paws on the skinny crocs shoulderz and began shaking him very gently. "Open your eyes. Come on, man! I'm not gonna make you get up, but I _need_ you to open your eyes. Or at least open your good one." Gahri mumbled a bit while shifting against the wall, before opening the eye that wasn't at all swollen. "That's it. Look at me. Don't fall back asleep right now."

Gahri blinked his one eye as he stared at Fung, surprised to see him here. "Fung...you..." He started off calmly at first, but Fung saw that calmness immediately broken down as Gahri lunged at him and pulled him into a hug. "F-Fung! I-I'm so sorry! W-We tried to fight back...we didn't WANT to give up, we've tried to escape many times with no success...they kept brutalizing us every time it looked like we'd resist..." Gahri mumbled as he let uncontrolled tears roll down his face. "W-We weren't ready. We were t-too weak...w-we couldn't do a thing! We c-couldn't help anyone! I-I'm so sorry Fung! We let you d-down! We let you down..."

"Shhh...Gahri. It's okay. I'm not mad at you. Not at any of you." Fung said as he returned the hug, gently patting his back and closing his eyes. The other crocs gathered around him and hugged him as well. "You all tried your best at some point or another. That's enough for me to be proud of you all."

"We were totally helpless...it really makes me angry how they took advantage of us and we couldn't do anything about it!" Wong grumbled.

"It was horrible...they knew we weren't strong enough to stand up to them. Especially when we're restrained!" Irwin mumbled softly.

"Wanted Bossy Boss back...he save us...but not here to do so." Wall-Eye said, his eye darting to one direction. Out of all, he had the expression most identical to a kicked puppy.

Fung allowed himself to embrace and comfort his men. They were supposed to be strong and resilient guards of Gongmen, but they feel of oty that they didn't do a good job. They were so helpless without Fung. Not even Master Croc was the first person on their minds, they just wanted Fung back to help them. Though they don't blame him, he couldn't have known that this would happen after he left.

Fung was still hugging his men when he heard the door to he prison open up. The others looked ready to pounce on whoever is coming inside. Though they powered their guard when they realized who it was.

"Fung...I never expected you to be back so soon." Master Croc said softly as he walked down the steps into the prison, waaking towards his prized pupil. Fung didn't turn around.

"Woah..Master Croc...he's a lot calmer than I imagined him to be." Lian said as she watched him pass by them. Bian Zao and Peng nodded silently in agreement. Though Song was a bit worried that Fung had gone completely silent when Master Croc entered. There was little ways to tell what he's thinking except for the small swish of his tail. Master Croc finally stood a couple feet away from Fung, who eventually let go of his men and he stood up straight.

"So...we meet again so soon, Master. It looks like things have really gone downhill in Gongmen, huh?"

The only one who seemed to have an idea of what Fung was thinking and feeling was Master Croc, who gently placed a paw on Fung's shoulder. "Fung...I know you are upset with me-"

He was cut off when Fung turned around and struck him with a forceful right-hook, sending him into the ground in a slightly heap, landing rear first. Everyone else was caught off-guard by the unexpected action, as Fung pulled his fist back, glaring at Croc angrily. It didn't take too long to know what he was angry about. His croc friends we apparently beaten, Gahri's case was to the point of prolonged unconsciousness. And according to their explanations, Master Croc was not mentioned too much in their words.

Which means that he didn't do anything to at least _try_ to help them. Fung didn't know that he was right, but he acted out anyway. The fierce look in his eyes said it all: _Why the hell didn't you protect them?!_

Croc helped himself up and rubbed his sore jaw, his expression still calm. "I cannot say that I didn't deserve that..."


	50. The Panda Hunt Begins

**(Tower Of The Sacred Flame)**

"Ah...ah yes. I indeed remember this little chair..." Shen said softly while slowly pacing around the throne in the Tower Of The Sacred Flame. "I remember playing around on it since I was a little chick. Always looking up towards it, always admiring it's design..." He took a deep breath of air, and then sighed peacefully. "Good times...good times indeed..."

The throne met the pavement after falling from the top of the tower, seconds after he said that.

"Back to business. Set it right there." Shen said while lowering his wing. Two gorillas placed the cannon down where the throne used to be. "A little to the left...a little more...little more...more...more...more...slightly more...okay now a centimeter to the right. Aha! There! That spot's perfect." The two gorillas heaved a bit before falling on their backs. Lugging a large piece of metal around was not as easy as it looks, even for them. "Here, I can get a rather glorious view of the city, right next to my amazing creation."

He didn't have enough time to enjoy that view though, as Zhong came scurrying up the stairs in a frenzy. "B-Boss! Shen! We've got a _huge_ problem on our hands!"

Shen groaned at being interrupted, but nonetheless turned towards his second-in-command. "How huge could it possibly be, Zhong?'

"I'm guessing around...uh...300 pounds."

"...What the devil are you babbling about?"

"I'm saying my men were thrashed by a resistance that seemingly appeared out of nowhere! They didn't stand a chance at all!"

Shen chuckled a little, turning towards the city once again. "That's what you've come to bother me for? I don't think that's something to alarm me about. I told you, all that resist will be punished due time. A small band of rebels aren't worth my attention."

"This isn't some normal band of rebels, though! My men saw a _PANDA_ amongst them!"

Zhong knew Shen could get a bit erratic when provoked by the wrong words, even if they were the truth. Which was why he didn't flinch too hard when he found himself looking right into the tip of a knife a couple seconds later, and Shen's casual mood was shattered in an instant. "What. Did. You. Just. Say?"

"I'm telling you there's a panda in the city now! They couldn't track him down, either. His scent from where he was last seen was completely wiped clean!"

Shen put his knife away and sighed. He wouldn't be getting anything done if he got angry, but this simply _wasn't_ something he could ignore. A panda was in his city...how he got in, he didn't know and he didn't care. All that mattered to Shen was that he be dead as soon as possible. And in order to be absolutely sure about it...

"Zhong! I want you to bring Master Ox and Master Rhino with you! If either of them becomes disobedient, you have my permission to punish them as you see fit! Just find that panda and bring him to me! Before he causes anymore damage!"

"Right." He nodded as he turned and ran out on all fours. Shen sighed as he tried to fend off an approaching headache. Things were going so well...only to not be going so well after all, if there really was a panda out there. This means that the prophecy really hasn't changed at all...not yet.

"So...Panda. You've hunted me down after so many years. You really think you can undo all rhat I've planned for, all by yourself? Hmhmhm..." He opened his crimson eyes as he stared outward to his city, narrowing them slightly. "I'm about to change my destiny...whether everyone likes it or not."

"Yeah...thing is...destiny can be a really picky bastard, buddy. I know from experience."

Shen's eyes widened as he swiftly turned aroune, knives in his wings. He was surprised to find that both of his gorillas have been knocked unconscious, lying on the ground with their eyes completely white. And the one responsible for it was a familiar muscular snow leopard. Shen was well aware of who he is. Stories tend to travel far and wide if they're significant enough to be noticed by him.

"You're that outlaw...Tai Lung, I presumed."

"And you're this Lord Shen bird that this old lady was babbling about." Tai Lung moved to the right to reveal that the Soothsayer was standing fight behind him.

"What are you doing here in my city?" The Soothsayer eyed Shen, seeing that he is still holding a knife in his wing.

"Shen...he will not attack you."

"How could you be so sure of that?!"

"Because you look so weak and fragile despite that tough facade you have on, that it wouldn't be worth my time. You're a pretty good shot with those knives, and a bit decent at Kung Fu, I'll give you that. But that's not gonna help you against me." Tai Lung waved it off, angering the peacock further. "Plus, you haven't personally done anything to me yet. So as long as it stays that way...I'm not going to do anything to you. Your subordinates on the other hand...they're fair game, because they attacked me first."

"...Then what DO you want...?" Shen asked carefully, not putting his knife away but not as posed to attack like before.

Tai Lung simply smiled under his cloak as he leaned against a pillar with his arms folded, and his tail casually swishing side to side against the floor. Shen was unnerved hat there was something powerful in front of him that can end him in an instant if he really wanted to. He knew Shen was dangerous, he knew he was an enemy...so what's with the casual attitude? He has the skills and power to back up the confidence that Shen couldn't do anything to him without his weapon.

Shen hated feeling trapped when nothing has happened yet to make him feel that way.

"I'm just here to have a civil chat with you." Tai Lung shrugged. This only caused Shen to narrow his eyes further.

 _What is he trying to pull...?_

 **(Gongmen Jail)**

"Why, Master?!" Fung shouted angrily, shoving Master Croc across a couple inches while flashing his sharp teeth. He has discovered that his own men have been brutalized in his absence, and Master Croc had not done anything to help them. Furthermore, it was starting to feel like Croc was not doing anything to help the citizens who were clearly suffering under some severe oppression from all of these wolves, gorillas, and whatnot. He also didn't see Rhino or Ox anywhere, so he's given the impression that they're also not doing much to help anyone. "The city is under oppression, my men are occasionally getting the crap beaten out of them, ans it looks like you're not doing anything about it! I've been gone for only a couple months and everything's gone to hell! How did all of this happen?!" He pointed at him in hostile accusation. "More importantly, why haven't you, Rhino, and Ox done anything about it?!"

Gahri groaned as he weakly tried to get up, stumbling slightly. Peng and Lian quickly helped him on both sides, preventing him from completely falling over. "Fung...d-don't blame Master Croc. T-They would have done a lot worse if he and the other Masters didn't do what they said..."

Fung turned towards his subordinate as his eyes softened significantly. Though the hostility felt towards Master Croc persisted just a bit. "...What do you mean? How much more can they do?"

Master Croc managed to completely recover from Fung's angered assault, rubbing his sore jaw still. "There's someone who's the head of this entire situation. It's someone who's had a serious grudge against the city for a long time. And it's been made painfully clear that he is intent on taking what he believes is rightfully his. And the amount of force he's wiling to use to do so is absolutely staggering..."

Lian folded her arms. "What? Someone holds a grudge against an entire city, so he decides to straight up take it over and mess with it's citizens? Who does this guy think he is?"

"Right now, it doesn't really matter who he is." Fung said as he stole another look at his subordinates, then towards the guards they have beaten up. "We've gotta get Gahri and the others some much needed medical attention. Crane and Mantis could be anywhere in the city right now doing other things, and we can't waste time trying to figure out where they might be. We're getting them to a medic as soon as we can."

"Decent idea. Because after the stunt we pulled..." Bian Zao gestured to the fallen guards around them. "staying here for too long would be a pretty lame idea. Someone is going tonknow that they're missing, sooner or later. And we'd gotta be gone if it's the 'later' route. We should leave right now, so we don't get caught in the 'sooner' route. Can't take too many chances here."

Xuě nodded as she turned to Fung. "You know this city better than anyone, and we can say without question that Master Croc does as well. You tell us where we need to go, we'll surely follow." The others nodded as they gently helped the other members of the Crocs up, in order not to agitiate their already severe injuries. Song was the most gentle with Gahri, seeing that he's in the most critical condition.

Fung nodded in agreement, but shoots another glare to Master Croc. "We're not done."

"I would suppose not." Croc frowned sadly.

"We've got bigger priorities right now, which is getting my men to a medic and in a place where they can't be found. Once we're sure they're alright...well...that's something we'll have to decide as soon as we have more information. Information that I know you're more than willing to share with us. _Right?_ "

Croc sighed. His student was clearly going to hold this animosity against him for a long while... he couldn't blame him for it. "Alright. I'll fill you in as best I can on the way. Let us go, and remain unseen." Croc turned to look at the only wolf among them, which was Ànyǐng.

"I know what you're thinking. He's friend, not foe." Peng answered politely. "You can trust him. We certainly do."

With this, the group began to move out in search of a safe place to place the Croc Squad and put them in a place where they could recover from their wounds in safety. All the whike, Croc continues to glance at both Ànyǐng and Peng. The former puts him slightly on edge, because wolves are definitely not on his list of trustworthy allies, and the latter because he looked a lot like Tai Lung. The question nicked the Master's mind a couple times, but he ultimately shakes it off for a more important one.

"Fung. Your panda friend...Po...did he come here as well?"

Fung looked at Croc, taking special care to notice the concern on his face, and that he was speaking of Po, specifically. With a raised eye, he nodded. "Yeah...why do you ask?"

Croc sighed. He had been afriad of this. "I thought so. This makes the situation even more dangerous than it already is. Fung, you must move with haste. If they do not see me patrolling in my designated location, then I'll be marked with suspicion, more than I already am." He gripped Fung's shoulders and narrowed his eyes. "You can be mad at me for as much as you like. But as soon as you've done what you needed to do, you need to retrieve Po and leave. _Immediately_. Of all the places he could go, this place and time is where he is in the most danger."

Song lowered her ears a bit. "Why? Why is Po in the most danger?"

"Because if he was discovered, he's going to be labeled a priority target. They'll hunt him down with all the forces they can muster."

Fung lowered his anger a little and he began looking concerned. "Seriously? Does this guy have a grudge with Po that overtakes his grudge against the city?"

Croc closed his eyes as he let's go of Fung and turned around. "It's...a complex issue. But the problems are most certainly intertwined. That much I can tell you. Now, I'm going to make sure no one follows you. If I stay missing for too long..." Croc shook his head and began walking out the exit above.

"Croc? CROC!" Fung shouted after him, but Song grabbed his shoulder before he could chase him.

"Whatever is going on, it's obvious that Master Croc has his paws tied. We don't, that's why he wants us to keep moving. Remember what your main concern is right now." She said, gesturing to a still injured Gahri, as well as Wong, Irwin and Wall-Eye.

Fung gazed in the direction of Master Croc for a moment longer, then h sighed in frustration. After that, he turned towards the others. "Right. The boys come first. Let's get out of here before more goons can show up. I don't feel like dealing with more of them while the guys are in this condition." Fung said seriously as he gently grabbed Gahri from Song, hoisting him over his shoulder a bit. "Gahri...you still with me, buddy?" He asked gently, gazing into Gahri's unswollen eye. Song opened the door for everyone, and they began passing through a less crowded alley. Luckily for them, there were no guards.

Gahri fluttered his eye a bit, looking at Fung weakly. "F-Fung..."

"I'm here, pal. I'm still here. Do you know what happened while I was away?" He asked, his voice becoming completely patient and warm. Song and the others are now very much aware that he cares deeply for his men, and is incredibly caring towards them. "Don't push yourself too hard. We're not in serious danger right now. Relax as much as you can. Talk to me."

Gahri blinked slowly as he gently held onto him, being carried by his superior. "It was...just another day training with Master Croc...as usual, we got our tails handed to us..."

"That doesn't surprise me." Fung chuckled softly. "Keep goin'."

Song gently patted Gahri's snout, slowly caressing it comfortably. She smiled softly and nodded to him. He slowly nodded back. "That day we were training...we were going back into the tower for a little bit to get some snacks...but when were coming back out...there were these wolves...a lot of wolves...and gorillas...and komodo dragons and stuff. And there was-"

"A white birdy." Wall-Eye spoke up a little, almost tripping over but saved by Bian Zao. Fung immediately turned towards him.

"White birdy? What kind of birdy?"

"A white birdy...with a very big tail fan thingie...had lots of red dots on them...he throws knives at us a lot...and he has a lance sword thingie..."

"Big tail fan thingie with dots?" Peng said with a tilted head. "I think we're dealing with a peacock, guys."

"Yeah...that." Gahri nodded softly. "He's the one...in charge. The big boss, ya know...? He was ordering them around with his wolf second-in guy leading the wolves...they had the city completely under control in a matter of days. They were making sure that no one calls for help, and no one leaves for help...the city is on total lockdown."

"Why haven't the Masters done anything about this?" Ànyǐng asked from behind, keeoing a close eye out for any other wolves that might be in the area.

Gahri lowered his eye completely, and didn't open them for a couple minutes. Fung grew concerned, and lightly shook him. "Gahri? You still with me?"

The croc slowly opened his eye again. "A weapon...they have some kind of weapon...a really powerful one. If they don't do what the guy says, he'll turn it against the city and the citizens. After a couple warning shots, they caved in quickly...now they're doing whatever he says, and allows his goons to rough them up while they're at it...including us..."

"We couldn't do a thing, Boss. We couldn't even escape from the prison." Wong muttered, clenching his fists.

Bian Zao turned towards the few citizens that took up the alley. Most of them had eyes full of paranoia and caution. They stepped out of the way of the upcoming group, andnwere incredibly wary of the single wolf that accompanied them. Rethinking what the Croc were telling them, his gaze turned to the ground. "So that's it, huh...?"

"The entire city has been taken hostage." Xuě said softly. "And no one outside the city knows about it. And since the city is still on serious lockdown, sooner or later, they'll discover the infiltration, and try to snuff us out."

"Yeah well, they'll discover that catching us won't be as easy as they think it might be. We tend to be a pretty slippery bunch." Song said as she lightly stuck her tongue out. Then she kept stroking Gahri's snout. "But right now, we need to get Fung's friends somewhere safe, where they can be healed. Then we can worry about our next move."

"We gotta figure out some way to free these people! If the Masters can't do anything, we'll just have to take matters into our own paws!" Lian declared as she cracked her knuckles.

Gahri managed to shift his eye towards Fung. Even when weakened, he managed a small smile. "Fung...you made...some nice friends...while you were away...huh...?"

Fung grinned, flashing his teeth a bit. "Yeah. I sure did. "

"Then...this snow leopardess next to you..." Gahri said a bit curiously, which caused Fung to raise an eyebrow. "She's...really pretty...isn't she? Do you...like her?"

Fung's eyes became wide as he began standing a bit straighter, with a blush gracing his cheeks. "...W-What the heck, Gahri?!"

"What is it, Fung?" Song asked, her head slightly tilted.

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" Fung said while rapidly shaking his head. He sighed in relief once she noticed she returned her attention forward. _Darn it, Gahri! If I wasn't so worried about hurting you further than you already are, I'd SO drop you!_ While standing straight up, more relief was shown on his face when he saw that the medical area was up ahead. "Yes! We made it!"

Peng was the one who approached the entrance first. He entered right through the door, politely knocking first. Up ahead behind the counter, there was a sheep going through a couple of her supplies and also looking out windows occasionally in order to make sure no guards were overseeing her. Though when she heard the knock and saw the group walking in, she looked genuinely surprised.

"What...? Hold on...is that you, Fung?! And the other boys...!" She immediately discarded what she was doing for the time being, and ran over to them. "Set them down! Set them all down, gently." Everyone did what she ordered, Fung setting down Gahri on a nearby bed, and the others setting the rest ofnthe crocs down on separate beds. The sheep sighed as she looked over their injuries. "Those rotten thugs...what did they do to you poor boys...?"

"They messed them up good, doc. Do you think you can help them out?" Fung asked of her. "We have our own medics in my new friend circle, but they're in an entirely different part of the city, and we don't have time to go looking for them before more guards realize something's up."

She shook her head softly. "I haven't seen you in a while, and you're already causing a huge ruckus. You're still a troublemaker, I see."

"Hey, now listen here-"

"Um...guys...?" Gahri said weakly as he pointed towards the entrance of the medical ward. The group turned to where he was pointing as they see a group of Komodo Dragons outside of the building.

Bian Zao turned towards them with a rather bored expression. "We weren't followed. They must have just been making their way here. I knew this was too easy...so lame."

"Knock knock, Doc!" One of the lizards began forcing their way through the door.

"You heathens get out! I have actual patients to tend to!" She shouted loudly, smacking her hoof into the wall.

"These gentlemen bother you on a daily basis, ma'am?" Peng asked politely, though there was a hidden growl behind it that only Lian was able to detect. Fung already had his fists clenched and his tail slowly swaying.

One of the larger lizards huffed. "This is just our usual visit, that's all! A simple...cleaning out, is all."

Peng also took a moment to analyze the room around them. There we're multiple claw marks, a bit of wooden snaps in the walls, and the counter looks like it's collapsed at least a few times. He slowly turned towards them, his eyes turning to slits. Xuě was able to voice exactly what he was thinking. "And by cleaning out, you mean trashing the place, right? You're just harassing this sheep for the hell of it. Mindless brutes are what you are."

Bian Zao shrugs, holding his hoofs up. "Pickin' on an old sheep? Geez, you goons keep getting lamer and lamer. And it's the type of lame that inspires us to beat the crap out of you."

Illustrating the boar's point, Fung charged them and knocked them all out of the room. They sprawled across the streets, surprising the citizens outside. The Komodo Dragons got up and snarled at the group as they slowly filed out of the room. They brandished their weapons ,or jsut their bare fists and claws.

"You rotten little punks!"

"I believe that description fits you jackasses better. So why don't ya beat it?" Lian said, sticking her tongue out at them. Peng laughed awkwardly at her straight-forward approach.

"I'd listen to her if I were you guys. Don't let that sunny smile fool you." Bian Zao shrugged. "

They all snarled at the group as more of them began gathering. Yet Fung and the others remained completely unintimidated. "You're all gonna pay for this! You should have kept your noses out of our business!"

Song twirled her parasol a little, humming softly. "You know...I've been curious about something, ever since we've began seeing you guys."

"And what's that?"

She smiled sweetly as her eyes began turning to dangerous slits as well. "I wonder what color is your blood? I heard it's green. Some say it's the same usual red." She said as her parasol sheathes a blade at the tip, and her claws began sticking out menacingly. Her slitted eyes turned slightly bloodthirsty.

"I'm about to find out~"

 **(Meanwhile...)**

Po and the others have been hiding out in a kind rabbit family's home, as a thanks for helping save them, as well as to hide them from any other guards thay might pass by. Crane was the one who suggested that they plan their next move accordingly and as carefully as they can. They were in an entire city filled with enemies, so he suggested they move carefully. This was a stage they had to take with absolute seriousness.

They didn't have time for more distra-

"CUUUUUUTIIIIEEEESSSSS!"

The rabbits had them completely overrun. Some where accepting of it. Some weren't.

The squeals of Viper resonated slightly through the rabbit house as she had at least five of them wrapped in her coils with hearts in her eyes. Monkey and Mantis were pinned down by a majority of them, even as they we're trying to eat their dumplings. Po was actually pretty cool with the onslaught of children, casually eating an cookies as three giggling rabbits were having a good time repeatedly bouncing on his belly, trampoline style. Tigress and Mei Ling were the calmest of the bunch, but the former was feeling slightly awkward as multiple rabbits kept asking for the two felines to play with them. Crane was trying to keep his balance as bunnied hopped onto his legs and left wing and face, eventually knocking him over, as well as his hat.

The scene was utterly chaotic. All of them(sans Po) wondered how one can retain order in such a household.

"YOU KIDS BETTER SETTLE DOWN, OR NO ONE GETS DESSERT!"

The room instantly falls silent at the mother's booming voice echoing through the household, and all of the children obediently got a couple notches quieter and slowed down their high-speed shenanigans to a speed that everyone can keep up with. Mantis, Monkey, and Crane managed to recover after catching their breathe, and the bunnies on top of Po settled down too, and were now just sitting calmly atop his belly.

The mother calmed down and put on a warm smile. "These kind youngsters saved us. You'll go at a speed that they can keep up with, and you'll make breathing space. Am I understood?"

"Yes Mooom..." All of them said at once while calming down and being more gentle with the guests.

Crane coughed a little as he picked up a cup of tea that the mother was kind enough to make. "Oh. Um, thank you."

"You're most welcome. It's the least I can do."

"How can you keep order in such a state of chaos?" Monkey asked curiously as he balanced on his tail. "Not that I don't like the excitement of a bit of chaos...but how do you rein it in?"

She folded her arms with a sly smile. "I remind them of who's in charge of the household...I don't think I need to explain more in that regard."

"No she doesn't..." Mantis shook his head softly. "Women." Tigress reached her paw out and pressed her finger on his back. He gasped and began tapping the table he was on. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry-ack! I give! I give!" Tigress smiled and released the pressure, allowing him to breathe again. "I honestly thought she was gonna kill me..."

"I wouldn't do that. It's _very_ tempting...but I won't."

"...I dunno whether I should be concerned or not..."

"Either way, these cookies are fantastic!" Po says as he picks three out of the cookie jar and noms them all in one bite. The rabbit lying on his belly took a couple cookies out the jar and also began eating a couple of them quickly. Po smiled and lightly patted his belly.

"I can't disagree with you there. These are delicious." Mei Ling said as she gently eats one of the cookies from another jar, while petting the head of a rabbit that was on her lap.

Po nodded as he turned towards the mother rabbit with a tilted had, his scarf neatly set on a nearby chair, and his hat placed on one of the children's head. "Anyway...you said that you had something to tell us that would help us out a whole bunch?"

"Ah yes, I did promise you that...along with the snacks."

"Yes. We enjoy the snacks. Greatly enjoy the snacks."

"Hm." She nodded while hopping in one of the smaller chairs and clasping her paws. "Now, I don't know the entire situation, but I'll give you as much as I know."

"Any information is better than nothing. We don't want to be in the dark anymore than we already are." Tigress said as she sat upwards, completely focused. Not at all distracted by the rabbit giggling on top of her head. Though she gave in after a minute and took the rabbit into her arms, cradling him. "Like I said, any information will do."

"Very well." She sighed as she looked towards the ceiling, ears flat against her head. "Thing's have gotten incredibly downhill ever since Shen returned to Gongmen City. I'm not exactly sure how he was able to do it, but he was actually successfulnin scaring the Kung Fu Council into giving into his demands and handing control of the City over to him. And as far as I'm aware of, nonone else knows that the City is in the middle of a large hostage situation. Anyone caught trying to leave the city or try to contact help will be punished severely. After a couple of failures and seeing the grim results, we stopped trying to contact anyone out of the City." She turned her gaze back to them. "So...you youngsters are here to help us? Were you sent here?"

Po shook his head. "No ma'am. We came on our own volition! ...volition? Uh..." He blinked a little bit, then turned to Tigress for confirmation of the right vocabulary. She nodded affirmatively to him, then he turned ba towards the mother. "Yeah, that's it! We came on our own volition!"

She blinked in surprise. "You mean you had no idea what kind of state the city was in, and yet you chose to come anyway?"

"Yep. We were plainning on coming here anyway. We just didn't expct these...other unexpected guests. It's crazy how the city got completely overrun. And we were gonna go on a tour of the place ,like Fung was gonna have us do! This totally sucks! How are we supposed to get to know the city better if we have all of these crazy goons running all over the place and trying to ruin everyone's day?!" Po pouted as he folded his arms. The bunnies on top of him blinked and them mimicked him, pouting childishly and folding their little arms.

"That's just _sooooooo_ cute!" Viper squealed a little at their mimicking of Po.

Po squinted his eyes and folded his arms, trying to think of what to do. He sits up, gently places the children on the ground, arm refolds his arms. When one of them hops up and places his prized hat on his head, he lights up and smashes his fist into his palm. "I got it!"

"What? What is it, Po?" Tigress asked, once again gently pulling a rabbit off of her head and setting him on the ground without looking at him.

Po grinned. "We liberate the city, of course!"

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Crane squawked, flapping his a bit and causing a bit of a gust through the room, almost knocking over his tea. He stopped flapping, quickly apologizes, and turned to Po, his eyes wide. "Po are you cra-don't answer that." He quickly stopped the futile question before it could finish. "Liberate the city? _Us?!_ "

"Yep!"

"Do you realize how dangerous that could be?!"

"Yep!"

"There's only a couple of us, while this Shen guy has an _ENTIRE ARMY!_ An army that's actually pretty strong and occupying the **entire city!** "

"Yep!"

"This insane, Po! It's six of us, including the others, vs the army of a dictator, and a tough one if he's got the Kung Fu Council under his heel! He might even sic them on us because they don't want the citizens getting hurt more than they probably are! We'll have to protect them as well! Or we'll have to get them to resist alongside us! This **WHOLE** idea is just filled with possibilities for mass chaos!"

Po folded his arms with a wider smile. "If everything on our journies was too easy, could we really call them journies?"

Crane's beak dropped at Po's complete insistence to go along with this idea. Monkey shrugs. "Po's the boss. And so is Tigress. Wait...what do you think, Tigress?"

Tigress folded her arms. "Po's idea involves bringing an oppressive order down by stirring up enough chaos for the people to start fighting for themselves. We start up that chaos that showing them that there's someone in the city who doesn't fear Shen, and is willing to resist him when the Kung Fu Council cannot. People don't like being oppressed. If someone starts resisting that oppression and actually succeeds...who do you think they'll side with?"

Mei Ling smiled. "Ahah! This is actually a pretty decent idea! Risky as hell, but when haven't we been in situations like that?"

"An oppressive order that's just waiting to be toppled over? You've got my vote!" Monkey grinned. "We'll take back the city by turning the city against Shen!"

"I'm in! Time to rally the peeps and raise some hell!" Mantis beamed, hopping around, now filled with energy.

"Huh? Oh! Right! Let's do that thing!" Viper said, still a bit distracted by cuddling the rabbits wrapped in her coils.

"Is there ANY way I convince you guys to think of another idea?" Crane asked, waving his wings rapidly for anyome to take his side. Though once he realized they were in support of Po's idea, he sighed in defeat. "Ugh...I guess we're actually going along with this, aren't we?"

"Why of course. The people should come first, after all." Tigress nodded, while one paw rose up to stroke her furry chin. "Of course, the Kung Fu Council will be adamant about staying under Shen's heel if it means keeping those same people safe. Our contrast of interests might have our sides coming to blows."

"You mean we might have to fight Masters Rhino, Ox, and Croc?!" Crane squawked again. Add that to the numerous wolves, boars, crocs, gorillas, and Komodo Dragons all over the place...Crane groaned as he wingslapped his beak. "We're in for some serious trouble...and since we've already been seen, it's just going to get much worse..."

"And we're gonna do it either way." Po's grin never left his face. It was clear that his decision was final.

"Of course we are..."

The rabbit mother could hardly believe that they were so willing to out themselves at risk for the citizens of Gongmen City. Even if it meant going against or even doing battle the Kung Fu Council that's currently under Shen's heel.

Po tilted his head as he sets another rabbit down from his head. "Now I might know where this is gonna lead. A couple of those guys already saw us. They're gonna tell their boss who we are and what we're most likely planning to do. They're gonna to capture us. Maybe even try to kill us, in order to keep this Shen guy's conquest on a steady course. And like Crane said, these guys are all over the place, and there's only a few of us. A few of us against an entire army...'

"And what say you to a scenario like that, brave leader?" Monkey asked while plopping on his feet, scarf tightly wrapped.

Po wrapped his own scarf around his neck, picked up his straw hat and placed it on his head softly. Then he looked outside, smile falling, and his eyes narrowed under the shade of his hat.

 _"Game on."_


	51. The Foretold Encounter

**Enough stalling. Think it's time to pick things up a bit.**

* * *

"I...still can't believe that we're actually doing this..." Crane muttered quietly as he and the others were moving through the more hidden parts of the city. It wasn't too wise of an idea to just randomly start a brawl in the middle of the streets...again. It's not going to be easy trying to fight an entire army head-on witbout any plan. They weren't _that_ confident in themselves. Well...Po probably was, but he wasn't willing to risk his friends lives because of that confidence. Po was a rather goofy leader. But when push comes to shove, he can be a pretty responsible one as well. Though all of his friends were very much aware that he wasn't the best. Honestly, thry were all pretty sure that being the best wasn't something he was going for.

"Awww...I wanted to spend more time with the cute rabbit children..." Viper pouted, slithering a bit dully while keeping her head down, comical tears running down her cheeks.

"Heh. I liked them too, Viper. But we had to get moving soon, or we might have been caught for sure." Mei Ling said as she also kept her head down as best could. "We just have to try our best to keep our heads down until we're sure we're ready to strike somewhere significant. After all, at this point we can safely say that they know that we're in the city."

"That's something we can be certain of. We're not skilled enough to cause such a ruckus and get away completely unnoticed. Well...Song might be...but she's trained for that kind of stuff. " Monkey said while scratching his chin. "We only have a slight problem. If we're gonna start liberating the city without getting Shen's attention anymore than we probably have already...how do we do so?"

"No idea..." Po said while scratching his belly and simply looking around for something to start with. "Geez...this sounded a lot easier in my head...and out of my mouth."

"See Po? This is what I'm talking about!" Crane squawked, flapping his wings. "We have no idea what to do without endangering ourselves further! How are we supposed to get these people on our side!? They may have seen us stand up to those wolves, but I don't really think that'll be enough!"

"Not trying to be too pessimistic like Crane, but he has a point. We're going to have to try something a big bigger than a couple of wolves." Mantis said as he stood atop the avian's hat. "How do we cause a big enough ruckus that'll totally get these citizens riled up enough to try and fight back?"

Tigress placed a paw on her chin as she thought about their situation carefully. "This is most definitely a bit complicated than we expected. Though I'm sure we can figure something out if we just think of something. If we're going to have the people on our side, we'll have to do something public, and make a quick enough escape so we won't be captured. The numbers are still highly against us. The question still stands...how do we do so?"

Monkey tilted his head a bit, picking at his scarf a little bit. He then hopped up to one of the edges of the roof's and climbed onto one. He then did a quick scan of the streets, seeing that a couple people were still looking tired and hungry. The wolves are constantly pillaging their homes for their materials and supplies, as well as their food, leaving the citizens without enough food to go around. With a firm nod, he hopped back down, landing on Po's back, making him stumble a bit and almost falling over.

"Geez, Monkey! What is it?"

Monkey grinned, his tail swishing mischievously. "I think I've found a pretty good idea on how to help. And guess what, big guy? It's about one of your favorite things...food." Po's eyes sparkled at the prospect, and Monkey knew that he's definitely caught his attention. "It's something simple, yet it's something that's gonna do a lot of good for these people. Besides, before I met you guys, I was good at both pranking, _and_ stealing food from the jerks."

"Well then. That's gonna be quite a spectacle...let's do it." Mei Ling smiles as she smoothly pulls her staff out of it's holder.

Crane sighed as he flapped his wings. "Guess we're actually going through with this...fine. Let's do it."

"Aw yeah! Showtime!" Mantis hopped excitedly as he swiftly moved atop one of the rooftops. The others also began moving along the rooftops. Though Tigress had to help Po up on the roof when he stumbled a little bit.

Monkey looked at a couple of the crates, about ten in total. There were only three wolves handling them. As soon as they struck, more guards would be on their way, so they'd have to be fast. And that, was what Mantis would be for. Monkey turned towards the insect and nodded towards him. He nodded back quickly, and they began to move. The primate moved first and swiftly. Without their notice, he hopped on one of the crates, alerting the three wolves and making them turn towards him

"Sup fellas?" Monkey grinned as he balanced on his tail and waving at them cheerfully. "Hope you don't mind...but we're gonna hand this food over to the hungry people. Ya know, those that actually want and need it?" They haven't been given an opportunity to respond, as Mantis zipped by them and hit them by their pressure points. They swayed a bit as they felt their bodies shut down, then they fell completely to the ground not likely to get back up.

"Thanks for understanding us, fellas. Oh, and you won't be moving for a while. Good luck with that." Mantis also grinned. He turned towards one of the other paths and saw that more wolves were approaching the area. He kept grinning as the others got ready.

Mei Ling smiled as he jumped down from the rooftop and landed in front of the group of wolves. She slowly looked up and tilted her head. "Hi guys." She twirled her staff and lands a hit on one of their heads, them turns and lands a hard hit on one another's skull. She swiftly dodged the strike of one of them, flips upwards and kicks them upward in the chin. More from other directions began approaching her. Though they were swept away by a gust of wind, courtesy of Crane. Mei Ling tilted her head again and grinned. "Thanks Crane."

"Not a problem." A plethora of the others wolves began gathering up, almost surrounding them. Crane narrowed his eyes and forcefully flapped his wings again, blowing the wolves away and sending them flying. "You guys just don't know when to quit! Then again...neither do Po and Tigress. And since they sorta lead our ragtag group...yeah."

Tigress, Viper, and Po were currently forcing the boxes open as the others were fighting off the other wolves. Po smiled as he grabbed one of the dumplings, though Viper snapped her tail at his paw to make him drop it. He winced at the pain and the snappiness of Viper's whip tail. She shook her head at him, silently telling him that now wasn't the time. Quietly and a bit disappointed, he agreed, setting it back down. They all began distributing the food upon the completely eager citizens who received it with great open arms. The wolves tried to stop them, but they're all apprehended by Monkey and Mantis before they get a chance.

After a couple more precise swings from Mei Ling and more wind gusts from Crane, the wolves got the point that they were outmatched, and retreated with their tails between their legs. Monkey and Mantis both laughed as they watched them retreat. Food have been safely distributed to all of the citizens around them, all food crates emptied.

Po folded his arms. "There we go! All food in this area safely distributed to these hungry folk! And we all managed to get by without getting captured!"

"Yeah, we're trying to avoid that tibit, remember?" Crane said as he tucked in his wings and adjusted his hat slightly. "So, that part of our thing is done. We'd better get out of here and try something else that might help a heck of a lot."

"Yeah. Maybe we'll go and do this in a different locations? Let's head out and see!" Po grinned as he was already moving forward and looking for a place that a doctor might possibly be. Tigress immediately follows suit, as well as everyone else.

"...Okay. I guess this is what we're doin'. Cool." Monkey simply shrugged as he followed the panda along with the others.

Some were a bit baffled to see that a group of animals were following a panda across the rooftops. The panda seemed pretty energetic about his leading as well, but the others didn't seem to have any problem with this. They were just shocked that there a panda at all...and that he was deliberately defying the oppression the people are being placed under. Some of them were outright terrified of thr backlash that this defiance will bring...and yet they silently found themselves rooting for the panda and his friends.

But Tigress suddenly pounced in front of Po, holding her arm out before him, her eyes narrowed and focused. "It appears that they didn't give up after all." Po blinked as he and the others watched as more wolves gathered in front of them. They all looked slightly stronger and more skilled than the other wolves they've been beaten down. They all looked pretty menacing as well, though they were prepared to strike back when they see one of the wolves stepped up to them, a one-eyed wolf. Tigress watches as the wolves formed a neater formation behind this specific wolf. "And this time the leader is here as well."

"Eh? The one-eyed wolf guy leads the pack?" Monkey squinted his eyes a bit, getting a better look at the wolf before them. His eyes then slowly widened in slowly approaching realization. "Um...guys? Does this guy look familiar to you?"

Mei Ling focused on the wolf as well, her paw lightly swiping across her forehead in shock. "He...he looks too much like...like-"

"Ànyǐng..." Viper whispered softly, her tail covering her mouth. "I think we've just found...his...his father." She shook her head slowly. "I think I know now why Ànyǐng was very hesitant to come to the city...he must have known his father would be here..."

Po blinked twice, pushing his straw hat behind him and gazing at the wolf carefully. "He definitely looks like Ànyǐng...but that's not why he looks so familiar to me..." He scratched the back of his neck, his head thoughts constantly pounding against the inside of his skull. "Hey guy, did we ever meet before?"

The wolf pack leader, also known as Zhong, cocked his head. "Yep. This is a panda alright. Fat, stupid-looking, overly jolly..." The wolf readjusted his head as something began coming to him. "Wait a minute...this panda...he looks familiar...?" He narrowed his remaining eye and tried getting a closer look at his enemy. His eye widened significantly as he stepped back. "No...no way...you gotta be kidding me...!"

"What is it, sir?" One of his subordinates said as he placed a paw on his shoulder.

Zhong shook his head as he continues to stare at the panda in supressed shock. He recognized Po's face clearly now. _Of all the damned pandas that could have survived that raid...it had to be THAT one! Maybe I should listen to the old goat about fate, more. Then again, it doesn't look like he's here for revenge...don't tell me he doesn't know?_ Zhong blinked his one eye once...then he smirked. _Perhaps I could use his cluelessness to my advantage. Shen did order me to bring him to him..._

Zhong began to mischievously cackle slowly. Po blinked. "Heeeeyyy...are you laughin' at me? But I didn't do anything funny! At least...I think I didn't."

Zhong grinned as he cocked his head to the side and placed his paws on his hips. "Wow. You really are a clueless Panda, aren't you? Welp, to answer your first question...yeah, we did meet before once."

Po tilted his head once again, blinking owlishly. "We have? And only once? Are ya sure?"

"I don't blame you for not remembering, kid." Zhong says as he slowly unsheathes his claws, looking at them as if they were more interesting than the panda before him. "Ya know why? It's because it was such a long time ago. A _very_ long time ago. The main reason why ya don't fully remember me..." He then turned his claws towards Po as a very twisted smile graced his muzzle.

"Is because you were just a scared, helpless, snivelling little panda cub, weeping in the arms of his mommy."

 _The bright burning fires turning the village to cinders..._

 _The wolves shining fangs sinking into the villagers flesh..._

 _He could see himself in tears, fearfully looking around for his mother, only to see a wolf leaping at him, teeth bared. The wolf was furiously knocked away with a rake from another person. Then yet another scooped him up in her arms and took him away from the chaos._

 _He saw nothing but black smoke...and white feathers. This night, both of those opposote colors were colors of death._

 _Wolves howled, people screamed, cubs cried, and yet the carnage continued...the pandas screamed for someone to save them._

 _...But nobody came._

Po completely freezes up when the sentence leaves the wolf's muzzle. His scarf stops flowing as the wind also stops. His eyes have become vacant and dulled for a moment as he processes what Zhong was implying.

The rest were taking it just as badly, all of them were caught greatly off-guard. Especially Tigress, who's concern for Po skyrocketed, and confirmed that their orignal plan would never come to fruition, because she was well aware that the wolf was baiting Po far away from it. And they have a history. And a history with this wolf means a history with Shen. And both were personal. But still. _A cub...what happened...?_

"...I get it now." Po said quietly as he turned his head up. "I've been seeing things both day and nighr, for the last couple days. I thought they were simply nightmares, daymares, or crazy visions. But the visions aren't crazy...they were real. And they weren't just real...those were memories. _My_ memories..." He slowly lifted his paw and pointed at the wolf in front of him. "And you...I still have no idea what was going on then. But I DO know this...I was just a cub...there was lots of fire...and you tried to kill me."

"It was nothing personal, not to me at least. I was just followin' orders, chubby." Zhong smirked. He had his full attention now, and wouldn't be losing it anytime soon. He's playing right into his paws.

"Orders...? Who are you?" Po asked slowly, then shook his head. "No. What I should be asking is who is Shen, really?"

"That's a question he's been trying to answer for years, bub. Ya got me."

"You know what I meant!" Po clenched his fists. "Who is Shen to me?! Somehow, I know he had some sort of affect on my life. I need to know what it is."

"You'd like that, wouldn't ya?" Zhong smirked, stepping back into his pack, which began gathering around him. He confidently spread his arms out. "You'd _reeeeaaally_ like to know, huh?"

"Ah boy. This just got crazy worse, didn't it?" Crane groaned. He knew it would get significantly worse. But to this magnitude and intensity...they could have never have predicted something like this on the list of things that can go wrong.

"As a cub...? What happened to Po...?" Viper said, very deep concern gracing her eyes.

Monkey tugged on his scarf, looking a bit nervous. "Ooooh...the big guy is looking pissed off. And I think he knows why, but at the same time he doesn't...and that's worse than either of them alone."

Mei Ling sighed a little. "It looks like our little plan is gonna have some serious holes in it. I don't think Po is gonna back down from this."

"...Ha. No. No he's not." Crane sighed as he removed his had and lightly scratches it. "I knew our luck would turn sour at a moment's notice. But at this magnitude...? What are we supposed to do about this?"

"Ya wanna know what to do about it?" Zhong's smirked. "C'mon, Chubs. Follow me...if ya dare! Hahaha!" With another mischievous cackle, the wolf fully turns around and sprints in the other directions, as all of the other wolves covered his tracks.

"Hey! We're not done!" Po shouted as he begins to run after the target wolf.

"This got out of hand too quickly..." Tigress snarled. "Viper! Monkey! We're going with Po!"

"If you say so, Ma'am!" Monkey called out as he leapt after Po, with Viper swiftly wrapping herself around Tigress's waist as she did the same. All four of them leapt straight right over the platoon of wolves, landed safely, and began chasing down Zhong.

Mei Ling, Mantis, and Crane were left behind. All three of them jumped right in front of the wolves before the platoon of wolves before they could chase their friends down. Mei Ling narrowed her eyes. "Sorry, but that wolf boss of yours really offended my panda friend. So I really can't let ylu get in his way."

"Wolves shall not pass!" Mantis shouted as he shoots off from Crane's hat and kicks one of the wolves in the chest. Crane jumped up to nimbly dodge a swift sword strike from one of the other wolves and stops his talon down and slammed him into the ground. He looked behind him and dodged a mace strike from the side, brought his wings together and pushed the offending wolf, blasting a gust of wind to his chest and forcing him crash hard into a nearby wall. "So are we sure that Po and the others will be okay?"

"I don't know..."

Mei Ling thinks about what the one-eyed wolf said about Po, and thinking about whether it was true or not. It was difficult to tell due to the way he was callously demeaning Po. Yet at the same time, his words caused Po to have another vision, which erased most of the suspicion that the wolf was lying. So if his words were true...then they may have stumbled upon a city that is storing seriously dark memories for Po. She wasn't so sure ,but there was a strong feeling in her heart that fate brought Po here. There was a high chance that at some point in time, this entire experience would prove to be one of the most horrible and traumatizing for Po.

And yet at the same time...Mei Ling feels like it's not a choice for him to make.

 **(With Po)**

"Get back here you pirate-looking wolf!" Po shouted as Monkey rode on his back, and Tigress was by his side with Viper tightly wrapped around her waist. "You can't just mess with my head like that! What else do you know about me?! What else do you know about me? What does Shen know about me?!"

"Do ya really think I'm gonna make it easy on you?! Why spoil the mystery further than I already have, tubby?!" Zhong cackled as he keeps egging on the panda. Po only growled in frustration and picked up his feet to try and move faster. Monkey was having a slightly difficult time holding onto him as he tried his best to hang onto Po's back.

"This wolf is purposely trying to piss Po off! This type of subject is far too serious for him to be talked down from!" Monkey shouted to Tigress over the intense running from the large bear.

"This is really bad, Tigress! Po's not willing to walk away from this!" Viper also shouted, staring up to Tigress in concern. The feline merely nods in agreement but makes no sudden move to stop Po from chasing the wolf down. If anything should happen, she'd be there to support him. "So I guess the original plan just got seriously derailed, huh?"

"Big time." Tigress once again agrees. "This certainly how we didn't expect things to go..."

Zhong didn't stop goading Po. He continues to taunt him with his currently shattered memories before he was found by Mr. Ping. He found himself wanting to know whatever this wolf knowsx and whatever Shen knew, even if he's never seen the latter yet. But now he was becoming more and more interested in doing so. More than that, now he was feeling like it was something he _needed_ to do. He didn't know why, other than the fact that his memories might rely on the encounter..he just felt like he had to.

It felt like one of the most urgent things to do in his entire life.

"You're not getting away from me, pirate wolf!"

Zhong suddenly stopped within a courtyard. Po and Tigress stopped in their tracks, as Monkey and Mantis slipped off of them and landed safely on the ground. They looked up to see the Tower of The Sacred Flame standing right before them. Zhong turned around and spread his arms out again with a taunting smirk. "Well, Tubs? Ya want me? I'm right here. Come and get me!" Zhong said as he ran right into the Tower Of The Sacred Flame. Po narrowed his eyes and ran straight after him.

"Po! Don't go to fa-" Tigress started out. Then her ear twtiched and she turned and held her paws out. She immediately felt herself catch two horns in her paws, she shifted her weight and tossed the figure behind her. She blinked in confusion. "Wait...Master Ox?"

The Ox stared her down with steeled eyes, then he watched Po running into the Tower. He then turned his eyes back towards her. "The Panda has grown rather large...large and strong." He stood up fully. "And so have you. You're not the same kitten I saw fifteen years ago. You've got quite an impressive amount of strength."

"Our encounter came more quickly than I imagined." Tigress declared, her scarf flowing with another sudden current of wind.

"Yeah man, can we not do this?! Believe it or not, we're on YOUR side!" Monkey shouted in exasperation, waving his arms in a hysteric and comical fashion.

"Really?" Ox raised an eyebrow. "Because it seems to me, you're causing quite a fit of chaos in this city...and that's something we cannot allow." He took an offensive stance. "I'm going to have to apprehend you."

"Oh dear..." Viper's tail covered her mouth.

"Indeed." Master Croc exited from the shadows, and stood right by Ox. "It is regrettable. I truly do like that you and the others have made friends. Please understand...this isn't something I would like to do. None of us do."

A gang of Komodo Dragons suddenly moved out of each others way to make way for the biggest threat towards them...Master Rhino. Monkey's jaw dropped to the ground, then he shook his hesd and groaned. Crane was right, this day was getting more and more cruddy by the minute. The rhino stamped his hammer into the ground and let out a loud sigh. "The three of you have truly grown strong. I'm very proud of all three of you. Really, I am."

"I know you're not doing this because you dislike us. You just want to keep order in the city. And we're greatly disrupting that order, even if it's for the right reasons." Tigress nodded. "It's simply your duty to apprehend the ones who disrupt the order of the city...but you care about the citizens within the city even more."

"Yeah, yeah! What she said!" Monkey nodded quickly. "So we don't have to fight, right?! Because I'm _preeeeetty_ sure that each of you have the skill and raw power to kick our asses all at once, on your own."

Rhino sighed softly. "Shen and his men will be suspicious of our actions if we freely interact with you and try to help you...he'll turn his forces and weapon towards the city. We...cannot allow that to happen."

Tigress took a deep breath, and took an offensive stance. "Understood. You're merely doing your duty to defend this city, even if it's under the heel of a tyrant."

"It didn't HAVE to be that way, though." Tigress turned to see that Fung and Peng leap off of the roof and landed alongside her. Master Croc shamefully looks away from Fung. Not shame towards his student, but towards himself. They were slightly covered in blood, which caused her to raise an eyebrow. Fung shook his head. "Song got curious about the color of a Komodo Dragon's blood...some are red...some were green...I got a bit sick..." He shook his head a bit faster. "At least they're still alive...anyway, we're not going to just let ourselves get captured."

Peng sighed. He bowed to the three Masters first before taking a stance. "It's an honor to meet the three of you...though I wish that it could have been under better circumstances."

Master Croc tilted his head, a small smile gracing his snout. "Well well...this one is polite. Though isn't he a bit too young to be traveling with you all?"

Peng was about to answer. Then his eyes widened as Rhino swung his hammer around and slammed it down on the young snow leopard. He placed his fists together and catches the hammer in his paws. His legs bent downward a bit as the ground cracked under him. Growling fiercely, gritting his teeth together, and forces the hammer off of him while also pushing Rhino back a couple feet. He relaxed a bit and sighed.

"It would seem that there's more gifted people in the panda's group of friends than we thought." Rhino chuckled slightly. He swung his hammer more, then stops, pointing it towards the new opponents. "We may be forced into this, and we might not be personal enemies...but I would actually like to see what you can do. We can, how you say...out on a show? Though I would suggesr that one of you at least get the citizens to a safer location. We want to make this look good for Shen's men...but the innocents should stay out of it."

Tigress nodded in understanding. "Viper."

"I'm on it!" The serpent nods as she slithers off into the city.

Monkey looked after the serpent and groaned. There was only one person necessary to get citizens into a safer distance from where they were fighting. They were stuck with fighting the Kung Fu Council, and Shen's thugs at the same time. He now understood why Crane was so seriously hesitant about this entire thing. He's still going to fight...but he's not gonna like it. Monkey sighed as he got into position next to Tigress, Fung, and Peng.

Monkey's not regretting his choice...he's just hating it ar the moment because it's going to make things much more difficult.

 _They have a Soothsayer here, right? Well then, I'm sensing some serious pain in my future..._

Po was currently still chasing down Zhong the wolf boss. He was almost dead-ser on not allowing him to get away. Not after all of that mental and emotional turmoil he ignited within him. Now he wanted answers. "You're not getting away from me!"

"Is that what I'm doin'?" Zhong grinned, through another door. Po promptly pushing through. Though he stopped once he realized that he was looking upwards.

"Woah...that's also a lotta stairs..." Po said numbly, and being completely cool about it at first. After thinking about it for some time, he folded his arms, stomped his feet childishly, and pouted:

"DAMMIT!"

 **(Tower Of The Sacred Flame: Top Floor)**

Tai Lung smiled casually as he sits against one of the ancient pillars, placing one leg over the other. During this time, Shen was currently fuming with both blood-curdling fury and deep-rooted fear. Tai Lung allows a relaxed sigh as he slowly swishes his tail from left to right, his eyes closed. He didn't fall asleep, though. Sleeping here would be a pretty confident move from him, but it wouldn't be so smart. Then again...neither is confronting the enemy on enemy turf without too much of a plan.

Tai Lung cracked one eye open to see Shen still glaring at him. He reclosed his eye and chuckled deeply. "Shen, relax. All I'm doing is lying against this pillar. Like I said, all I want to do is have a civil chat with you. Just a civil, calm and casual conversation. Is that really something to be so suspicious of?"

"What are you doing here, cretin?" Shen asked impatiently.

Tai Lung raised an eyebrow. "Are you at least going to out your knives away?" Shen didn't move, neither did he put away any of the knives in his wings. Tai Lung groaned lazily. "Uuugggh...fine. Your hospitality could use some serious polishing." He stood up against the pillar and folded his arms casually. "Alrighty then, Shen. I just need to ask you somethin'...ya got something to drink?"

"What. Are. You. Doing. Here?"

"You're no fun." Tai Lung pouted. "Fine, I'll take a shot at being serious. Exactly...what are you trying to accomplish here? So what if a panda is in the city? Your very first thought is to have him killed? Why? Because it just so happens that a panda is destined to defeat you? Let me repeat what I said earlier...destiny is a picky bastard, and an even harsher teacher. It's either your friend, or your foe. And believe me buddy, you do NOT want it to be your foe. I tried to force it to cooperate with me...aaaaannnnd I ended up falling on my ass. _**Hard.**_ " He shook his head. "Ever since then, humility has been a co-teacher...and I learned a lot from it."

Soothsayer tapped her cane on the floor, and stroked her beard. "You have made peace with the fact that you are not the Dragon Warrior."

Tai Lung closed his eyes. "Yeah. And once I tried forcing that specific destiny to cooperate with me...like I said, I ended up falling on my ass. And not in the way you would think. No. The way I did...I traumatized my little sister. I was telling her that having sharp claws and sharp teeth was nothing to be ashamed of or to hate. Months later, I ended up doing something stupid that betrayed those beliefs I taught her and it caused a serious mental and emotional block within her. Even seventeen years later, I can still see it in her eyes. She's not scared of me and she's accepted my help... but she's doesn't truly trust me as fully as she used to...and I don't blame her. The blood on my paws was pretty bad to accept as my fault...but I consider the damage I've done to her to be infinitely worse. She means more to me than some destiny that's turned out to not be mine."

Shen steeled his eyes at the snow leopard, not taking his eyes off of him even for a split second. "Is this going somewhere, feline?"

Tai Lung slowly begins walking around the room, then he gently picks up the bowl that the Soothsayer uses to make predictions. He simply eyed it with interest, his tail continuing to lazily swish behind him. "So...imagine my concern when this kind old lady gives me some interesting information. Apparently you kept going on this dark path of yours. And if you didn't, you would be defeated by a 'Warrior of Black and White'." Tai Lung sighed. "And instead of just accepting that as it is and simply changing your ways...you made a mistake similar to my own. You decided to get angry and take it out on innocent people. Pandas. Innocent pandas. They don't bother anyone. They were simply minding their own business, enjoying their simple farm lives. It wasn't extravagant, it wasn't the best life...but it was theirs. They were content. But then..." He turned and swiftly threw the bowl towards the peacock. His eyes widened in surprise and he ducked under the projectile, hearing it shatter upon impact towards the wall. "You sweeped in, killed a majority of them, and burned down their home! And for WHAT?!"

Shen snarled. Tai Lung was getting hostile. "Don't try and pretend that you're better than me! Destiny dealt you a bad hand, that has nothing to do with me! I was securing my own destiny! They were in my way!"

"Bullshit. They did nothing to you, and they never would have, had you simply just left them alone!" Tai Lung growled. He folded his arms. "You've only secured your own destruction by taking the darker path that could have easily been avoided...had you simply just considered cutting your damn losses!" He tilted his head. "Just like my actions traumatized my sister...it's highly likely that your actions did the same to her panda best friend." _Except he doesn't remember...or his subconscious is blocking those traumatic memories out. Being in this city is a trigger all by itself._ "Shen. If I know anything about this panda, is that his potential is close to limitless. Just like my own...and just like my sister. I haven't known him for too long, but he's nice guy. He doesn't have to be your enemy, Shen. You just need to give yourself up and accept that you've already lost."

Shen's eyes reflected immense fury at Tai Lung's warning. "What did you say?"

"I'm telling you to quit while you're ahead. Like I said, the panda doesn't have to be your enemy. You simply have to give yourself up. Seriously. That big bad prophecy that threatens to be your downfall...doesn't _have_ to come true. But...keep going on this path...and you'll be put in a world of hurt." He shrugged. "Simply put, you'll fall on your ass for sure. That's what happens when bad guys mess with good people who can resist. Do you really wanna be that guy? I sure as hell didn't."

Shen glared hard and furious at Tai Lung, gripping his knives tightly. "Hmph...are you telling me to surrender? I'd rather not. I have made too much progress, put in too much effort, suffered far too much and far too long! If you think I'll be completely underminded by some snivelling panda, then you're a fool! If that's the only reason you're here, you can just get out of my sight right now!" Shen threw three knives towards Tai Lung. "Or shall I make you?"

He unsheathed his claws and slashed at the knives, deflecting them effortlessly. The snow leopard didn't break a sweat. He relaxed as he shook his head and clicking his tongue. "It appears that you refuse to be talked down..." He sighed and shrugged. "Welp. It was worth a shot." He cocked his head to the side and smirked. "Guess ya like doing things the hard way, huh?"

Soothsayer nodded. "Indeed. He's been doing everything the hard way, lately. It is exactly as exhausting as it sounds." She closed her eyes slowly as she brought both hooves to her cane. "He is here..." Shen raised an eyebrow at this, before he heard loud thumping in the on the stairway. He recognizes it immediately, and turns towards it.

Zhong gasped as he leapt over the very top step, landing on his side and panting rapidly. "Boss...I...I did what ya said...a little bit too well, I think..."

"What do you mean? What's going on, Zhong?"

"HEY! ONE-EYED WOLF GUY!"

 _ **BOOM!**_

A large explosion rocked the tower for a couple moments, and the other three had to cover their eyes from all of the smoke. Seconds later, Po jumped out of said smoke, coughing and fanning most of it away. He flapped his scarf a couple times to get a majority of the dust off. Then he placed the hat back on his head and pointed at the wolf angrily.

"We're not done talking! We have to talk aboooouuu..." Po's finger drooped as he took a better look around the room. He could see Tai Lung, he could see the Soothsayer...and he could see Shen. He blinked a bit and pulled back his paw. "Um...am I interrupting some between you guys?"

"Po. That's a woman." Tai Lung pointed at Soothsayer.

Po blinked. "She is? Uh-I mean of course she is! Hehe, yeah!" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I totally knew that! I was just...joking around is all!" _The beard threw me_ _waaaaaaaaaay off! I didn't know woman could have beards! Wait...maybe it's because she's a goat?_ Po blinked as the Soothsayer came up before him and gently pulled him down to her level.

"You grew up... _bigger_ than I imagined." She checked him over a couple times, gently pulling on his tongue. "Strong...and very healthy! And your chi is absurdly powerful, it continues to gradually grow...and you have a certain special aura around you. Your aura speaks to me as mostly innocent and naive...but simultaneously, you are not completely blind to the world's darkness when you see it. And even so, you remain completely uncorrupted by it." She smiled softly. "You've grown up nicely."

"Thank you, ma'am." Po bowed to her. Then he turned his head to Tai Lung and whispered: "Do I know her and just don't remember? Is she a friend? I'll feel really bad if I forgot a friend."

"Personally? No. This is the first time you two met, Po."

"Oh...well...can she be my friend anyway?"

"I don't see why not."

"Yay!~" Po beamed as he picks up Soothsayer and pulls her in for a bear hug. She blinked in surprise.

 _Innocent, naive...and very affectionate! He must have been raised by someone who is filled with immeasurable amounts of love, compassion, understanding...and loves giving hugs. Such people in the world are very rare...there are plenty of people that love giving hugs, though._

Shen smiles sadistically as he sees the panda before him. The main threat brought himself to him. Now, he'll be able to eliminate him, he just had to get reinforcements to make sure he doesn't escape from him. Tai Lung saw the look in his eye and shoosk his head. Only Shen could see a panda hugging an elderly goat and still want to kill him. He was tempted to just put Shen away right then and there...but he learned that forcing destiny to work with you never ends well. Either destiny is on your side, or isn't, and in the latter case you just have to step out of the way if you don't have the heart and will to defy it. Besides...defeating Shen is Po's destiny, not Tai Lung's. He folded his arms once again and leaned against a wall, watching the two of them.

 _This isn't going to be easy for you, Po. I can't outright tell you what's going on. I want to see how you feel you should do this, first..._

Shen cackled lowly, as he made eye contact with the panda. "Well well...it seems that we finally meet, Panda. We have a lot of unfinished business to attend to, you and I."

Po blinked. "I don't really understand it...but you and I...we're more connected than I think we are, aren't we?"

"More than you know, Panda. _Much_ more than you know." Shen's eyes steeled again, as he had more knives in his feathers and swiftly threw them towards Po.

"Woah!" Po ducked under the knives, watching them embed themselves into the pillar behind him. He pouted. "Hey, watch it! I really like my hat and scarf! They're awesome!"

"Oh. Don't you worry about those things, Panda." Shen slowly laughs again, as he brought more knives within his feathers, and his metal talons clanked against the floor. I'll be sure they'll look really nice on your grave site."

Po tilted his head and pouted. "But...I'm not dead. Or buried."

Shen blinked owlishly at him. "N-No, I was insinuating that...of course you're not... I mean..." He shook his head furiously. "I'M TRYING TO KILL YOU, YOU OVERWEIGHT BUFFOON!"

"Oooohhh...that's not cool, man."

"I'M NOT TRYING TO BE COOL!"

"Then does that mean you're lame, or something?"

Shen's expression turned completely deadpan. "...You're an idiot, aren't you?'

Po scratched his belly, looking around the room, then back towards Shen. "Is that a trick question?"

Shen slowly facewinged, nearly dropping his knives. "My biggest threat is of absurdly low intelligence..."

Soothsayer blinks twice and turned towards Tai Lung, who was snickering in amusement. Zhong was just watching the scene, jaws agape. She then turned back towards the two opposing warriosx stroking her beard. She's foretold of their clash many times now.

But she was genuinely surprised that this is how it starts out.

* * *

 **The plan was set...and it totally falls apart because of Zhong the Boss Wolf separating Po from the others. And the Kung Fu Council is keeping the others back in fear of the cannon turning on the citizens. None of them enjoy that position at all, but it's the way it is. In the next chapter, hell has officially broken loose. I'm looking forward to it though. So long as I don't screw it up...**

 **Guess we'll find out soon enough, yeah?**

 **See you until then!**


	52. The Gongmen War: Contact

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Writers block for this story hit me like a truck...a lotta trucks. Plus real life stuff.**

 **And like I said, things get rather chaotic here. Excuse the short length, if you will.**

 **Let's begin.**

* * *

The wind was howling outside of the Tower of Sacred Flame. Though it did nothing to unnerve any of the warriors that were currently gathered at the very top floor. Far from it. One was glaring furiously at the other, while the latter was looking confused and was just trying to figure out what's going on.

...Let's try to be more specific.

Shen has found the ultimate threat to all of his plans, the absolute bane of his existence despite the fact that they never formally met. Even with that, just the mere concept of the 'Warrior Of Black and White' being alive this whole time very much unnerved him. He couldn't always sleep well with the hidden possibility of him actually missing a couple of pandas, and one was plotting against him from the shadows. Though his 'threat' turned out to be less intelligent than he thought, and he wasn't even after him personally. Thought if his reasons for going after him weren't personal, then he didn't yet know the truth. He smirked silently, he could quite possibly use this cluelessness to his advantage. Though he also couldn't underestimate the panda. He had just busted a large hole through his wall after all.

Po was the latter warrior, scratching his belly as he looked at Shen curiously. The wind from before was making his scarf flowing gently with the wind, and his hat hung behind his head. He was currently trying to figure out why the peacock hated him so much, while also trying to figure out just what kind of connection the two of them have. He has been having multiple visions throughout his journey to Gongmen, and this peacock was a very constant image in many of those flashbacks. It wasn't difficult to figure out that none of those memories were good ones, and somehow Shen was involved in it. So he was feeling quite determined to find out just how connected the two of them really are. Though he also wanted to beat up Zhong for taunting him and mocking his lack of memory. He may have Tai Lung as an ally within the tower, but he accidentally left the rest of his friends behind. Shen wouldn't be letting him leave this tower without a struggle.

The Soothsayer watches anxiously as the two of them stared each other down. This has been a long time coming. Even if it starts in the strangest of ways. Though it was very clear that Po did not know what was going on, nor was he very knowledgeable of the situation he was being placed in. Which means the young panda was in for a very rude awakening. And if it was already here, then he's stepped into a nightmare, most likely. Though he will have to be able to endure it, if he were to ever come to terms with what happened, and become much stronger from the experience.

 _That is...if he survives. Many things are likely...but very few times are any of them completely certain. Only time will tell how events will transpire for this panda's future..._

Po rubbed his neck as he stared at Shen awkwardly. "Sooo...ya mind telling me why you're trying to kill me? I know we"re connected. But what I _don't_ know why you're trying to kill me! I didn't do anything to you! At least...I think I didn't...no wait, of COURSE I didn't!" He pointed towards Zhong. "He was toying with my mind! And my emotions! Who is he?!" He pointed towards Shen. "Who are you?!"

Shen lowered his eyes slyly. "You would like to know all of that, wouldn't you? You'd believe I would hand over the answers that you seek just because you ask for them? Why should I assist my worst enemy?"

Po groaned as he grabbed his face with his paws. "Dude. I am pretty damn sure I didn't do _anything_ to you! We **just** met! And so far you're being a total jerk to me for no reason! A lot of nameless thugs try that a lot, but you're the first who's making a really big effort into doing so, AND making it personal! Can you tell me _why?!_ "

Shen cocked his head to the side and laughed in a sinister manner...then he frowned. "Tempting...very tempting...however, I'll have to decline."

"Oh COME ON!" Po's complaining was cut off by Shen unsheathing more knives and throwing more of them at him with deadly precision. He gasped as he just barely managed to dodge three knives, and winced slightly when one managed to knick his cheek. He widened his eyes as he waved his paws at Shen. "Dude, stop throwing knives at me!"

"Ah. Don't desire long-ranged combat? Then allow me to get close and personal." Shen tossed a rope dart towards Po. It swiftly wrapped around Po's wrist when he tried to defend.

"What the-WOAH!" Po gasped as he was pulled forward by the dart, and he fell to the ground a couple feet in front of his adversary. The peacock them kicked at a weapons shack near him and grabbed it with a couple twirls and jabbed it down on Po's head. He rolled sideways and heard the blade stick punctured through the wooden floor. He stood up, only to bend backwards to avoid the vicious kick from Shen's metal talons. "Sheesh! What is it with you and sharp things?!"

"It's amusing to watch my enemies bleed." Shen replied simply.

Po blinked and pointed at the peacock accusingly. "That...is messed up. You're seriously messed up, dude!" Shen was genuinely surprised by the outburst, while Tai Lung stifled a hearty laugh. Zhong tilted his head at the snow leopard.

"You're not gonna help your buddy?"

"He doesn't need my help. Not right now, at the very least." Tai Lung shrugged. "I suppose you're going to try me, Pup? You look like you're much tougher than your rather lax subordinates."

Zhong shook his head. "No way. I know when I'm out of my league...too bad the Gorillas don't."

Tai Lung takes the warning casually as he bends sideways to avoid a harsh blow from behind. "Yeah, I did notice that they're the more pathetic one because their brain power is laughable. Come to think of it...so is their regular power." He sensed another swing coming towards him, and he caught the fist in his paw. "See what I mean? Laughable. Buzz off, chimps. I'm having a coversation." Tai Lung grabbed hold of the arm and swung down hard, flipping the gorilla over his shoulder and slamming him through the floor.

Po kept stepping backwards as Shen attacked him with multiple talon slashes and knife throwing from multiple directions. He rushed forward to strike him, though Shen flashed his train in front of his face, causing him to freeze up from the shock. _The red eyes...the signature red eyes that haunted most of his visions, daymares, and nightmares. They never ceased to appear to hurt him, to horrify him, to taunt him with his lack of knowledge. And now it was happening again._ Po didn't recover fast enough for him to see Shen kick him in the cheek once again, sending him across the room. He groaned when he hit his head on one of the pillars, rubbing it slightly.

"Grrr...hey guy! You can't just flash me like that!"

 _He has no idea how wrong that sounds, does he?_ Tai Lung and Zhong sweatdropped.

"You're not making this a fair fight! With you constantly throwing and lashing sharp things at me!"

"Now who said I was going to fight fair?" Shen smirked as he tossed more knives Po's way, while the panda deflected all with semi-precise paw strikes.

Po narrowed his eyes as he tightened his scarf and placed his hat on his head. "So that's how it's gonna be, huh? Fine." Shen threw his rope dart at Po again. He dodged to the side and grabbed the rope before the dart could finish it's journey. "If you're not gonna fight clean, I don't see why I should!"

He grabbed onto the rope with his other paw, and then tugged hard. Shen's eyes widened as he was lifted off the ground against his will and was sent flying. Po began swinging the peacock around via rope, earning a loud panicked caw from from him. He swung downwards and watched as the peacock was slammed into the ground which caused a pained cry. He then swung to the side, and the peacock was slammed into a pillar, earning yet another pained cry. Po grinned.

"Let's see you try to throw that thing at me now, huh?!" He swung upwards, and Shen crashed right into the ceiling. He then pulled the rope hard and sending him back towards Po. He took a deep breath as he sucked in his belly for a moment. When Shen was in the right position, Po thrusted his belly right into Shen and sent him flying across the room, and crashing into the cannon in the room. The sound echoed throughout the entire room, and he gasped at the sudden pain in his ribcage. "Ooooh...okay I might have overdid it a bit."

Tai Lung rolled his eyes. "You didn't go too far, Po. This peacock is just too fragile to take a lot of heavy hits. The guy is far weaker than he likes to set himself up as."

"Really? Are you sure?'

"Pretty positive."

"Weak...? You call me weak?!" Shen snarled dangerously, spitting blood out of his beak and wiping some of it from his chin. "Do you think of me of such a minor threat that you would call me weak?! Blasted feline!" He stood up, ignoring the severe pain in his ribs in order to stay focused. "You shall not mock me, Tai Lung. Nor shall this overweight buffoon!"

Po blinked. "All I asked is why you were trying to kill me so badly! Do you seriously hate pamdss so much?! What could they have done to you that would warrant this much hatred?!"

Shen coughed a bit more as he wiped more blood from his beak, glaring at the panda before him. "That is really none of your concern. I don't care how, and it doesn't matter why. The only thing I shall make certain is that you shall die _today_. I do not care who else survives my onslaught. But know this, I will make your death an absolute certainty."

Po rubbed his neck. "Okay...I think this is bordering on obsession, dude. I think you'd better sort out your bloodlust issues-GAH!" Po was batted aside by the fist of a gorilla sneaking up on him. He hits a nearby pillar and collasped nearby it. He slowly pushed himself up, rubbing his head. "Okay...blindsided by that gorilla guy..."

"You've made a very poor mistake at that moment, big guy."

The gorilla tilted his hesd as he turned around...as he was met by Tai Lung's fist. The blow sent him straight through the wall and sent him plummenting into the Earth, resounding through the area with a loud crash and a crater resides in the ground. Shen took advantage of the distraction and jumped out of the window, flying away from the tower with haste. He was done there, no longer needing it. Boss Wolf narrowed his eyes, and escaped through the window himself, making well timed jumps across buildings in order to descend. He didn't want to get caught up in what would happen next.

Tai Lung rushed to help Po up. Po groaned as he tried to stand on his feet on his own. "Something is wrong...why would they just take off like that?"

Tai Lung shook his head. "Whatever reasons he has, it's definitely not good for us."

 **(Outside Tower Of Sacred Flame)**

"Sooo...can we seriously not talk about this fairly?" Monkey said with his paws in the air, smiling nervously. Ox responds by running towards him horns first. Monkey backflips to dodge the charge, watching him crash into a nearby cart. He lands perfectly on his tail, sighing. "I figured it wouldn't be that easy. Nothing like this is ever that easy."

"Can't test ourselves if everything was easy, now could we?" Peng clenched his fists as Rhino slammed his hammer down on the ground, laughing heartily.

"I like this little one!" He said with a smirk, yet his eyes were still narrowed as he twirled the hammer quickly and swung it towards Peng. The smaller snow leopard jumped over the swung weapon and kicked at Rhino's head. This was blocked with one of his paws and he pushed the kick away as well as forcing Peng to land on the ground on all fours, his claws scraping against the ground. "Such raw power in such a small body. And it's so tamed. You're a very talented young man!"

Peng blinked. "Master Rhino of the Kung Fu Council is praising me...Lian and Bian Zao are going to get a kick out of this." He jumped up as Rhino swung is Hammer into the earth, cracking it heavily. He then performed a strong axe kick, Rhino blocked with his hammer, causing a shockwave from the two forces resisting one another. "Even though I'm the one doing the kicking!"

"Haha!" Rhino chuckled jovially as he pushed Peng away again.

"I do not see much amusement in this crisis, Rhino! Even if it is just for show!" Croc rolled his eyes as his tail slammed against Fung's. "By the ferocity of your tail strikes, I'm under the impression that you were looking forward to this, Fung."

"I might be. We can't really confirm that can we?" Fung said nonchantly as he through a punch at Croc, which he countered by dodging and wrapping his tail around his wrist. He then twirled him around and slams him into the wall next to the tower. Fung stands back up and shook his head.

"You've still much to learn, my student."

"Of course I know that." Fung mumbled as he first did a leg sweep which Croc easily dodged, though he was blindsided by Fung doing another tail swing that slapped him into the ground. "Though there is a couple of things that you could learn too, geezer."

"Hey! I'm not that old!"

"Ahahaha...yeah you are."

"Ugh...so disrespectful. I missed that about you. You're much more challenging than the other students combined. Speaking of which-"

"They're fine. They're being treated as we speak and fight." Fung nodded as he dodged another tail lash from Croc, then attacked with his own tail, which Croc blocked with his arm.

"Ah. Thank goodness. Glad to know they'll be making a recovery of sorts. I really wish I could have done better for them, like you would have." Croc nodded as he and Fung broke away. "Again...I am sorry that I couldn't have done better for them."

"...You know what, forget about it. I heard that holding grudges is pretty bad for your skin, anyway." Fung lightly quipped. Croc smiled at this.

Monkey continuously dodges the strikes of Master Ox. "Woah Woah Woah! No need to attack so furiously! We said that we were on your side! And I know we're kinda faking this, but-" He stopped as he dodged another strike that was far too close to his head. "I can tell you're now a very cheery guy!"

"Idiotic primate. We're in the middle of a city-wide crisis, and you find the time and brain power to joke?" Ox huffed as hee swung his mace down. Monkey backflips and kicked it out of his hands.

"Joking during a worrying crisis is how I cope! That way I won't be able to show how scared I am!" Monkey laughed nervously as he jumped up and avoided another charge, though this time Ox grabbed Monkey by the ankle and smashed him into the ground and stomped on his chest hard. Monkey grunted and laid limp for a few moments. "Ugh! Unfun..."

Ox was about to stomp again, though he was forcefully kicked back by Tigress, skidding him across the ground. Her claws were sheathed while she clenched her fists, and lightly cracked her neck, her tail swishing in anticipation. "Master Ox. Would you like to try me again?" He answered by charging towards her horns first. She planted her feet and held her psws out. The forceful charge pushed her back a couple feet, leaving lines in the dirt, until she completely stopped him in his tracks.

"Hmph! Your skills are worthy of high praise, Tigress! It is like we said before, you've surely grown!" Ox grunted as he kept taking more steps in an attempt to keep forcing her back. Though she refused to be moved any more than she already has been. "If only we could have met again in under much more comfortable circumstances!"

"Likewise. It's a shame that are duties contrast so strongly despite being similar!" Tigress growled as she lifted Ox up from the ground and slammed him back down. She then lifts im up again and punched him in his chest, which only sent him skidding back a couple feet. "Monkey!"

"Power Toss!" Monkey called out as he leapt on Tigress's prepared paw with Ox's mace in his paws. She then arched back and threw him with impressive force. He managed his grip on the mace while airborne and swung at Ox while his velocity was still high. The force behind the blow was enough to knock Ox away a couple more feet, this time sending him cashing into the walls of the tower once again. "A direct hit!"

"Not good enough!"

Monkey turned at the voice and yelped as a Komodo Dragon leapt at him with his teeth bared. He flipped over him and stomped his hesd into the ground, breaking his teeth. "What the heck?! I didn't see you there at all! Blindsiding is not cool when it's being done to you."

Peng narrowed his eyes as he jumped right over Rhino's charging horn, then straightened himself and punched a nearby wolf into the ground. "You're interrupting our battle! We're all trying ro be decent warriors here and you're making it far too difficult!" Peng jumped again as Rhino's hammer swung at him again, hitting a gorilla that was about to pounce on the young snow leopard from behing and sending him flying through the air. Peng blinked. "Woah!"

"Oops. I seemed to have accidentally hit one of my own." Rhino said in a very convincing mock voice that made Peng snicker a little bit."

Master Croc blocked another tail swipe from Fung as they both began looking around. Shen's forces were slowly gathering around them and they looked like they were going to strike. "It would seem that they are beginning to lose their patience with us."

"Like I care about their patience!" Fung snarled as he swung his tail and it sent a couple of the wolves flying across the ground. "I'm still pissed at them for bullying my men! They're not gonna get much sympathy from me!"

"Our sympathy doesn't matter to them. Nor will it ever." Tigress replied bluntly as she caught the fist of ome of the gorillas and allowed Ox to charge right into him and send him flying through an abandoned building. Viper managed to evacuate a majority of the civilians away from the fighting, so the danger was not totally gone, but it drastically decreased. "I do think that they're growing tired of seeing us still breathing, though."

"Well we're kicking their butts despite they're being so few of us. Of course they're gonna get pissed about our constant resisting!" Monkey exclaimed as his tail wrapped around a wolf's arm, taking the opportunity to flip him over using his own momentum, and the canine smacked into the ground. "We could really use something to clear them away from us!"

 **"WINGS OF JUSTICE!"**

A loud and courageous caw echoed from the skies, follows by a large gust of wind. Most of the soldiers have been swept away into the Tower by the burst of wind, while the warriors managed to gain the strength to plant their feet and stay standing. The wind flow stopped after a moment, and everyone found it safe to open their eyes. Crane was shown with his wings raised as he stood atop a roof where he executed his attack from. He was breathing heavily, as Mantis stood atop his hat and Mei Ling stood by him, checking for any other attackers.

"I think...I got them...ya know, besides our own guys..."

Mei Ling smiled as she patted his shoulder. Mantis lightly hopped on his hat. "Good job, bro! Ya totally swept them off their feet!"

"Oh how very original..." Crane rolled his eyes before turning to Tigress. "Um, I think we're short a panda. Where is he?"

"He's up on the Tower of Sacred Flame. You need to go get him and Tai Lung so we can retreat for the time being. We're going to exhaust ourselves otherwise." Tigress said.

"Make haste. I have a bad feeling about this. Shen _must_ have found the panda by now. Yet it's too quiet inside..." Ox noted, turning towards the Tower.

Crane nodded as he flapped his wings and soared into the skies towards the top of the Tower. "Huh. This place actuslly looks kinda pretty when viewed from an aerial distance. It's too bad it belongs to a crazy tyrant..." He flapped his wings and continued to gain altitude, circling around the Tower a couple of times in order to reach the top floor. Unknown to him, Shen has landed close to his factory, on a vantage point where his tower was within firing range, top to bottom. One of the gorillas placed the Soothsayer safely by his side. She knew full well what he was thinking to do next, and she genuinely got upset about it. "Will you stop and think about what you're doing?! Must you be so blinded by your ambitions that you're willing to destroy where you and your family once lived?! Losing a majority of your posessions is worth trying to kill someone who's innocent?!"

"...On my mark." Shen said coolly, completely ignoring her words. She huffed and turned away, using her cane to harshly smack away a wolf's paw that tried to grab her. She refuses to be an audience to this foolish and barbaric act.

After a while, Crane reached the top platform of the tower, and see Tai Lung and Po standing outside. "Po! Tai Lung! Thank goodness you two are alright...YOU CAN'T JUST STORM ENEMY TERRITORY LIKE THAT ALL BY YOURSELF!" He was mostly shouting at Po, but a bit of it was directed towards Tai Lung as well.

Neither of them paid any heed to the shouting part.

"Oh, hey Crane."

"Yo, Long-Legs."

"You too?!"

Tai Lung snickered a bit. But then his eyes narrowed into slits as he gently pushed those two aside. "Wait...what is that?"

Po and Crane turned and looked out to the distance. They tried to clear their vision a bit in order for a longer range. Crane suddenly gulped. "That...is definitely not good."

Po blinked. "What isn't?"

"FIRE!" Shen said as all of the cannons fired simultaneously and they all launched towards the tower.

 _...Mother._ Crane whimpered fearfully.

A multitude of explosions rocked the tower, greatly damaging it's supports and making it tilt sideways a bit. Tai Lung planted his feet as he looked at Po and Crane. "Time to go! I'm not a fan of Shen's renovation methods!"

"Po! Grab onto me!" Crane shouted as he flapped his wings. Po nodded as he ran towards Crane and jumped off the edge of the platform, and reached out for Crane's legs, grabbing them just in time. "Okay! We're getting out of here!"

 _Just the moment I needed..._ Shen grinned sadistically as another call was made, launching another storm of cannonballs towards the tower.

Tai Lung's eyes widened as he realized two of the cannonballs were getting far too high and were heading towards Po and Crane. He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. _This is gonna hurt like hell. But if Po gets killed, Tigress will never forgive me, and I'd rather not lose the progress I gained with her. Not to mention Mr. Ping and Fenghuang...*shiver*..._

Po's eyes widened as he also saw the cannonballs heading thier way. "Uh, Crane?! INCOMING!"

"I see them, I SEE THEM!"

With a furious growl, Tai Lung frontflipped over the airborne duo and crossed his arms in an X formation, bracing himself as the cannonballs both exploded in front of him at the same time.

 _ **BOOM!**_

The three of them were shot right out of the sky with highly destructive power. Tai Lung crashed right back into the tower and through the other side, landing through the roof of one of the abandoned houses. Crane spiralled out of control as a trail of smoke followed him, until he tumbled across the ground and slammed right into a wall, his smoking hat landing on his wing. His scarf was miraculously undamaged...unlike the rest of him. A smoke trail also followed Po as he bounced off multiple roofs until he splashed right into the river. His hat separated from him a bit and his scarf was miraculously unharmed, but he was heavily burned and was losing consciousness fast. Ringing filled his ears and his vision began to darken just as quickly.

 _Consciousness fading...water filling in lungs...seriously burned...yep. You're officially having a bad day, Po..._ He thought internally as he began blinking extra slowly, unable to keep himself awake for much longer. _Dammit...I can't die here...I still need to know what happened...what is my connection to Shen...gotta stop him...gotta..._

There was a shadow of a wolf with one eye swimming towards him with haste and trying hard to help him back to the surface.

Then...Po's world became dark.


	53. The Gongmen War: Memories

**(Mount Penglai)**

Fenghuang and Shifu's eyes both shot open as both of their meditation stances we're unceremoniously broken, in the middle of the night. Shifu fell over on his side while Fenghuang could barely keep herself standing. With shocked faces, the both of them looked in the direction where Gongmen City lies, trying to catch their breath.

 _A disturbance...a very troubling one...what could be happening?!_ Shifu thought, shaken by the sensation of the omens plaguing his mind.

 _W-What the hell was that?! I just got a bad feeling all of a sudden...!_ Fenghuang gasped, placing a paw on her chest while focusing on slowing her breathing.

Though it would seem that they weren't the only ones who could sense that something was wrong.

"P-Po..." Mr. Ping murmured uneasily in his sleep, turning over on his side while hugging himself. "My little panda...Po...please be okay...Daddy misses you...oh Po..."

Fenghuang lowered her eyes, saddened by the goose's clear immense concern for his son carried over even into unconsciousness. She and Shifu looked at one another, before the latter turned to the meditating Master Yao.

"...You want to go after him, do you?" He didn't even have to open his eyes. Fenghuang was still a bit put-off by how easily he could do that. "Concern is a normal feeling to hhave for a loved one in danger. There's pleasant way to say that feeling concern is wrong. But remember that you promised our cuddly panda that you would watch over his father."

Fenghuang groaned. "Ugh! This is irritating! I can't watch Mr. Ping worry about is son while sleeping! It's not something I'm used to dealing with!"

"The fact that you care at all is more than enough evidence to prove that you care deeply for the both of them. It's okay to worry. As long as your faith in him and his friends doesn't waver. Everything will be fine." Yao said comfortably.

"Grr...I still don't think we should just sit around and wait. I'm not a fan of doing nothing of I'm feeling terribly anxious at the same time." Fenghuang grumbled, folding her wings.

"Well, don't let me tell you what to do. You do what you want to do." Yao said with a soft smile. "After all, that's something you do all the time. Trust your instincts, Fuzzy, Tsundere Owl."

Fenghuang sighed as she tucked in her wings. Shifu quietly pondered Yao's advice. He nodded as he turned towards Fenghuang. Then he went over to wake up Taotie. Fenghuang nodded to Shifu fr a couple moments...before she gasped and glared angrily at Yao. "Don't call me Tsundere Owl! That doesn't suit me at all!"

"Really? Huh. I didn't notice." Yao seemed to be sincere, yet also simultaneously joking. The goofy smile he sent her way left both perspectives possible. It really frustrated her that she couldn't tell which one was the dominant one.

 _Why does one of the wisest Kung Fu Masters ever, also have to be the wackiest...?_ Oogway was a troll, but at least he knew when to be straightforward. Master Yao, he mixes wisdom into his somewhat unpredictable actions and speech that people could mistake it for his usual craziness.

Shifu soon snuck into the room Taotie was staying in, and lightly shook him. "Taotie... _Taotie_. Forgive me for disturbing your slumber, but I need you for something!"

The warthog groaned as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What do you want, Shifu? I was having a decent nap!"

"Me and Fenghuang believe Po and the others might be in trouble. We're going to need something that can transport us there as soon as possible."

Taotie folded his arms. "And you came to me? You expect me to create a contraption that will transport all of us to that blasted fairway city of Gongmen as soon as we possibly can? And you expect me to be able to achieve such a feat by getting started in the middle of the night?"

Shifu paused, lightly scratching his ears. "I know this is a bit much from you, but I wouldn't ask you if I weren't so worried. I'm worried about my son and daughter just as much as Mr. Ping is for Po, just like you're probably worried for your son. Please, my friend. Master Yao said for us to have faith, but we are allowed to do what we think we should do. We need your expertise to get us to the city as soon as soon as possible."

Taotie could see the concern and sense of urgency on his best friend's face. He sighed as he got up and stretched. "Alright...give me a few hours, and I'll have something up and operational for long-distance travel. My genius is at your disposal, but make no mistake. You owe me."

"Thank you, Taotie. Truly." Shifu bowed.

"Yeah, whatever." He yawned tiredly as he stood up and scratched his back. "Just go wake up your girlfriend and tell her we'll be doing some nightly traveling."

"That I shall...attempt."

"Don't be such a wuss, Shifu! You're just waking her up! It's not like you two will be-"

"I UNDERSTAND!" Shifu shouted, cutting off Taotie as a massive blush spread across his face. Taotie shrugged mischievously as he stretched a bit more as he went outside and began gathering the tools he needed.

Shifu sighed, feeling as if he dodged a speeding arrow. He also exited the room and turned...to see Mei Ling right in front of him. "M-Mei Ling?! You're awake already?!"

"I've heard the entire thing, Fufie." She said with her head teasingly tilted to the side. "It looks like we'll have to follow the younger ones after all. Guess parents can't help but be worried for their children."

"I am honestly worried about them. I really do have faith in them, but I just can't help but think that they're in need of our assistance."

Mei Ling patted his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with feeling this way. They'll be a bit annoyed...but they'll surely appreciate the help. Besides, it's not like you're smothering them. If that were the case, _then_ it would be a bit of an issue."

Shifu sighed as he once again turned towards the direction of the city. "I hope you're right, Mei Ling."

"I usually am." She grinned as she placed her paw on his other shoulder and smiled slyly. "Soooo...until Taotie finishes his little contraption...how about we have ourselves a bit of mischief?"

"Mei Ling, now isn't the time for your teasing." Shifu deadpanned despite the blush returning on his cheeks.

"I beg to differ. What do you think Taotie was implying...hmmmm...?"

"Let us not go into that!"

Meanwhile, Fenghuang went back to the sleeping Mr. Ping, still trying to soothe the sleeping goose rambling about his son. She softly petted his head with her wing.

"Don't worry, Mr. Ping. I'm sure Po is fine. And as soon as Taotie is done with his know-how whatever, we'll check on him ourselves and assist he and the others with whatever troubles they might be going through." She said soothingly with a soft smile. Though her inside thoughts said something else. Or more specifically, someone else.

 _Tai Lung. If I find out that something bad has happened to the panda, your ass is **MINE**._

 **(Gongmen City)**

 _Why do I suddenly feel like my life is in danger, and not because I just got blown up...?_ Tai Lung slowly opened his eye as he sat up and accessed the damage around him. He lifted his arms to see that they were mostly wrapped up in bandages. That didn't surprise him, he just took a cannonball shot in midair with little to no preparation beforehand.

He looked around to see that the sheep medic was curently tending to Crane's injuries, with Golden Cat Mei Ling worringly looking over him. Viper was curled up on a nearby bed, the run makeup a clear sign of concerned tears. Peng had Lian placed on his lap as they embraced one another with troubled faces. Bian Zao propped himself up against the wall, snoring quietly. Monkey balanced on his tail with Mantis on to on of his head, both fidgeting with their scarves. Tigress was looking anxiously out the window, her paws tightly gripping the windowsill furiously. Fung was tending to his croc brethren, grabbing Gahri's paw gently and reassuring him that the situation will eventuslly get better, with Song standing over him.

Master Rhino, Master Croc, and Master Ox were guarding the outside of the building, with the help of Xuě. The goat was the most focused of all, glaring oitward for any hostile forces. Tai Lung managed to count all but a few. Obviously Po was somewhere else, seriously injured. But...

 _Where's the wolf-boy? Where's that Ànyǐng fellow?_

"You're finally awake, Tai Lung? You took a pretty heavy hit back there." Monkey said as they allowed the moment of silence to pass. "We found you and we found Crane, easily enough. You've been getting fixed up here for a short 2 hours."

"One and a half would have been enough for me." Tai Lung grunted as he swung his feet over the bed and stood up straight, cracking his neck. "Do we have any measure on how serious the situation is now?"

"Well Shen is getting tired of waiting for his big conquest gig." Song spoke up. "He's mobilizing his forces pretty quickly, thought they seem to be having a few problems with that. Their wolf leader suddenly vanished without a trace, and they almost became completely disorganized."

Tai Lung blinked. Zhong just left Shen hanging when he was possibly needed him most? That was very suspicious of him. He did bail out when it was clear he's seen enough of Po's behavior. Maybe that had something to do with it...?

Peng lightly petted Lian's back for a couple more moments. "Uncle...what do we do now? Po is somewhere out there, seriously injured. We have to find him soon." He looked towards his Aunt Tigress. "Aunt Tigress is getting very impatient. She's made sure that you were okay, but she's really eager to jump out there and find him."

"I can see that, nephew. Very clearly."

"Hey! Geezer!" Fung suddenly shouted out for Master Croc, who remained calm even though his prized student was calling out to him. "There's a pretty good chsnce that you and the other two know where Po might have ended up, is that right?!"

Master Rhino turned to Master Croc, who merely sighed at the ridiculousness and lack of manners his student was showing. Though admittedly, the time for manners was obviously not right now. Rhino gave a bit of a head shake, before he turned to the others through the window.

"We can't keep it from any of you any longer. If Po has landed somewhere in the river and no one touches him as it carries him...then it should lead him there. You have to follow the river to the village... _his_ village."

Tigress's attention snapped to Rhino's in an instant. "What do you mean...Po's village?"

Crane heard a piece of the conversation, and he groaned while sitting upward, assisted by Mei Ling. "Mr. Ping...did say that he found Po in a radish basket. Which obviously means he wasn't from the Valley of Peace, and he was born somewhere else." He looked towards Rhino with a look of expectation. "Isn't that right?"

Ox turned towards Rhino. "Rhino. Are you sure that this is the right course of action?"

"He deserves to know more than anyone. And so does his friends." Croc informed him. "They need to be there to support him when he learns the truth."

Viper slowly rose her head up in attention. "W...What do you mean 'truth'?"

Ox stayed silent, Croc folded his arms and sighed as he looked away in shame, and Rhino shook his head. "It is best if you see for yourselves. I don't know much about any of you. But if there was a time and place for you to be by his side, it would be now, and up that river."

"The panda has stood up to Shen's forces with no fear at all, and the citizens have seen and heard this. They're no longer as afraid of Shen as they used to be. They're beginning to rebel against him, putting them in danger." Ox said, at first it was degrading of Po's actions. Then he lowered his head. "But I must admit...he took action when it was needed most. Unlike ourselves, who stayed under Shen's talons like cowards. You kids...you cannot allow that panda to die."

"No way in hell we would let that happen!" Mantis shouted, hopping. "Po is our big guy! He's the heart of the team! He's the best damn chef in the entire world!" Everyone looked at him blankly, causing him to scratch his head with his foreleg. "Sorry, I'm just really hungry right now. Anyway, we have to find Po and help him out!"

"Agreed." Crane said, struggling to stand. "That cannon shot was nothing...I can still fight..."

Lian lightly lifted her head away from Peng's, folding her arms. "What exactly are we supposed to do? Shen's gonna start his attack soon, since the villagers are no longer afraid of him..."

"It's obvious what we should do now." Bian Zao said while staring at the ceiling. "Tigress, Crane, Viper, Mantis, Monkey, and Tai Lung are gonna go find Po. Masters Rhino, Master Croc, Master Ox, and Xuě are gonna buy them time by holding the army back and keep them from leaving the harbor until the rest of us get there. Me, Peng, Song, Mei Ling, and Fung are going to head to the factory in the city and keep them from producing anymore cannons. Case in point, we're gonna destroy it just like we did with the one at Mount Penglai, so he can't blindside us with more of them." Now all of the stares were on Bian Zao, this time they were full of surprise instead of just being expressionless. He raised an eyebrow at them. "...What?"

"I know that you're not an idiot...but a _tactician_? HOW?" Lian said, surprised.

Bian Zao shrugged. "I _can_ be a smart guy when I need to be. But-"

"You like being a Lazy Ass because it takes less work, right?" Lian smiled sweetly when Brian Zao's eye twitched in annoyance.

Tai Lung cracked his knuckles. "Alright. We have a plan, and we've gotta split up for it to be done somewhat effectively. We're going after Po, where he should be recovering from that blast."

The doctor tending to the injured looked at them worriedly. "Are you sure he'll be alright...?"

"The panda is fine." Tai Lung said confidently as he stared out the window. "A person like him is far too stubborn to die from something as weak as that. He's alright. It's just a matter of _how_ alright." Tai Lung shrugged. "Plus, Tigress is already gone."

"Eh?" Crane and Viper blinked as they could see that the striped feline has vanished out of the window. The former blinked in astonishment as he scratched his head. "How did she do that?!"

"Doesn't matter. Time to move." Monkey shrugged as he also jumped out the window, as well as the rests of the Five, and Tai Lung.

Bian Zao, Peng, and Lian stood up as everyone who didn't leave gathered around them. "Alright guys. We have a conquest to stall, and a factory to destroy."

 **(Gongmen Outskirts)**

"Hey. Hey. _Hey_. Tubby. Come on, you can't possibly be dead. I can hear ya breathing."

"Ugh...voices in my head...pain in my face...emptiness in my tummy..." Po groaned in pain as he slowly sits up after a short stretch. He opened his eyes as the environment around him came into better focus...and he could see Zhong right in front of him, waiting impatiently for him to regain consciousness. Po blinked once. "Er...one-eyed wolf guy? Did you save me?"

"...How are you not pissed with me anymore?" Zhong said, as he shook his head in exasperation. "Look...I didn't save you so we could have a friendly chat." Po looked over himself to see that he was covered in numerous bandages. And judging by the slight stinging feeling over his body, someonen has just removed all of the acupuncture needles from his body. Though he was still surprised that someone who antagonized him so ruthlessly has suddenly saved his life.

"Did you bring me here to feed me?"

"...No."

"Did you bring me here to kill me?"

"Now if I wanted you dead, why would I save you?!"

"I dunno. You're bad at your job?"

"...Why didn't I let this dumbass drown...?" Zhong asked himself, facepalming himself hard. The question was rhetorical of course. Either way, Po was left horribly confused. The wolf shook his head as he looked at the panda. "...Anyway...I saved you for a reason. Something that'll be explained."

"Explained how?" When he said this, the Soothsayer slowly exited from the shadows from behind him. Following her, was Ànyǐng. Po blinked and pointed. "Hey, it's the old goat lady and your son!" Then he remembered that it was supposed to be a surprise, and he covered his mouth. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't-"

"Don't bother, panda. He already told me." Zhong waved him off, earning a further confused gaze from the panda. "Yeah...for so long, I didn't even know that I had a kid. I went for a fling _once_ , a few months after...stuff happened." Zhong rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Shit...man, I don't even know how to explain this."

"By providing the truth of what you know, Zhong. You're doing great." Soothsayer said softly, standing by.

"I don't wanna do this..."

"Why would you start a path you're unwilling to finish?"

"Ugh! I hate it when you do that!" The wolf growled, shaking his head rapidly. "...Look, Panda. I just couldn't go through with it anymore, okay? At first I was on board with Shen's little scheme, and i have been for years. But...I can't do it anymore. Seeing you in action for the first time was the last straw for me." Zhong shook his head. "I thought we did what we did because your people were a threat to Shen. But seeing that idiotic, innocent look in your eyes, even when you were trying to kick my ass...you had no idea what happened, or why you were being targeted. For some reason, looking at you as my prey...it ain't fun. And you know I'm serious when I say that, because I consider messin' with prey to be pretty damn funny."

"How come?"

"You weren't trying to kick my ass out of revenge. You tried because I provoked you. When I came back to that realization, I came to another one...most of this mess was _her_ fault!" Zhong pointed at Soothsayer angrily. "Why'd you have to let him hear that stupid fortune?! All of our lives could have been easier if you had only kept your mouth shut! But now, now the damage is far too severe for it to ever be undone! All three of us are to blame for this!"

"...I know...I didn't use enough care or caution when revealing that fortune..." She said bitterly, mostly towards herself than anyone else. "There was no way for me to predict his reaction...his ever so violent reaction..."

"Can you not talk like I'm not here?!" Po pouted childishly. "What's going on?! What isn't the goat lady telling me?!"

Ànyǐng sighed. "Po...you're about to take a walk through the past...and it won't be easy for you to handle. I only know the basic details of the events...but only you, my father, Soothsayer, and Shen can remember more vividly. I'm new to this part of the story, because I wasn't born yet."

"Follow us, Chubs. You're not gonna like it, but ya gotta see it." Zhong grumbled as he led the way for Po. He was very nervous about it at first, but he gathered enough strength to stand on his own and follow the wolf.

As he kept trudging forward, the anxiousness in his body continued to grow more and more prominent, and he felt a sudden headache grow to near unbearable levels. It took a lot of will for him to simply remain standing, and he was unaware as to why. Zhong, Ànyǐng, and Sootysayer remained silent for the most part. He was getting a very bad feeling about this burdening situation the more he progresses forward.

Soon enough, he stepped forward, and was shocked by the sight. It's a village...or what was left of it. Everything looked like it was burned to the ground. Houses, crops, everything. It looked horrendous...yet also hauntingly familiar. And not just by the fact that it's happened at the Valley of Peace.

 _He can still hear the screams of the fallen..._

Po nearly fell over as screams pounded in his head, his eyes tightly shut as he tried to keep himself from collapsing. He slowly reopened his eyes as he turned to Zhong and Soothsayer. "What...is this place...?" Neither of them answered. Sighing a bit in frustration, he turned towards the burnt houses in question. Testing something, he closed his eyes...

 _He reopened his eyes, and was surprised to see many more pandas thriving peacefully in the village he was currently in. Most of them were cheerful, happy, and high-spirited, not giving much of a care in the world. The parents were managing the crops while also watching the children. He could even recognize his younger cub self crawling around, watching everything with eyes full of wonder and happiness. He also saw what looked like..._

 _...are they...?!_

 _He didn't find any time to confirm it, as the beautiful scenery of falling petals and sunshine was replaced with darken skies, pitch black smoke, and screams of the innocent's blood being spiller across the grass. His cub self was terrified beyond imagining, gripping the panda doll in his paws as if his life were connected to it._

 _"None of them escape! Kill them all!"_

 _He could hear Shen's voice in the background, as well as seeing the peacock sweeping his wing in an arc motion as more wolves mobilized across the fields. He could see one of them leaping at him with his jaws parted, intending to Rio the cubs throat out. The cub, gasped fearfully, until the larger panda from before swung a rake in the wolf's face as hard as he could, batting him away and blinding him in his left eye for life._

 _"Take our son, run away! Go now!"_

 _The female panda quickly scoops up the cub and quickly flees with him, making him accidentally drop the panda doll. He reached for it in vain, as it disappeared under the rubble of the house they passed under._

Po pushed away said debris and was surprised to see the same doll from his vision under it. His eyes slowly in shock as realization after realization hit him hard, just like the waves of memories.

"I...I lived here...there were more like me...but then..." Po's thoughts went unfinished as more memories struck him. The tradegy of this village being destroyed due to someone else's greed...soon became meshed with the tradegy of the Valley of Peace's near-complete loss of life. It became too much, as a painful ringing begwn filling his ears, causing him to drop the doll amd cover his ears. Unpleasant sounds filled them relentlessly.

 _The screams of the innocent..._

 _The blood splattering on the ground_

 _The wolves howling..._

Po gritted his teeth as he fell to his knees, tightly shutting his eyes and shaking his head, trying in vain to make the sounds go away. It's too much. _Far_ too much!

"Make it stop...make the screams stop...I can't handle the screams...!" Po growled. "Go away! GO AWAY!"

"Po...?! PO!" Someone called out to him, but he was too far gone into the agonizing memories to initially take notice.

 _MAKE IT STOP! **PLEASE!**_

"PO! OPEN YOUR EYES!"

Po did as the voice requested...and he looked into the eyes of Tigress. She was wearing the most concerned expression he's ever seen on her so far. Because she noticed what he had yet to. He was crying. His eyes darted all over, the flashes of memories overtaking him. She realized that if he didn't stop hyper ventilating, he would pass out.

"Why did they have to die?! What did they ever do to deserve something like this?! _Why?!_ "

"Po! Look at me Po!" Tigress placed her paws on his cheeks and forced him to look her in the eyes. "Don't look anywhere else, Po. Just look at me." She pleaded with him. There was little ways to help him if he was in this hysterical state of mind. "Breathe, Po. Don't focus on anything else but me."

Po blinked owlishly as he stared into Tigress's crimson irises, the tears still flowing down his cheeks. But he did as he was told, slowing his breathing while keeping his eyes on her. "T...Tigress...?"

"That's right, Po. I'm here. You're safe and sound for the moment." She spoke softly to him, wiping the tears away as best as she could. "Everything is okay, Po."

Po shook his head slowly. He slowly brought his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, his head gently pressing into her chest. "No Tigress...everything is SO not okay..." He whimpered, tightening his grip on her, his voice cracking a bit. "Everything about this is so messed up...and I...I..."

Tigress, in a significantly less serious situation, would be super embarassed by the way he was pressing his head into her chest, especially since the time period that they were taking s rest from fighting Shen's forces, she removed her wrappings and didn't have the patience to put on more when they made certain of Po's location.

Tai Lung would have definitely make a crack about it, but now was definitely not the time.

Right now, Po was in a very vulnerable state, which was very rare despite his carefree attitude. This was one of the times that her strength would be useful in more than just fighting. For the first time in his life, he's hit his lowest point. He needs to be brought up from it soon, if he were to help everyone stop Shen.

More importantly, Tigress absolutely hated seeing Po so miserable. She would hate it even more if there was nothing she could do about it. Luckily for this occasion, she could.

She slowly wrapped her arms around the panda and pulled him closer to her. One paw rested on his back, while the other was soothingly petting the top of his head as she allowed him to cry softly into her chest. Even though they were in the middle of a crisis, she didn't rush him. She gave him all the time he needed to calm himself down.

The rest of the Five were being debriefed on the situation they were in, with understandable glares aimed towards Zhong. Tai Lung slowly made his way towards Tigress and Po, as the latter as beginning to calm down. Po slowly pulled himself away from Tigresses chest, wiping the tears from his eyes. Tai Lung nodded.

"Hm...by the looks of things...you're ready for what I have to show you, Panda."

Po blinked. "R-Ready...? Ready for what...?"

"Oogway told me something once, when I was still in training. 'When we hit our lowest point...we are open to the greatest change.'" Tai Lung folded his arms. "I'm going to show you what I learned when I completely came to terms with the fact that I'm not the Dragon Warrior. I've noticed you're a quick learner like me, Panda. Do what I do."

Tai Lung took a deep, practiced breath. Po watched him for a moment, and did the same. Then...they both slide their feet across the grass, and gently pushed their paws outward. With precise timing, they raised their paws, and caught a droplet of water. The moment they did, the memories began flooding Po again, and he winced.

"Don't struggle against it, Po. You need to come to terms with what happened. Both with happened with the Valley, and what happened here." Tai Lung told him, his eyes closed. Po listened to him, and his breathing became easier to handle. He closed his own eyes as he balanced his droplet of water up and down his arms, never allowing it to break once.

Tigress recognized the movement, if only vaguely. _Tai Chi..._

Po followed the movements Tai Lung was guiding him through...until he was doing it on his own...

 _The mother carried Po through the snow-filled forest, fleeing from the wolves that are chasing the both of them down, including Zhong. They repeatedly tried to pounce at her, with her clumsily and carefully dodging out of the way each time._

 _Eventually, she managed to lose them, if only for a few minutes. She stumbled down a hill, yet she refused to let her cub touch the ground. She found radish crates at the end of it, and gently placed Po into one. He whimpered when she began pulling away from him, as she tried to calm him down or he'll give himself away. She held his tiny paws with her own, which brought a smile to his face. She smiled back, tears running down her face. Even admist all of this death and destruction, he was more worried about her than anything else. She was full of pride that he already has such a big heart..._

 _It tore her apart that she had to do this. And years later, at an older age, this would do the same. She hugged her child, and planted a kiss on his forehead. Looking at him one last time with regret and sorrow, she pulled away from him, crawling back up the hill, and waving her arms widely to gain the attention of the wolves._

 _Po reached his arms out for her, crying as she ran away, with wolves chasing her down again, and the train of a peacock following shortly after._

 _He was all alone..._

Po opened his eyes as he allowed the water droplet to slide off of his paw, onto the leaf, and back into the water. He then dropped to his knees as he stared at his paws. He sighed softly.

Tai Lung folded his arms. "You had one home utterly destroyed when you were a cub, and your second one destroyed when you weren't there to protect it. Honestly, I'm surprised that you ended up the way you are now, with the amount of tradegy that's struck you. Out of everyone of your friends, you suffered the worst." He nodded. "But that's what I like about you. Life has given you hell, and yet you still keep kicking. And even if you do break down once in a while...you have _them_ to pull you up."

Tigress stood next to Po, and gently helped him up. Viper slowly slithered sround him and coiled around his arm, planting a comforting kiss on his cheek. Monkely lightly punched him in the shoulder, grinning supportively. Crane, even with a bad wing, placed a wing around him, also supporting him. Mantis hopped on top of his head, wiggling his forelegs excitedy, ready for a fight.

He smiled, remembering he's not alone anymore. And his Dad and Fenghuang...they'll be waiting as well.

"So...what's the plan?"

"Well, Fung and the others are planning to destroy the factory so that no more cannons can be made. Masters Rhino, Ox, and Croc are going to protect the citizens at any cost. As for us...we're going after the fleet. Should be fun." Crane chuckled bitterly. "But it's your call, Po. What say you?"

Po looked to the Five, then to Tai Lung, then to Ànyǐng, Soothsayer, and Zhong. The former handed him his hat, and Tigress handed him his scarf. He places the former on his head, and the latter around his neck. He cracked his knuckles as a sly grin spreads on his face.

"Watch out, Shen...I'm ready for Round Two."


	54. The Gongmen War: Black And White

In a completely understandable way...Shen was not in the best of moods. Far from it, he was beginning to completely seethe.

In retrospect, he _should_ have been happy. He had seemingly killed off his biggest threat to his plans, and should have nothing else to worry about. The Council was subjugated, the people were in fear, and his army has almost completely taken over the city for good. Things shoupd be looking up for him, because he was becoming the victor he was meant to be...except that it was beginning to tear itself apart.

He didn't know where the Soothsayer scurried off to. The moment he began shooting the Tower Of Sacred Flame down and watched it crumble to the ground in an attempt to kill the panda. He had succeeded, and was fully prepared to gloat about his apparent victory in her face. But he couldn't find her anywhere. And for that matter...he couldn't find Zhong, either. This both intensely infuriated him...and he wouldn't admit that he was slightly worried about them. His fortune teller and right-hand wolf have disappeared without a trace and he was sure that no one else knew where they were.

...Shen shook his head. It didn't matter too much that Soothsayer wasn't there. She's been constantly antagonizing his actions and never being in support of him. She was so sure rhat he would fail because he just wouldn't stop. Well he couldn't stop, not when he was so close to victory. So he wouldn't worrg about her too much. Honestly, he could be without her for a while. Good riddance.

Though admittedly, one other thing was bothering him greatly. Rhino, Ox, and Croc hasn't reported back in a very long while. He didn't want to think that they were trying to do something treacherous, not when there were so many lives on the line. He simply refused to believe that they would be foolish enough to try and oppose him now of all times, when his army was being assembled and was about to head out throughout China. That would be a terrible time for them to start being rebellious. Not only would they be outnumbered, but he would still have a difficult time dealing with them, cannon or not. Each of them were a one man army when they weren't holding back. And a Master Rhino who doesn't hold back is a Master Rhino he'd preferably not do battle with.

Rhino would have the most hostility aimed towards him ,due to having a canon aimed towards the civilians for the longest time, keeping them from striking back against him. But if they were brave enough to actually defy him at such a crucial moment, then he would have to deal with them quickly. Before they could do too much damage that could become irreparable.

He paced the floor constantly, his metal talons resounding a menacing clanking sound. _This is preposterous. I should have nothing to worry about in the slightest, yet I can feel paranoia coursing through my veins. Something is not right. Didn't I kill the panda already? Then...why does it feel like I'm still in life-threatening danger? Don't tell me the Council is actually thinking of-_

"Lord Shen! Lord Shen! We have a situation! A REALLY bad one!" One of the wolves ran up to him, nearly tripping in the process. He was panting wildly, as his fur was slightly rustled. S rolled his eyes as he condescendingly addressed the poor wolf.

"What do you want? I am very busy right not, and I don't have time to be amusing foolishness."

"It's Rhino, Ox, and Croc! They've gone crazy! They suddenly started rampaging on the fleet before any of them could begin to leave!"

"What?!" Shen pushed the wolf aside as he ran outside to see if what he was saying was true. He jumped through and kicked the doors open to see the commotion.

He was right. Chaos has struck his fleet before they could even begin to take off. Rhino, Ox, and Croc were rampaging against the army that was beginning to board the boats, keeping them from boarding. Shen's eye twitched as the realization sunk in. _They actually believe that I will let this go...they actually believe that they can resist me and not suffer the consequences. They're fools. But WHY?_

Ox forcibly charged through the platoon of wolves horns first. Most of them were simply knocked aside by his sheer bulk, while a couple others were cut by his horns, and a few of them were non-lethally impaled by the same horns. He roared as a couple more wolves tried to pounce on his back, but he swung his mace and all of them had their heads bashed. "We will no longer be your lapdogs, Shen!"

Croc emerged from underwater and lashed his tail in an arc, knocking down a couple wolves as he landed perfectly on one of the boats. "We're forcing ourselves out from under your heel! When the choice comes down to serving you or death, we choose death!"

Rhino was the most difficult to even approach. He was swinging his hammer in such a manner that either the blunt end or the hammer itself would bash into wolves even harder than Ox's mace, and they were sent flying far. Small courses of lightning coursed through the hammer as he applied his chi to the hammer, dealing further damage and watching wolves flying through buildings. Viper has already had the civilians retreat somewhere much safer. It was safe for him to cut loose. "And if our rebellion results in our death, then we'll make sure that we make your progress as difficult as possible before we perish!"

Shen's beak actually dropped from this. They...no longer cared. They were actually choosing death over being stuck serving him. It no longer mattered to them that he had cannons trained on the city. Better for the citizens to willingly accept death than living under Shen's heel. If they were to perish for their resistance, they were basically saying 'so be it'. Why would they suddenly start thinking like that? It couldn't possibly be because of the panda...what if it WAS because of the panda? Whh would they...

Shen seemed to be clenching his wings angrily. _The panda didn't serve as a warning lile intented...he became a martyr...!_

 **(Metal Factory)**

Bian Zao was crouching behind a crate as he sees the metal factory ahead of him. Then he turned to the once who accompanied him. Mei Ling, Song, Lian, Fung, and Peng were alongside him, also crouching from sight. He could see a multitude of wolves guarding the entrance to the factory, and there were a couple of gorillas there as well. Large and menacing, big and scary. Good, Peng could use something big to hit.

"Alright. Just like the other factory, this one has gotta have a lot of heat. Many sparks go lying due to the constant clanking of metal. If we can get some gunpowder just like before. Like, a dozen barrels of it, we can bring this factory down just like we did the other one." Bian Zao explained. "I'm going to go find some of that gunpowder."

"By yourself? Like hell you are!" Lian huffed. "Me and Peng have your back. We'll help you get the gunpowder."

Bian Zao shrugged. "Fine by me, I could use some cover. Just keep them away from me as I try to find some gunpowder. Song, Fung, Mei Ling. If there are any leftover citizens in this area, we're gonna have to get them away from the blast zone. And while you're at it, you can also find us some gunpowder, will ya?"

"Right!" The three of them nod and retreat into three directions. "Shen is gonna regret messin' with this city, and the friends I have living in it!" Fung snarled angrily.

"That anger can be used for something helpful, by getting those komodo dragons out of our way?" Song suggested. Komodo Dragons were hopping off of the roofs, and were attempting to block their way. Fung would not be deterred.

"Move it or lose it!" Fung yelled as he spun and lashed his tail outwards, slamming teo of them into the ground. "There's only room for one big tough lizard on these streets! One big tough lizard that actually cares about other people!"

"What about Master Croc?" Song asked.

"I'm not counting him, I'm still not completely over him letting my men get hurt the way they did." Fung grumbled.

"That's a bit fair. A leader looks after his men. Since Fung wasn't here to do it, he was entrusting Master Croc to that role." Mei Ling said as she ducked under an axe swing from one of the komodo dragons and smacking him in the head with her staff. "While these guys, their own leaders are willing to leave them to slaughter. That's not very good leadership material at all."

Song was the most evasive of the trio. Many weapons were slashing her way, she was able to avoid most of the strikes with such grace and agility. Then when they were recovering to take a breather, she would impale some of the approaching wolves with the sharp knife on her parasol, in a nonlethal manner of course. But still...there was that unnerving sense of satisfaction in her eyes when she sees the sharp blade penetrate their skins, and watching the blood drip from the wounds afterwards. Fung made no comment on it, or just didn't notice at all.

Mei Ling and Song collaborated a little, forcing their way through the crowd of wolves, eventually leading to Fung running right in-between then and bowling over the wolves that stood in their way. Eventually they were able to locate a couple barrels of gunpowder up ahead of them. Fung grabbed a couple of them in his arms and tail, and also managed to stuff one in his jaws without breaking the barrel.

Song smiles as she turns towards the enemy crowd and aimed her parasol. "We've gotten what we've came for. Bye-Bye~" The parasol suddenly opens up and releases a purple gas that obscured their vision. They tried waving it away in an attempt to find the trio. But when they managed it, they discover that they were already gone.

They've already reached the top of a faraway roof, having a couple barrels of gunpowder on paw. Fung dropped the barrel in his jaws into Mei Ling's paws, and gagged a little.

"Uck...gross...some of it got on my tongue...gunpowder does NOT taste good..."

"That's because gunpowder isn't edible, Fung~" Song lightly patted his cheek, unknowingly making him blush, as she jumped across the rooftops. "Come on! We gotta gather them up so we can ready for the explosions!"

"It's lucky that this is for the greater good, or we might be stopped by authorities..." Mei Ling wondered as she followed Song. Fung struggled a bit due to the amount of barrels he has, but was able to keep up with the girls easily enough.

Fung blinked when he heard familiar voices, and stopped when he could see Gahri gently gesturing leftover civilians through the streets. Wong, Irwin, and Wall-Eye(with a lot of assistence) were also carrying them away from much of the danger zones, where most of the fighting would be taking place. They may not be in fighting condition, but they weren't too injured to help the innocent out of danger. With this display, he couldn't help but smirk proudly.

 _Good job, boys. I'm treating you all to some great grub when this is all over._

Meanwhile with the other trio, Bian Zao was carrying a couple barrels in his arms, setting them down. He sighed. "This is so lame...but it's gotta be done. Now if we only had a cart, then we'd be able to just roll it right in and they won't be able to stop it. Just like before."

"Operation Special Delivery!" Lian pumped her fists.

"Exactly. All we need is a cart. There's gotta be one around here somewhere." The warthog turned around and passed a building. He was blindsided by a gorilla swiping him aside with his large fist, and he impacted the wall enough to crack it.

"BIAN ZAO!" Lian and Peng shouted. The former ran to help him up while Peng blocked the fist of the gorilla throwing another punch. Lian ran by his side and helped the warthog up, worried when he began bleeding at his forehead. "Bian Zao, are you alright?!"

"Ugh...was not...ready...for giant monkey fist...really...really... _lame_..."

Lian turned around and glared at the offending gorilla. "You went and pushed it! This is my best buddy you just hit, he's not strong like me and Peng! You and your canine and lizard friends are going _DOWN!_ "

"...Lemme go, Lian..." Bian Zao asked her, gaining a look of surprise from the feline. "It's really lame, and I feel like taking a nap for a couple hours...but I gotta stay focused. Gotta get that gunpowder and blow up that factory..."

"But you're hurt. You should find a safe place to rest..."

"Lian...if we don't blow up that factory, they're gonna keep making those cannons. And if they keep making those cannons, then China will be in for a world of hurt. THAT, will be really lame." Bian Zao grumbled as he forced himself to stand on his own. "Whether I'm weak or not doesn't change what I need to do. The only thing I ask of you both right now is to watch me back as I do so."

"Bian Zao..." Lian said quietly with worry. Reluctantly, she lets go of him, and almost grabs him again when he stumbled a little. But he reassured her that he was alright.

"I'll be fine...they won't sneak up on me again."

"...If you say so." Lian nodded as she turned and ran on all fours to help Peng, as Bian Zao kept stumbling around, but continued to try and find a cart to carry the explosives into the factory.

Peng blocked another punched from the gorilla, and Lian took the opening to kick him in the face, making him stumble backwards. Though as he stumbled, he swung his arm outward and grabbed her by the arms. She gasped as he roughly pulled her close to her.

"You're being a troublesome little girl..."

"Paws off, asshole!" Lian growled as she kicked at his face again, distracting him long enough for Peng to take yet another opening. But before he could take it, he was blocked off by multiple wolves slashing at him with swords and knives. He gasped as he jumped back, only suffering a minor cut on his paw.

Peng ignored the cut as he clenched his fists. "Standing in-between me and my girlfriend is not a wise idea. I suggest you get out of my way, because I'm very certain that you don't want me to force my way through." All the wolves simply laughed st his threat as they continued to brandish his blades. He looks ahead to see Lian still in the gorilla's clutches, and he growled. "Fine...have it your way." He took a deep breath, and suddenly jumps upwards, forceful enough to crack the ground beneath him. The wolves were confused by his actions for a couple moments, then their eyes widened as they see him coming back down with devastating force, fists first. Since no civilians were around, he could afford to be a bit less restrictive. He slammed down onto the ground, pushing all of the wolves back, flying through walls, hitting their heads on pans, and landing on top of roofs.

The gorilla holding Lian seemed dumbfounded, while she just had a smug smirk. "Yep. I'm dating that small powerhouse. And to be honest, I'm not slouch either." She kicked at his face one more time, and he finally lets go to hold his aching face. She lands on the ground with practiced grace, and she dusted herself off. "He also gets a bit protective of me sometimes. Sort of...like that "

"Huh...?"

Peng ran on all fours, stopped right in front of him, jumped up, and delivered a powerful uppercut to the unsuspecting ape, making him flip backwards into the sir for a couple moments before landing on his face, then slumping onto the ground unconscious. He panted a little bit as he rubbed the paw he punched him with.

Lian smiled as she walked up to him and patted his shoulder. "I think you cracked his skull with that one."

"R-Really?! I didn't...I was just...you were...he was..." Peng stumbled on his words and began to blush. Lian giggled at this and kissed his lips to calm him down.

"Relax, I'm sure he's only gonna have minor headaches. Come on, let's see how Bian Zao's holding up."

Bian Zao nodded with folded arms as Fung, Song, and Mei Ling returned with the barrels. Mei Ling blinked as she saw blood on the warthog's forehead. "Woah, that looks bad."

"I'll bandadge it up, later. Right now, we've got everything we need." Bian Zao insisted as he stepped away from the cart. "Okay, load it up."

They soon began loading all of the barrels of gunpowder into the cart. It looked filled to the brim with the barrels, it seemed to be more than enough. It was probably for the best, even if it's a bit risky. Soon, they were ready to light it up, leaving only one of them open. Bian Zao made sure that the cart was leading into a straight path into the opening to the factory. With a nod, he lit the fuse. He turned to Peng and Lian.

"Wanna do the honors?"

"I couldn't possibly do that. It's your plan, Bian Zao. You should do it."

"Boys...how about all three of us do it?" Lian grinned.

"...Heh. That idea doesn't sound so lame." Bian Zao shrugged. They all nodded together. Each of them placed their right foot on the end of the cart, and pushed it forward. They watched with anticipation as they watched the cart roll down the path and right into the factory. They counted down the couple seconds that were left...

 _ **BOOM!**_

The explosion was loud and and widespread, followed by multiple smaller explosions from around the first large one. They could see the sparks flying, and the wolves and gorillas flying out of the building, screaming in panic. Debris landed harmlessky all around the area that's already been evacuated.

Bian Zao narrowed his eyes a bit to see it all better, then shrugged. "Eh. It could have been a bit better. But regardless, we've completed our objective." He sighed. "Too bad I can't take a nap just yet...there's still a lot to take care of."

"Right. We're needed elsewhere. Like, to the main battle!" Mei Ling said strongly as she pointed in the general direction of where a majority of the battle is taking place. "This is going to be tough. But Crane, Po and the others are gonns be there, and both of them are most likely still pretty hurt. We've gotta help everyone the best we can."

"Bian Zao...are you sure you're up for this?" Lian patted his shoulder.

"I'll be fine. Let's go."

"We're comin' for you, Shen's army! You're going DOWN!" Fung shouted as he charged ahead. Mei Ling and Song rolled their eyes as they followed him. Bian Zao, Lian, and Peng all stuck together as they helped the warthog wobble along since he was still feeling woozy. But they greatly respected his will to continue regardless.

 **(Gongmen Harbor)**

Shen's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned towards the source of the loud explosion that could be heard all over the city. It was his metal factory...it's been completely destroyed in a fiery inferno.

"W-What the devil?! How?! More rebels?!" Shen glared. This was unacceptable. Without that factory, he can no longer create anymore cannons until they would construct more factories for them. But that was the last one he currently had. This enraged him beyond possible belief. "Dammit all the hell! Why is everything coming apart NOW of all times!?" He shook his head rapidly. No...this changes nothing. He's still in control. He still has his weapons. He won't be overcome so easily. "WOLVES! TAKE AIM!"

Rhino sent another wolf flying with a swing of his hammer. That's when Ox realized that one of the cannons were aiming towards his Master. His eyes widened as he tried to reach him, but he was blocked off by three gorillas. Croc was being held back by multiple wolves piling on top of him. They tried forcing them off, but they wouldn't reach him in time.

"MASTER RHINO!"

The elder master turned around, eyes wide, but it was too late by then.

 _"FIRE!"_

The fiery ball of metal shoots out of the cannon, leaving a sparkling trail of smoke and fire trailing behind it. Rhino held his palm out, highly expecting death. He was surrounded, with little time to get out of the way. The cannon was moving fast. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ready, accepting his fate.

...then came the fate-changer.

"HEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRREEEE COMES THE THUNDAH!"

Rhino's eyes widened again as he sees a blur of black and white land right in front of him and hold his paws outward. Then the entire army stood stupefied as the mass of black and white _caught_ the cannonball in his paws. He smirked under his hat as he lifted his head to reveal his jade-colored eyes, his red scarf flowing with the incoming wind.

Shen felt his soul get colder, not bothering to hide his horrified expression. " _No..._ "

"Yeah!" Po exclaimed. "Here's a scolding hot dumpling, comin' at ya!" Po spun around once, and threw the cannonball right back at the sender. The next thing Shen knew, one of the boats hsve immediately exploded and begun sinking into the water. Po whistled as he tipped his hat. "Direct hit!"

"PO! CAN YOU STOP ACTING INSANE FOR _ONE_ SECOND?!" Crane exclaimed as he landed next to him. Mantis and Viper eased off of his back, Tigress and Monkey landed a couple feet next to him. "You can't just go jumping into things like this without a plan! And since when could you throw cannonballs back?!"

"Oh, that?" Po rubbed his neck. "I kinda just _winged it_ , ya know? Hehehe!"

"HAH!" Monkey cracked up at the pun, quickly wiping a tear away.

"You mean you didn't know that you could do that now, and just took a leap of faith?!"

"Yep!"

Crane groaned as he briefly took off his hat and rubbed his head to soothe an incoming headache. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?"

"Stop Shen now, complain about Po's recklessness later." Tigress ordered as she charged threw the wolves, easily knocking them out of her way. Crane and Monkey moved in direction as the former kicked down a couple other wolves. Mantis and Viper sped out of the way of upcoming weapons, joining Ox and Croc and helping them away from the crowds hindering them.

Rhino was standing in shock as he looked down on the panda who just saved his life, and in a very surprising manner. He didn't get to express his gratitude, as he immediately went after Shen with a mighty bound. He was then surprised again as another cannon was thrown into another boat, causing it to explode and the wolves to scatter. Tai Lung jumped right in front of Rhino and dusted off his left arm.

"Greetings once again, Master Rhino." Tai Lung said politely. "Unfortunately, we don't have time for pleasantries. Mind helping me destroy these weapons before they can deal more damage to the city? And do make your choice quickly, before they take aim again."

Rhino was greatly surprised and was trying to keep up with everything happening so fast. But not wanting to risk any more city damage, he nodded quickly and follwed Tai Lung on the boats with cannons on them.

Shen hopped away from the boats and landed on the rooftops, breathing heavily. He heard a loud _thump_ in front of him. His eyes widened as he quickly looked upwards to see Po a few feet away. His eyes jade eyes were bright under the shade of his hat as he stared at Shen with a mostly blank expression. He folded his arms.

"Ya know...if it wasn't for the one-eyed wolf guy...I would have died. Yeah...dying woulda sucked."

"So someone else DID betray me. That makes sense." Shen snarled.

"Can you blame him, though? Dude, I'm not sure you can see it as well as I can, but you're not that good a boss."

Shen brandished his guandao and held it towards Po. "Do you believe that I'm afraid of you? I have struggled for far too long and far too hard just to fail now. I'm going to conquer China, like I was meant to!"

Po cracked his neck. "Yeeeaaah...that's a pretty big goal you have there. I have nothing against traveling all over China and having adventures. It's a fun journey. Though...I'm not a fan of you actually trying to conquer it. So...here's the deal, Shen." Po pushed his hat back, letting it hang by it's string, and he tightened his scarf to it wouldn't fall off. Then he pounded his fist into his palm. "You wanna conquer China? You'll have to go through _me_."

Shen grinned sadistically. "So...that is how it's going to be?"

"That's how it must be. You've gotta remember that tiis is what you wanted, Shen. This is what you decided on 20 years ago when you thought that it was a good idea to try and kill off my species." Po slowly slid into a fighting stance. "I'm not letting you to run away from this a second time."

"Oh, do not worry. I'm done retreating from you. I want to kill you personally...by my blade." Shen slowly rosed his guandao to the level of his head, until a reflection of Po appeared on it.

Silence surrounded the two as they stood on the rooftop. They ignored the fighting around them, just focusing on one another. Po's scarf flowed with the wind and his hat shook slightly. Shen's feathers rustled as he kept his train closed. One's eyes looked ready to deliver justice, while the other looked ready to kill.

The Dragon has come to clash with the Phoenix.

Without another word, the two charged each other.

Shen swung his guandao at Po's head, though the panda narrowly dodges it by sliding on his knees and ducking backwards, the blade just barely missing his snout. He propped bsck on his feet and spin-kicked him in the back. Shen grunted as he managed to prop himself back up himself, turning around and throwing multiple throwing knives towards Po. Po dodged each of the knives, and also deflected a few wirh the back of his paw before running towards him again.

Shen narrowed his eyes again as he jumped back on another roof and called out to the wolves. "Fire!"

The wolves heeded his call as they aimed the cannon towards Po. The panda sighed. "Yep. I knew you were gonna do that. Luckily I'm ready for it!" Po got into position, ready to throw the cannonball back. The cannon booms as a firey cannonball launches towards Po...and everyone was surprised as a sudden purple blur kicked it away into another boat, destroying it without a hitch. Po's eyes widened as he sensed the chi of the figure. "Master Fenghuang?!"

"WHAT?!" Ox and Crane shouted in shock, even as they were holding off other wolves.

Fenghuang suddenly landed on the concrete ground, cracking it enough for some of it to launch upwards. She slowly rose her head as her eyes were slitted, and she was emitting a mass amount of threatening intent. "You filthy dogs and moronic apes should be more worried about yourselves. That isn't your fight, it's my student's. I suggest you not interfere."

"It's rare for us to agree on something, Fenghuang!" A blur of white slammed down on the edge of a cannon before it could properpy fire, leaving it to blow up the boat it was sitting on. The blur then reappeared on another boat, and Shifu lifted his head, his cloak flowing behind him.

Tai Lung was honestly surprised. Tigress just as much. "Shifu?!/Father?!"

"And just what do you heathens think you're trying to do to my son and daughter?" Shifu demanded. He first crouched, then he sped forward. Wolves were sent flying in his wake as he went right to them before sliding to a stop. "Are you two alright?"

"Glad to see you, Shifu. But...how did you get here so quickly?" Tai Lung asked, casually backhanded a komodo dragong thug approaching them.

"Taotie gathered up another one of his contraptions. The others are there too, but they're making sure Mr. Ping doesn't fly off on his own and try to find Po before the battle was over."

"You brought Mr. Ping here?! That's SO not a good idea!" Mantis shouted as he swung Viper by the neck, using her to tail slap an incoming gorilla in the face. "He's gonna freak out when he figures out that a majority of this army is singling out Po!"

 **"WINGS OF JUSTICE!"**

A powerful gust of wind blew most of the wolves away, making room for most of the Masters to breathe and find each other. Crane landed on the ground with a sigh. "I dunno about you all, but I'd rather face an army of vicious wolves and rampaging gorillas than Mr. Ping's wrath. So let's try ending this quickly."

"That, I can assist with." Fenghuang flew upwards a couple feet, flapping her wings a couple times, before she came flying down on one of the boats and stomping right through it. It was strong enough to break the boat in half and sink on it's own, as well as destroying it's cannon.

Shen was watching the entire scene with shock and awe, in complete disbelief at what was going on.

"Hey, Shen! We're not done here!" Po jumped up from his rooftop and onto Shen's, before leaping forward and kicking him away.

Shen's talons scratched the roof as he glared at Po angrily. Po didn't seem fazed by the infuriated glare at all. "THIS! _CHANGES! **NOTHING!**_ "

"Dude! Why are you so damn angry at everything?!" Po shouted, raising his paws. "And why do you have to take it out on me?!"

"Because you're my final obstacle!" Shen shouted as he jabbed his guandao at Po, who dodges it cleanly. "The Warrior Of Black and White is my final challenge before I'm considered worthy! I will not stop now, not when I taste victory!" He spat. "How are you even still around!? I know you've been to the panda village! I know you know the truth by know! You should have been emotionally distraught! Filled with despair! **DESPONDENT**! Even when you're currently fighting me, you still feel more peaceful than ever! HOW?!"

"You think I wasn't distraught about what happened back there?! Of _COURSE_ I was emotionally distraught! You burned down my home and killed most of my species! Of course that's gonna make me distraught! I was deeply hurt by all the recurring memories!" Po placed a paw on his chest. "But I can't let that haunt me for the rest of my life! I have to accept that what happened happened, and move on! I can't let my past define who I am right now!"

Shen was angrily clutching onto his guandao as the panda stared him down. Even when he was sternly reprimanding him, his eyes were still filled with peace. He wasn't angry, he wasn't enraged. He was simply trying to defeat his current enemy and keep his loved ones safe. It wasn't fair. Shen didn't have any family left. He didn't have any true friends, even Zhong is more of a close second-in-command than an actual friend. And if they were, that bond is also gone. Soothsayer will probably never speak to him again.

His family. His friendships. His happiness. He's discarded all of them for the sake of becoming a conqueror, to rule China the way he sees fit. No matter how many bodies he had to step over, friend or foe. His obsession rendered an entire species close to extinction. His obsession forced his parents to drive him away. Soothsayer knew his obsession would lead to all of this, but he still refuses to listen.

Shen has lost everything once, and it filled him with rage. And as a result, he kept driving everyone away until he truly had no one left.

Po lost everything _t_ _wice_ , and he still has the heart to keep on going with a smile on his face. Even after all the hell he's been through, he still chooses to smile rather than give into darkness. He's filled with more strength than Shen could ever take from others. Shen had to take happiness away just to feel it. Po was just filled with it.

Po was strong enough to let go of his past, while Shen was too weak to do the same for his own.

...it wasn't fair. It just. Wasn't. **Fair**.

Po didn't speak harshly this time. This time he spoke softly, as he was speaking to another one of his friends. "Maybe if you let go of your past, you could be happy too. I've made the choice of who I want to be. Now it's time for you to choose."

Shen cackled lowly, a sinister grin on his face. "You're right...and I choose... ** _THIS!_** " Shen suddenly leap over Po and used a rope dart to entangle his arms and throw him onto a boat. He then left off the roof and landed on top of his bac to keep him from moving, making him cry out in pain. "FIRE!"

One of the last remaining cannons aimed towards them. Po's eyes widened. "Shen are you crazy?! You're going to kill us both!"

" _Precisely!_ Then we can both burn in hell together!" Shen didn't care about victory anymore. All that mattered to him was that the panda lost, and that he dies. That's the only victory that will satisfy him at this point, and he's no longer caring if he dies as well.

Tigress turned towards the commotion, as she and Fenghuang hastily tried to stop the cannon from firing. _**"PO!"**_

The cannon fired. The two females watched in horror as the cannonball blows up the boat containing Po and Shen.

For Po, everything went black.

 **(?)**

 _Ugh...wh...what...?_ Po blinked as he got a better sense of his surroundings...and the fact that there were no surroundings Just an endless void of white. _What the?! What the hell?! Where am I?! Did I...did I die? Oh come ON! I just came BACK from the brink of death! Why was I placed back on it?!_

Po stopped ranting when he heard crying. A child's crying. That instantly made him abandon all of his thoughts and try to find the source of it. He needed to find the voice of the child. To silence the cries of immense emotional pain he felt, and comfort him. The voice belonged to a boy. It was just impulse for Po to comfort children.

Soon after he walked a couple paces in pure white, he found the child he was looking for. A young peacock chick in what looked like royal robes. White robes. He was wiping his eyes with his wings, not allowing for his eyes to be seen. Po walked up to him.

"Hey...it's okay." Po said gently, reaching his hand out to the chick. The child saw him approachinf, and flinched, instinctively flashing his young train at him.

Then Po heard the voices.

 _"He looks so small, fragile and helpless."_

 _"What's with the color of his feathers?"_

 _"Shouldn't peacocks be colorful, and not pure white?"_

 _"It looks like he might die at any moment."_

 _"I feel so sorry for his parents, they were expecting a child with colorful feathers and a beautiful train, like themselves."_

 _"Hmph, what makes you think YOU deserve to be part of the Royal Family? Nothing's special about you except that you're a peacock who's as white as a ghost!"_

 _"A peacock without color is unheard of. Guess that makes you a freak, huh?"_

 _"Someone so drained of color and life doesn't deserve live!"_

 _"Get out of here! You shame the Royal Family with your very existence!"_

 _"Your parents were disappointed in you the moment you were born. Face it. No matter what you do or how much you grow, you'll always be the same peacock. A failure. A freak of nature. A grave **mistake.**_ _"_

"...I...I'm n-not a mistake..." The young peacock sniffled into his wings. "I-I'm not a mistake...I'm not a freak...I'm...I'm not a failure...so why...why do I feel like all of those mean things, even though I know they're true...?" Shen curled up a bit, freeky allowing his tears to flow as his hiccups echoed through the void. "Why...does everyone have to hate me...?"

Po stood still as the voices echoed through his head. These weren't just Shen's insecurities, people have actually said these things to him, as a _child_. They thought that him dying at a young age would have made his parents much better off. Shen has been lured into darkness because he was exposed to the cruelty of the world when he wasn't ready for it.

...Po just realized how similar they are. The world was cruel to them at a young age, and it drastically changed them both. Except...Po had Mr. Ping. He had Tigress and Fung. And he had Fenghuang. Then everyone else years later. He wasn't alone anymore. No matter how many times the world was cruel to him, he always gave it another chance.

But Shen...everyone kept their distance from him as if he were a plague. The more they distanced themselves, the darker his heart grew, and the more he distanced himself from them. It grew to the point where not even his parents, Soothsayer, or Zhong could reach him. He was simply too far gone for the light to ever reach him again. Everyone gave up on him and considered him a lost cause, and a threat that must be destroyed at any cost. The world drove him away, so he drove himself away from the world, and tried to conquer it for treating him so horribly.

With a deep sigh, Po clenched his fists as a determined expression crossed his eyes. He was standing on the white side of the void, while Shen was beginning to be dragged off to the now approaching dark side of the void.

He's made his decision.

He ran forward, reached his paw outward towards the peacock...

 **(Reality)**

...and grabbed Shen by the robes as he was doing his best to bring them both back to the surface. They were deep underwater, and Po was in a hurry to get them both back up before they drowned. The sun was starting to come up, he could tell due to the ball of lighr seen even underwater. Spesking of underwater, that would be Shen's grave, to sink into underwater darkness where no one will ever try to bring him back up.

...Po refused.

 _I'm not gonna let you die, Shen! Ya hear me?!_ Po mentally shouted as he continued to swim towards the surface. Then what he saw neck made his eyes widen. _...Oh dumplings..._

A boat was still sinking, and heading towards them. Po had to move Shen out of the way as he swam in another direction. It didn't seem like any more debris would fall and deter him.

...then he felt his right arm get stuck between debris within some of the confusion. He tried to pull himself free, but was lacking the strength to do so during his fight with Shen, being hit with another cannon blast, and being underwater where he had very limited oxygen. _You have GOT to be kidding me right now!_ He and Shen were both going to drown at this rate. He needed to act quickly.

 _Think, Po! You and Shen are about to drown, there's no time to wait for the others, and you can't pull yourself free. What do you do?_ He thought for a couple second, as he looked towards the debris. Most of it looked jagged and very sharp due to being broken apart by the battles happening above. His arm was too big to pull out, and the space was too tight. If he couldn't pull his arm out, maybe he could push the debris out of the way. But it's all too tightly packed together to actually go anywhere.

He then sees chains floating slowly next to him, and a cannon sinking faster than the chains. The canon was sinking fast, of course it was very heavy. The chains were pretty long, and they look very sturdy. He looked at his arm, then to the chains and quickly sinking cannon, then up to Shen. He had an idea...but everyone else was gonna chew him out so hard, later. If he weren't underwater, he'd sigh. He grabbed the long chain that was connected to the cannon, then wrapped it around his trapped arm until it was locked around it. Then he tightly closed his eyes

 _Think about dumplings! Think about bean buns! Think about noodles! Think abou-!_

 **(Three Days Later...)**

Shen didn't know where he was, and why he felt so much pain...and he didn't know why he still felt pain. He had the wolf manning the cannon aimed towards him, and he knew that it fired towards him. He should have been dead, the panda should be dead. Maybe he was successful with the panda and he himself to survive...?

...No. Fate wasn't that nice to Shen. Fate _**hated**_ Shen. It wanted to see him destroyed by any means necessary. He got up, but groaned as he felt sharp pain in his ribs. Great, now that was something he had to deal with. Though when he held his side, there were bandages. Someone was treating him.

"...Are you alright, Shen?" He blinked when he saw the Soothsayer standing in the corner, eying him with worry. Though he simply glared at her with disdain. "I wouldn't bother with your knives. I had to take everything sharo out of the room so you wouldn't do anything drastic."

"What the hell do you want, you crazy old hag?" Shen turned away from her. "Hmph. Don't tell me that you saved my life. What for?"

"I merely treated you. Saving you was not my doing."

Shen raised an eyebrow. He shook his head as he looked into a nearby bucket of water. His eyes widened as he saw what his face looked like now. The right was just fine. The left...

...the left was completely black, his left eye only able to squint.

 _...No...NO... **NO!**_ He mentally shouted as he slapped the bucket away from bim, breathing erratically. Why would destiny be so cruel to him!? He couldn't be deserving of this, could he?! This was madness! Why would it mock him so severely like this?! This was the worst thing they could possibly afflict him with!

 _What type of hell has been placed on me?! Now you've made me a constant reminder of my failures! Damn it! Damn it all!_

"Where is he...where is that obese moronic abomination...?" Shen snarled as he struggled to stand. "I don't care if I don't have my weapons...I will kill him. I. WILL. **_KILL HIM!_** "

"Shen. You have lost. And the panda has shown you mercy." Soothsayer said calmly. "Don't make a mockery of his kindness by blindly attacking him. Besides, his comrades will not allow you to do such a thing."

Shen wasn't listening. The panda refused to die like he commanded him to, and now he had a permanent scar on half of his face. Black and White. Those two colors have haunted him for years, and now they'll never truly go away. He will pay for this. Dearly.

He stormed out of the hut, and could see the panda in question sitting a couple feet away from him. Perfect. He had no weapons, so he'll just have to settle for tearing his beak into his jugular and violently rip it right out. Yes. He could live with that. Shen doesn't need weapons. He WAS a weapon. And he was about to inflict his wrath upon the moronic bear, and he would make sure he didn't survive. He refused to watch him breathe air any longer. It's now become an eyesore just to see him exist. He has to audacity to reprimand him for his life choices, then show him _mercy._ His pride will never recover from such an insult.

" **PANDA! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! THIS ENDS RIGHT HERE! RIGHT-** " Shen's eyes widened, well his right one widened. His left one only widened slightly. "...now...?"

The panda turned to him, and waved cheerfully. "Shen! You're finally awake! Man, I was getting worried that you wouldn't pull through!" Once again, Shen was briefly blown away by the panda's behavior. He was waving to him and greeting to him as if they didn't just have a battle to the death, and it was clear that neither of them won, since they were both still alive.

Ignoring the fact that Po completely disregarded his threat, Shen could only look at Po with his lower beak hanging in shock. "...Panda...how...the _**hell**_...can you be so calm right now?"

Po tilted his head, blinking owlishly. "I don't know what you mean...?"

Shen seemed to currently be the only one to be completely and utterly petrified that half of Po's right arm was now a bandadged, bloody stump.


	55. The Gongmen War: Aftermath

**Sorry this took a while. I really do wanna start updating this faster, and I plan to. As soon as writers block for this story can leave me alone.**

 **This doesn't have much to it, as it's all I had for the moment. Again, my apologies, and I hope to get the next one out sooner than this.**

* * *

Po honestly couldn't tell why Shen was looking at him with horror and disbelief. As far as he knew, their battle was over. It was difficult and grueling, but there really shouldn't be anything else driving them both to clash. Or at least, Po no longer had a reason to clash with Shen. He was perfectly content with stopping him from taking over China. And he succeeded in going that. Though of course, now he was beginning to take into account that Shen was going to be upset that he lost the Gongmen War. Though he didn't think that that he would lash out at him, considering that neither of them were in any condition to fight again.

The peacock was continuing to stare at the panda, completely dumbstruck. He faded away from his own issues for a while and just focused on the fact that the bear in front of him was now missing half of his right arm. He took into account that the panda was the only reason he was currently alive right now. He was desparate enough to win that henhad his own cannon aimed towards the both of them, and it very nearly killed both of them. Though apparently the panda was conscious enough to save both himself and the peacock from drowning. But it appears that the cost of such an act was much higher on Po's side than it was for Shen.

Saying the peackock was gobsmacked would be an understatement. In fact, there's no word that he can use that can describe this feeling he has in his chest when he sees the panda with half a limb completely gone, and he was _still_ smiling. What kind of masochistic thoughts were going on in this panda's mind?!

"...Panda. What is really going on here? Why are you so relieved to see me that I'm well?" She finally questions after a long prolonged silence. The panda's smile turned into a thin line of confusion.

"Am I not supposed to be glad you're okay?" Po asked curiously.

Putting off his baffled thoughts for a while, Shen shook his head erratically. "For a couple minutes, can you not be such a moron! The Soothsayer told me that you saved me! _Why?!_ "

Po rubbed his neck, still not fully understanding what the big deal was. "Um...I didn't want you to die? I don't think I need a lot of reasons to save you, beyond that. Sure I have other, more important reasons. But the most notable one I'd that I simply didn't want you to die. So I kept you from dying. Easy as that."

"NO! IT SHOULDN'T BE 'EASY AS THAT'! YOU'RE MISSING HALF AN ARM!"

Po blinked as he gazed at his bloodied, bandaged stump where his arm used to be. "...Huh. Oh! Right, that. I kinda had to ditch it off in order to save you. Sure it hurt like hell...but I got over it." Po shrugged.

"...How the hell can you be so calm about this?!" Shen simply found himself unable to fully comprehend Po's mental state, while his own was slowly and surely falling into a state of disbelief and irrational thoughts. The panda is treating the loss of half his right arm as if it were a normal thing. Or at the very least, he wasn't as worried about it as he should have been. Once again, the panda's calmness was beginning to set him off, when it used to be the other way around.

Unbeknownst to Shen, Po was much calmer because of yet another reason. Inner Peace. Coming to terms with what happened in his past has caused a couple changes within him, mentally and emotionally. For a long time, he's been known to lash out at people who treat others terribly, or anything that relates to the sort. But after achieving Inner Peace, he doesn't feel as prone to anger as he used to be. He felt his anger decrease and the calmness within him grow. He's able to think things through a bit more clearly. But since Po is Po...at the very least, the change is noticeable.

He didn't expect his Inner Peace to be able to fill him with such...well...peace. The growing rage and misery he felt when he discovered what's happened to him in his past, and realizing he's lost two homes instead of just one, he could sense it all reduce significantly. All of his anger and his sadness hasn't completely dissipated, but it's to the point where he could barely feel them. He's also filled with...acceptance.

And that's most likely what's gotten Shen so upset. Po is being call while Shen's heart is still filled with chaos. He's come to terms with everything's that's happened. Shen still couldn't believe everything hasn't gone the ways he wanted them to. And he was also greatly thrown off by the fact that Po has shown him mercy despite all the hell he's obviously caused him. He doesn't undersrand how despite everything that's happened, he still hasn't broken. If anything, he's stronger than he's ever been before, despite now lacking half of his right arm.

Shen clenched his wing in aggravation. The panda continues to smile despite all of his suffering. That's a direct mockery to the suffering he's been forced to endure, and he could never smile once unless he was causing suffering to others. Po is just emitting his happiness like it's no big deal. To Shen, that is a very big deal. He always believed that happiness needed to be taken, and he's always tried to take his. He wasted two decades trying to fight his fate. And the only reason he was spared from his demise, was because the panda decided it wasn't to be.

Po decided to answer Shen. "Dude, you're acting like all of my friends. They freaked the hell out when I pulled you out of the water without one of my arms." He sighed as he rubbed this neck again. "The most serious examples were Tigress and Fenghuang. And Dad. Ooooh...Dad...he was **not** happy. He was very much ready to disembowl you, but I told him that wouldn't be a very good thing to do." Shen blinked in confusion. Po shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah...Dad is awfully protective of me...even though I'm more than capable of taking care of myself."

"...he...was prepared...to _disembowel_ me?" Shen said with disbelief.

"Violently!" Po nodded with a smile.

Shen couldn't fathom why the panda chose to smile when he said that part. _Maybe he IS crazy..._ He was about to say something else, but was cut off by a couple calls at once.

"PO!"

" _PO!_ "

"The hell are you doing out of bed, panda!?"

Po turned around to see Tigress, Mr. Ping, and Fenghuang rushing towards him. Mr. Ping flew up and hugged Po around his neck, sobbing loudly. "PO! OH PO, I WAS SO WORRIED YOU WENT AND DISAPPEARED ON ME!" The goose wailed, burying his face into the crook of Po's neck.

"Dad, I was only gone for a couple minutes..." Po rolled his eyes. But nonetheless, he returned the hug. As best as he could, with only one remaining arm to hug with. The disappointment lies in his cuddling capabilities AND cooking prowess being cut in half. The latter really furthered the disappointment for most of the males in the group.

"Can you blame us for being worried you ball of fluff? You might reopen your wounds if you're not careful!" Fenghuang scolded, though it was more out of concern than actual anger. Fenghuang's eyes turned towards Shen, and her expression turned deadpan. "Oh. It's the peacock. The peacock tried to kill my student." Her wings folded slowly. "Hmph. Your face is scarred. Serves you right, asshole."

"What?" Mr. Ping looked towards Shen. His eyes immediately narrowed into menacing daggers. He released himself from Po's one armed hug and also folded his wings. "Ah! So it was YOU who was trying to murder my son with an entire army?"

" _THIS_ is your father?" Shen said, gobsmacked. He turned to Po in aggravation. "You must be be bluffing. This avian isn't your father."

"Sure he is. You just heard me call him Dad. I'm pretty sure you did." Po said as if it were obvious. "Mr. Ping is my father. He raised me, he took care of me, he went on this entire adventure with me to make sure I was safe, offered me encouragement, fed me food, spent holidays with me, kissed my bruises better, fed me food, loves me unconditionally, taught me how to make my own food...speaking of food, I'm getting hungry."

"Yeah. We got that part." Fenghuang rolled her eyes.

Mr. Ping waddled up to Shen until he stopped right in front of him. He then leapt up and grabbed him slightly by the robe, dragging him down until he would make proper eye contact with him. "You sir, are vile and disgusting. You better feel blessed that Po has decided to save instead of leaving you to drown. But it cost him. It _COST_ him!" He shouted angrily. "You're a complete savage! Do you have ANY idea of what you've done to my precious fluffy baby!?"

"Daaad, c'mon..." Po groaned in embarrassment. "It really isn't that big a deal." Though he was currently ignored.

"Thanks to you, my precious little panda cub is missing an arm! I'll have to re-teach him how to cook with one arm! I taught him how to cook with one arm before just in case it was necessary, but I didn't think a day like that would actually come! Not only that, he won't be able to hug me as he was able to before! Now it'll be a bit difficult for him to hold me, or hold many other things in general, but mostly me! There will be some things he won't be able to do for himself anymore!" Mr. Ping narrowed his eyes further. Shen could actually feel his very soul shiver from how piercing the gaze was. "I swear, if it were up to me instead of him, I'd have your heart carved out and bashed with a mallet! Then I'd beat you with the same mallet! See how many times I have to smash it into your head before the skull shatters!"

"Ooookaaaay, that's enough." Fenghuang yanked the goose away from the peacock before he actually tried to follow through with some of his threats. "As fun to watch as those things would be...it would be pretty pointless to kill him after the panda just got through saving his life. So yeah, you're gonna have to not do that."

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" Mr. Ping pointed at Shen menacingly as Fenghuang carried him away so he wouldn't mindlessly attack him.

Shen just stared in utter confusion, watching the owl carry the outraged goose away. Po laughed awkwardly, scratching the top of his head a bit. "Sorry about that...Dad tends to go a bit overboard when it comes to me."

"You call beating me to death with a mallet a _bit_ overboard?"

"Could be worse."

"How in blazes can it possibly get any worse?!"

"...I dunno. I just know that it could get worse."

Shen resisted the urge to facepalm, as well as going back to his prior thoughts about tearing his beak into the panda's neck. He decided against it, since Tigress was still there eying the peacock closely. Her face was blank and her posture as somewhat relaxed, but she wasn't too long him. The very second he tries something hostile towards the panda, he wouldn't have time to react to how fast she'll bring him down.

"...C'mon, Po. You shouldn't be out like this. You still need more time to heal." She commanded, softly gripping onto his remaining arm and pulling as if she were pulling on the arm of a cub. Following Po's reaction, that might not be totally inaccurate.

"Tiiiigresssss..." Po whined, he really didn't want to just sit around and heal. As much as he liked to relax, he also didn't want to be doing nothing all day. He wanted to be out and about after such an intense battle and such intense emotions igniting said battle.

"No backtalk. You went missing and all of our friends are seriously worried when you up and disappeared. You're going to go back and continue to rest. It's not up for discussion."

"Uuugggghhh... _fine_." Po sighed in annoyance, being dragged away by Tigress, very gently. "But I'm still plenty hungry after that widespread showdown. Can we bring Shen, too?"

"W-What?! I don't want to come with you!" Shen said, once again gobsmacked by Po's attitude towards him. _Doesn't he feel any animosity for me at all? Why would he offer to bring me with him?_

"Sure ya do! You've been unconscious for three days! That's a pretty long time to go without eating. You've gotta be starvin' by now, dude! C'mon, come eat with me!"

"I'd rather _**starve**_." Shen hissed. He didn't care if anyone would have beaten him bloody, he refused to eat with the enemy! That mental decision...was after his stomach began to growl. He pretended it didn't happen. Po merely smirked at the growling stomach that belonged to Shen.

"That sound proved otherwise."

"I told you I shall not-OW!"

"Shen would _love_ to eat with you and your friends." Soothsayer appeared next to him after smacking him in the side, right where the bandages lie.

"Don't put words in my-AGH! Would you STOP THAT?!"

"Shen. You have been defeated. The panda let you live. I will not sit by and watch you die like a fool just because you won't swallow whatever is left of your pride, which is exactly what brought you here in the first place. I don't care what you eat, but do not be mistaken by thinking this is a request. You. Will. _Eat_." She glared, gently jabbing into his side after each word for emphasis, each time succeeding in making Shen wince in pain.

The peacock scowled angrily as he rubbed the pained spot Soothsayer jabbed him in. He wanted to badly to tell her off for daring to treat him as if he were a mere chick again. She sensed this, and jabbed him again. Shen groaned and almost collasped from the pain. "Agh! Alright! I'll eat, if it will stop you from being such a crazy old woman! First you tend to my wounds and now you're jabbing I to them to force me to eat! Why do you care?!"

"Oh, I've always been like this. You just never paid attention." _Because I was so uncomfortably close to losing you. I refuse to watch you throw your life away because you're feeling bitter about your defeat. The panda spared you...it might just be the initial breakthrough we all needed...what YOU needed. He can possibly succeed where myself and your parents have failed..._

"So you're eating with us then? Sweet! Let's go!" Po beamed as he rushed onward, suddenly getting over the prospect of sitting around doing nothing, as long as he's gotten some food. Shen sighed, already dreaded how this could end, and reluctantly followed the panda. But not before Tigress got a firm grip on his shoulder. He winced as she dug her claws into said shoulder, making him bleed slightly.

" _ **Behave**._ " That was her first and final warning to him, quick, emotionless, and filled with promises of agony if defied. She then released him and continued onward. He snarled while rubbing the now stinging shoulder. Soothsayer kept watching him intensely, which convinced him that he wouldn't be getting out of this. Begrudgingly, he kept walking, fully expecting to be glared at from all angles.

He was fully surprised by what he saw when the panda arrived to see his friends, gathered around and simply eating the food that was given to them by the very grateful for them liberating the City of Gongmen from Shen's grasp. Though once they took notice of Po, the reaction was instantaneous and unexpected.

"PO!"

Fung, Viper, Crane, Monkey, and Mantis shouted immediately, jumping up from their seats and leaping at Po.

"Po! Are you okay, brother?!" Viper gasped, coiling around his shoulder and kissing his cheek a couple times.

"Viper, I'm fine..."

"Dude, you gave up an arm! It must have been pretty painful! You okay?!" Mantis yelled, hopping on top of his head.

"Mantis, it's really not a big deal..."

"You can't go doing things like that, Po! I thought you died for real, darn it!" Fung shouted, chucking his helmet to the ground.

"Fung..."

"Po. Just...just how many times are you going to almost give me a heart attack? Seriously." Crane sighed, ribbing his wing. "Because, I don't want to have to deliver a message to my Mom saying that I'm developing heart problems because of you worrying the heck out of me!"

"Crane, I'm okay..."

"Dude, how are you not dizzy from blood loss?! How are you so casual about this?! Are you still going to be able to cook with a single arm?!" Monkey said, lightly nudging his side.

"I can still cook pretty well, Monkey."

"It is a worrying thought, Po." Tigress said. "Not only is your fighting prowess possibly halved, but also everything else that usually require two hands to accomplish. Not to mention-"

"GUYS!" Po shouted, silencing all of them with the sudden outburst. He sighed tiredly as he pinched his nose. "Okay...look. I know this was a pretty insane decision on my part...but honestly, it was either that, or I let Shen die. And to be honest...the latter REALLY doesn't sound awesome to me. So I did what I had to do with the limited time I had underwater and with debris all over the place. My arm got stuck. I didn't have time to pry it out, nor did I have enough strength to. So...righty had to go. He shall be missed." Po closed his eyes for a bit, then reopened them. "But come _on_ guys! I've heard of legendary warriors who's survived worse than this and they're still always battle ready when necessary!"

Tigress's ears lowered, as well as her head. "Yes, of course there's truth in that. But still, the situation could have been avoided if I had simply gotten there faster. Or maybe-"

"You're thinking too much into this. This is a choice I made, and I don't regret making it." Po said, lightly wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into a hug. "Tigress...it's alright. This is a really tough spot for me...but just like all of the others...I'll find a way to get through it. Besides, I have one arm left, don't I? The thing that matters most is that everyone is alright."

Tigress was at a loss of words. Po still found himself concerning himself more over others than his own well being, and his well being was in critical danger ever since they stepped into this city. He considered the lost limb to be second in concern to everyone else's safety. Sometimes she still finds ways to surprise her. And she can tell he's genuinely not trying to be surprising. He still has the energy to hug her with his single good arm.

...Tigress felt her cheeks beginning to heat up. She didn't know why, but they were definitely feeling warmer. Before she had a chance to hug him back, he released her, and she awkwardly nodded and turned away. Po smiled as he turned towards the food on the table "Alright! Let's see if I still have my eating speed with one paw!"

"Dude, I dunno if you should be pushing yourself like that..." Fung worried, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah Po, this sounds like something you should rest on a bit more." Monkey added.

Po shrugged. "Hey, it's fine. I get it. Just so afraid that I'll be able to best you even with one paw?"

"...You're on!" Mantis shouted as he hopped off Po's head and towards the tables,followed by Monkey and Fung. Po laughed as he leapt towards the table of food, Crane and Viper quickly helping him stay stable when standing on his feet.

Shen watched as Po and his friends casually began eating as they gently worried about Po, but he was well enough to eat on his own at the very least. Though it was clear that participating in any serious actions until he's had enough time to heal from his wounds. Much more than a couple weeks, at the least. At the most, more than a month. Though he doesn't seem to mind to staying in the city that was the cause for most of his childhood trauma, and literally being close in proximity to the person responsible for that trauma. It didn't make any sense.

"I'm beginning to think that panda has too much compassion for his own good." Tai Lung said while leaning against the wall outside. "You seem troubled, Shen. Did the panda throw you for a loop with his selflessness? Trust me buddy, I'm just as shocked as you are."

"What do you want, Tai Lung?" Shen said bitterly, turning his head away from him.

"Just wanted to see your reaction to how quickly Po can recover from things once he has a decent handle on it." The snow leopard grinned. "And I have to say, so far it's been priceless. You have no idea what to do next, do you? I warned you that you wouldn't be coming out of this conflict as the victor. I wanted it to go to him, and I was very impressed. Especially with the choice of showing you mercy when he could have just left you to die."

"I realize this. So why didn't he do that?!"

"I believe you've already heard him. That's not what he wanted, to he defied it and went for something else. Simple as that."

"No one can be that simple in their thinking, not for something like this!"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call this issue _simple_ , so you're right about that. But how he chose to approach it showed me that he can be very mature when the need arises. It doesn't happen often, according to his friends. But when it does, you can bet some will pay attention." Tai Lung turned to the panda in question, who was currently eating as much prepared food as he could grab with one arm, and was _still_ somehow able to outeat Fung, Monkey, and Mantis. He raised an eyebrow. "Okay. That's actually pretty impressive. Hell, what's impressive is the extent of his injuries and he can still find strength to move around."

Shen clenched his wings angrily. "You're not taking this as seriously as you were last time."

"I know. The panda already made his choice. It baffled me greatly, but I also respected it enough to not interfere any further than I needed to." He slowly nodded. "He's chosen to be the bigger man. If it were up to me or Tigress, or any of the Council..well...I believe you already know the answer to that."

"Hey, Shen! Soothsayer said you gotta come eat with us! So you have to eat!" Po waved an empty bowl around while smiling. "There's plenty of dumplings around, if you're feelin' for them!"

" _Tch_." As much as Shen wanted to go and tell the panda off and deny his charity, denying the emptiness of his stomach was not going to happen. Soothsayer was watching him intently. With a huff and a scowl, Shen reluctantly takes a dumpling bowl and storms away from everyone, the sight of them being so happy while he was still feeling miserable disgusted him. Leaving him alive to suffer obviously wasn't the panda's intention. There was another reason why Po spared him, besides the fact that he simply didn't want him to die. The look in his eyes gave that impression away very clearly.

So perhaps, _perhaps_ , he'll allow himself to live a bit longer to demand to know what that reason was.


	56. A New, Troublesome Task

**Hey! Remember when I said I would be updating this sooner?... Guess you're wondering what happened to that, huh?**

 **Me too.**

 **...**

 **...Ugh. Not even making excuses. I got a bit lazy with this one. It's FAR from over. For example, the Gongmen Arc isn't over, but it's very close to it. The waits are awful to you and me both...but I assure you that I'm still going strong. Medium. Something.**

 **I dunno. Goodness the title chapter is terrible...I hope the chapter quality isn't the same way...**

 **Not much happens here, just a bit of small events that lead up into something...well...Shen will have his work cut out for him. It's initially less serious, so I figured a shorter chapter length would somewhat make sense here. For now, read on!**

* * *

Fung was sitting against the wall, currently downing a bowl of dumplings of his own. Sitting across from him were his subordinates. "I have to say, you guys really stuck through back then. Even when you basically got the crap best outta you, you still tried to help however you could."

"We had to, Fung. If we could still move, we could still find a way to help others. Even if it was something pretty small like helping civilians get to safety. Get them away from all the fighting." Gahri said, still rubbing his slightly sore cheek.

"Exactly. You really pulled through." Fung placed a paw on his shoulder. "You sure that you're alright?"

"We're recovering just fine, Fung. It was you and the others that we were mainly worried about. There were explosions, people shouting in fear, anger, or cheering for you guys. Bad guys swarming all over the place, trying to get in our way...not going to lie, things got seriously chaotic here."

"As in, things went straight to hell." Wong stated simply. Gahri shrugged.

"Well if you wanna put it like that..."

"All things considered, we're all just glad that we got out of this crazy mess in one piece." Irwin said, munching on an apple. He then looked up to Fung with a curious look of concern. "What about Shen? I heard that he's being watched intensely by the Kung Fu Council. Due to all the things he's done, I'm a bit surprised he's not being executed."

Fung lowered his eyes at the subject, removing his helmet from his head and placing it to the side. "They're still trying to come to an actual decision on that matter. Right now they're dealing with more important things. Like damages to the city, looking out for any remnants of Shen's army, trying to deal with Master Yao..."

"Wait. What? _The_ Master Yao? How is he even here?!" Gahri shouted in surprise, managing not to spill his tea.

"Apparently Shifu and Tigress know him personally. During the other Masters seriously extended trek here, they wanted to make sure no one got left behind. And we have quite a bit of people to keep track of. Luckily, we were able to manage for the most part. Though I'd still rather not be the one to continously count heads." Fung folded his arms. "They're trying to decide exactly what they should do with Master Yao since he's far away from his box...which is completely and utterly destroyed, so he's pretty much never going back in there."

Gahri hummed in understanding. "Gee, you sure are having quite the adventures out there, aren't you? Must be pretty amazing." Something else came to mind, and his own eyes showed concern as well. "I just remembered...how are things between you and Croc. Are you two still...I dunno... _okay?_ "

Fung blinked, initially confused as to what Gahri was insinuating. It came to him soon enough, and he gently chuckled. "Oh yeah, that whole ordeal. I was definitely pissed off at the guy. But rest assured, I'm not mad at him anymore. He was simply unable to protect you in the position she was in. Too many risks, too many unknown factors, too many possible ways a rebellion can go wrong. That kind of stuff that an official Kung Fu Master under the heel of a tyrant just cannot afford to chance."

"Sure didn't stop your panda friend from doing something about all of this." Wong said.

Fung actually huffed at this. "Po has always been like that. From what I heard from Mr. Ping and Fenghuang, and also judging by what I've seen so far from him, he's the kind of guy who'll do whatever he wants. And that's how he wants us to be as well. Follow the rules down to the very last letter. But if it's keeping him from doing the right thing and helping whoever is in need, you'd have better luck getting him to stop eating as much as he does."

Irwin look astonished. "...Seriously? When he woke up from his injuries, the first thing he did was clear out about all of the foods initially placed on a few tables at once! And he did all that with one arm!"

"Exactly. Getting to stop eating, even with half an arm gone, is nowhere near as impossible as getting him to abandon someone in need. And when it comes to trying to make him give up, when he _**really**_ sets his mind to something...heh, don't even think about it." Fung smiled as he sat back in his chair, placing his laws behind his head and clasping them. "Even though the guy can be a total moron...there's a reason why he's usually in charge of what we're doing. Usually. Sometimes it's gotta be Tigress. She's mostly the same as he is when it comes to the whole willpower thing. Though she's much more talented at Kung Fu than Po is. Both of them readily admitted this."

"Oh really? Wow. Po is a pretty incredible guy in Kung Fu. And yet she's even better?'

Fung nodded. "Well, not in the mystical side, she's not as connected to her chi abilities like he is. But when it comes to physical prowess, she's a natural warrior alright. Though her social skills might pretty much be one of the very few things she seriously sucks at. Not without good reason, mind you." He shrugged. "Being social is not her thing, not with those she doesn't know. Heck, the ones she DOES know still have a somewhat difficult time keeping a conversation going with her. Though I did notice that it's getting slightly easier for her to open up as time passes and our adventures continue. Everyone's closer together after this one. It was a really intense experience."

Gahri nodded. "There's no exaggerating that. I completely agree about the intensity of the situation." He scooter closer to Fung and pulled him into a hug. "Regardless of all of that, it really is good to see that you're doing so well for yourself, Fung. Guess we didn't have to worry about you nearly as much as we did."

"Ah heck with it. I want in on this." Wong stood up and walked to the other side of Fung, also giving him a hug.

"A group hug between crocs? Why not?" Irwin shrugged as he went up and hugged Fung as well.

"Huggles..." Wall-Eye mumbled a bit incoherently as he turned around and jumped into the like.

"WALL-EYE WAI-"

CRASH!

"Ugggh..." Fung groaned as he was at the very bottom of the pile of crocs, each of them moaning in a bit of pain. Though he was in the most of it since he was at the very bottom. "...D...Darn it...you're lucky I missed you guys...or else I'd be seriously kicking your scaly tiles right now...gah..." Fung grumbled. He then heard a bit of a commotion going on outside...

"Did those hooligans do this to you, son?! I've got a good mind to show those mangy mutts what for!"

"Dad...not fully trying to stomp on your inner fire or anything...but I don't think that you'd be able to do much to them..." Bian Zao told his father in a very straight manner, flinching a bit as Lian placed an ice pack against the top of his skull, which he really injured amdist the chaos.

"Will you quit your bellyaching. Your Dad is just worried about you, is all." Lian smiled. "Go ahead and tell him, BZ. You have to tell him about what you did. You actually got off your lazy ass and did something that helped us greatly in the long-run."

"Bian Zao really came through for us. Even shrugging off being really injured in his head. Literally, not metaphorically." Peng rubbed his neck a bit awkwardly. "Though I guess that was kind of obvious, right...?"

"Geez. Stop the fighting and you're already back to dork mode." Bian Zao said with a laugh. "You were doing whatever it took to crush the enemies trying to get to me and Lian. And you were definitely suceeding in that regard. Kicking ass all over the place."

"And of course we were doing whatever we could regardless. You were the one who came up with the idea of using the explosive barrels. We just had to protect you so you could follow the plan through." Lian said with a bright smile. "You came up with that plan on the spot. Not many can do that under that sort of pressure."

Taotie smiled. "Haaaaahahahaha! You're tapping into your hidden IQ, son! I knew you had it in you! I'm so proud of you!"

"Yeah yeah, we get that I'm smarter than I look. Let's not make it weird." Bian Zao looked away.

"Oh, it's not you simply feeling weird, BZ. You're just embarassed." Lian said slyly. "Your Dad is totally praising you and you have no idea how to properly react to it without abandoning your poker face."

"You don't know what you're talking about, Lian..." He mumbled, despite the small blush beginning to brush against his cheeks. Taotie then hugged him from behind, causing him to groan. "Oh please, Dad. Why are you intending to make this even weirder?"

"...I love you, son." Bian Zao blinked, clearly not expecting to hear this. "I had to leave you in the capable paws of all of your friends. I was really worried about you from start to finish. Sure I may have looked decently calm on the outside, but the inside of me had plenty of turmoil to go around. I was really scared that I'd lose you and I wouldn't even know about it. I'm just...really glad you're alright, son. Really, I am."

"Dad...I love you too." Bian Zao blinked momentarily before he turned himself around and returned the hug. After a few minutes, he sweatdropped. "Okay. It's getting awkward. You can let go now."

"Er...right." Taotie released Bian Zao and looked anywhere but his face, with his son doing the same. "Well...keep relaxing and winding doen with your friends, I guess. I'm gonna go see what Shifu is doing..." He turns around and walks off, leaving his son alone with Peng and Lian.

Bian Zao shrugged. "He's getting better. Still totally a lame dorky Dad, but...definitely getting better."

Peng tilted his head. "I'm going to take a guess and say that 'I love you' isn't something he says to you as often as you'd want him to?" The slackened shoulders more or less confirmed his suspicions. "Well...at least he's very clear about it this time. It's very obvious that he really cares about you, despite how obsessed he was with the past. Just needed something to get him to admit it."

"Yeah, Bian Zao. Whether you did anything or not, there's no doubt in our minds that your Dad loves you. He just doesn't have a lot of ways to show it properly, and it seems that you inherited that awkwardness. You're just a bit more...juvenile about it." Bian Zao thought over what she said, and realized she was sort of right about that. But she interrupted him before he could say so. "Just like you're not used to having friends, right? Well you don't have to worry about the latter. We're not going anywhere anytime soon, I can assure you."

"That's right, Bian Zao. We'll remain by your side no matter what. Even if it was by slight chance, we're best friends now." Peng assured him with a kind smile.

Bian Zao was once again taken aback by these two. He huffed as he folded his arms and turned around, so they couldn't see his blush. "There's no need to butter me up like that..." Lian smiled as she slyly leaned over his shoulder and planted a friendly kiss on his cheek. This did nothing to help his blush at all. "I told you you didn't need to butter me up!"

"I know...but it's fun to see you react." Lian chuckled.

Bian Zao facepalmed. "Peng, your girlfriend is teasing me. Can you do something about that?"

"Lian is a free-spirited kind of girl. She won't be controlled by anyone, especially not me. Nor do I want to." Peng shrugged. Lian smiled at this, turning her head and kissing his cheek as well. Peng wrapped an arm around her waist and nuzzled her nose affectionately, and vice versa.

"Oh good grief, can you not do this in front of me?" Bian Zao turned around and covered his eyes.

 **(Meanwhile...)**

"...Staring at it isn't gonna do anything, ya know." Po said a bit dully as Monkey continued to stare at his missing arm, walking around the lands with constant curious looks. Mr. Ping and Fenghuang were standing against the wall, keeping their eyes on the panda with concern very clear on their faces. They couldn't be too careful, after all. "It's gone guys. Gotta move on without it."

"Yeah, I realize that. It's just really shocking that you're totally okay with this. There are a lot of soldiers that have been through various wars and ended up losing a limb or two. Some weren't nearly as chill as you are being right now."

"Guess that just makes me one of a kind, as well as super tough, doesn't it?" Po said a bit proudly, even as he was munching on a dumpling in a rather childlike manner. "Anyway, we'll be staying in Gongmen for a while, right? Gotta heal up and stuff like that before we move on to journey somewhere else?"

"Are you sure about this, Po? This city and the area around it holds a lot of memories involving your past. Are you sure you're willing to move on so easily?" Viper asked him, gently wrapped around his neck like a scarf, since his father was busy cleaning his own scarf.

Shen immediately peeked an eye open towards the panda, wondering what his answer would be towards the question. It was rather fortuitous that the snake would ask Po such a question so that he wouldn't have to do it himself. He would be spared from the incredibly hostile flares from the insensitive question. Because he wouldn't have any other idea how to ask it than to demand for it.

Po scratched his head. "Well...I have been thinking over that for a very long time now, truly. And I gotta say, my decision is based on-"

"Po." Rhino said from the doorway, cutting off what Po was going to say, and greatly aggravating Shen. "I would like to have a word with you and Shen on a rather worrying matter."

"Okay, sure." Po nodded as he stood up and waved at Shen while Viper slowly slithered off of his neck and onto the floor. "C'mon Shen! The Rhino calls to us for help!"

"Ugh..." Shen groaned as he dusted himself off and followed Po and Rhino outside. Mr. Ping and Tigress glared harshly at him, as if daring them to harm Po while no one was watching either of them. Because they'll find out, and he'll surely pay for it. Admittedly he wouldn't mind them simply ending his life. But he was too stubborn to give up that easily. In fact, he refused to truly believe that he's lost.

Though it really wouldn't matter to Po either way. He'd just keep doing what he's doing...and it greatly irritates Shen to no end. After such a traumatic experience he just goes back to being himself. Why is he so strong...and himself so weak...?

"Hey, Shen. Buddy~" Po said, snapping Shen out of his thoughts relatively quickly. "Rhino is talking to us, gotta stay focused."

 _Is he seriously talking to ME about focus? Impudent fool..._ Shen mentally grumbled. Though he let's it go for the time being and just focuses on what Rhino was calling the both of them out for.

Master Rhino stood before the both of them, looking quite serious as Master Croc and Master Ox, as well as Master Fenghuang, stood by his sides. "A majority of your army has been dispersed and imprisoned...all except one single unit. One of your Komodo Dragons, Zhou Dan, has officially broke away from your ranks and formed his very own. He's trying to cause some trouble all on his own, and we're still trying to clean things up. Since this moronic reptile was under your command, _you_ are going to bring him in."

"EXCUSE me?! You will not order m-!" Po immediately clamped Shen's beak shut while smiling.

"He'll be right on it, Master Rhino! Luckily for him, I'll be there to help him out!" Po smiled.

"...Are you sure, Po? You're still recovering from all of your wounds. Besides, Shen should be more than enough to deal with this nuisance."

"Oh come on! I can still fight! I don't wanna be constantly sidelined because of some cruddy injruy like this! I won't be held back like this, so please gimme a chance!" Po begged Master Rhino. Since he couldn't really clasp hands anymore, he could only bow respectfully. The elder master raised an amused eyebrow at such a strong warrior trying his hand at being humble. He's also kept Shen from saying something that he'll surely regret.

"Alright, Po. If you're so determined to get on this case, then you are allowed to go." Rhino said. He turned to Fenghuang. "What say you, Fenghuang?"

Po immediately turned to Fenghuang, his lips curving into a slight quiver and his eyes grew wide and pleading. The Owl Master was completely stoic because she was half-glaring at Shen while considering Po's request. Po tends to be lazy, but he also doesn't like being in one place for too long in this manner. He prefers not to be cooped up somewhere if he doesn't want to be. And Fenghuang isn't one to do that to her precious student. Besides...

"...I can't say no to that face." She said in the most deadpan manner she could muster without embarassing herself.

"YES!" Po cheered excitedly, pumping his fist. "We've got the go-ahead, Shen! Time to kick some Komodo Dragon butt! Whoooo!" Po took off without much care in the world, except that he finally had something interesting to do.

Fenghuang gleefully turned to Shen...and he suddenly grew very unnerved as a result. She walked up to him and placed a wing on his shoulder. "Even with one arm, my student can kick your ass. So I suggest you stay on your best behavior on this assignment. And if there's a scratch on him that belongs to you...so help me, you will be ending up in complete and utter agony. I'd rather you not waste my students generosity and make me break your neck. And that's the nicest thing we'll do. Mr. Ping will do _**MUCH**_ worse to you, some of which chilled my soul. Have fun~" She pushed him forward, making him trip a little bit. Though he quickly regained his balance and begrudgingly followed the energetically hopping Po. When they were far enough away, she sighed.

 _That panda is going to drive him insane...again._

* * *

 **Sure this isn't taking too much of your time, some might have even heard about it already...but any of you heard about fellow writer 3431jess's KFP Competition? If you haven't, be sure to check it out, and see what it can offer. I'm certainly gonna do a thing or two. The deeper details are a bit blurry to me, so you'll have to see it for yourself.**

 **Alright, until the next chapter with Po and Shen's little mini-quest that may or may not lead into a major event!**

 **...expect annoyed peacock noises from the latter.**


	57. An Unheard Farewell

"You're going to WHAT?!" Mr. Ping cawed, flapping his wings widely as Po explained to everyone what was going on. "Po, why do you have to do this to me?! My heart literally can't take all of the potential stress!"

"Now Dad, just hear me out on this." Po said gently, waving his remaining paw downwards. "There's no need to get all panicky about this."

"I have EVERY RIGHT to be panicky about this, Po! You are still recovering from being willingly _dismembered_ and NOW you wanna go on a mission with the person that's responsible for forcing you into said dismemberment?! No. NO! Absolutely _NOT!_ I'm trying to be supportive son, but I cannot simply accept this so easily!" Mr. Ping has fallen into protective father mode rather quickly. Not that anyone can blame him.

"Daaaad...c'mon. It's not like Shen will do anything to me. He doesn't have any reason to, not one he can back up."

"...You seriously disregarding the fact that this madman tried to kill you." Crane said dully.

"I'm not disregarding it. Just pointing out the fact that he didn't. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"...You're way too laid back when it comes to this, Po."

Mei Ling tilted her head, swishing her golden tail. "Well...maybe a couple of us can go with them to keep Shen out of trouble? If we're really worried about him, we should go with them."

"Good idea, we'll go too!" Viper declared. The rest of the Five were slightly reluctant, except Tigress. This way she can back up Po and keep a close eye on Shen, simultaneously. "Doesn't hurt to have a bit of backup, does it?"

"See Dad, it isn't like I'll be going in alone. These guys have my back." Po smiled as he gently waves his paw to his friends.

Mr. Ping looked to their friends, then back to Po. "...Forgive me for being so worried, Po. It's just...I mean..." He shook his head as he hopped up and hugged Po's belly, bouncing a little. "I can't help but worry about you, son!" You're my little panda cub! I hate seeing my panda cub getting hurt so much!"

"Daaaw, Dad..." Po lowered his eyes as he pulled his father in for a one-armed hug, in which the goose tries to return as best as he could.

 _There's nothing little about that panda._ Fenghuang thought quietly. She knew what Mr. Ping meant, but she couldn't help but mentally point out. She then turned her head. _...well...except for that stubby ballike tail of his. That cute balllike tail of his...it's quite adorable really...blast it! I'm getting softer by the damn day!_

"I just wanna point out that this is a very risky move you're making. And that's coming from a thief." Song said, sitting upon a crate and twirling her parasol. "Are you sure you're going to be alright, Po? This _is_ supposed to be Shen's mess to clean up and his alone."

"I know...but I still wanna help!" Po decided persistently.

"This still feels like something that should be held off a bit longer...but I know better than to expect that from you. Alright. You're the boss." Song said, gently shrugging her shoulders. "So the others are just going to keep an eye on Shen?"

"We sure are. We don't know if he'll try and kill Po again-"

"He's not gonna try again, guys." Po reassured, lowering his paw a couple times to try and settle everyone down. "Shen's not gonna try anything funny, he's not gonna have another go at my life, and he's going to be just fine. Sure he's a bit grumpy right now, but who hasn't been after they suffered a loss. I think we should cut him a break and give him a chance."

"I trust your judgement, Po. But I must ask, why are you so ready to defend him?" Tigress asked him sternly.

"Well...I just figured he needed a chance, is all. I don't think he's that much of a terrible guy, even though he did terrible things. He just needs some time to cool off from his loss so we can speak with him on a more personal level."

"Uh...dude. I think his relationship with you is far more important than anything he has with us. As soon as it's been confirmed that a panda was here, he wanted you dead on sight, or brought to him to be killed by his wing. Yeah, your relationship with him his fsr more personal." Mantis said. "Sometimes, I just don't get how you do things, dude."

Po shrugged, as he tipped his hat. "You can't have hatred without a reason. No matter who you are or how petty the reason itself is...hatred can't exist without a trigger of some sort. And that trigger wasn't all me. Turns out he and I are a lot more alike that I thought. When hate is strong enough, it'll make you do some pretty terrible things, and many people get hurt for it."

"When did you get that sort of mindset, Po?" Song asked, incredibly surprised and curious with how Po was going about this.

"Master Fenghuang. How she used to be a better person in the past before darkness took hold of her heart due to her growing strength. Then she met me...she didn't seem to hate so much after she met me and Dad. And then there's Tai Lung..." Po cut himself off. "Oh..sorry Tigress. I didn't-"

"There's no need to apologize, Po. The circumstances around my brother aren't that secret, there'd little need to feel guilty about bringing it up." Tigress reassured him. "We shoulf probably begin this _group assignment_ while we're on a good note."

"Oh yeah, you're right!" Po gasped lightly, he turned and ran through the exit, feeling excited. He left the others behind a bit too early.

"There he goes again." Crane rolled his eyes. "We'd better catch up with him before he does something reckless again. I really don't need to have a heart attack just from not knowing where he is."

"I dunno, that actually might be pretty funny to-ow!" Monkey started out, but Mei Ling swiftly smacks him upside the head with her staff. With no further input, the rest of them followed after Po as quickly as they could.

Throughout the whole conversation, Shen was listening in on certain parts of it, and his eyes were wide with shock at one of the things Po said.

 _You can't have hatred without a reason..._

 **(Gongmen Harbor)**

"We're still analyzing the damage, it appears a majority of the citizens are unharmed. I do believe that's the outcome we all wanted." Rhino said with utmost seriousness, his audience being Shifu, Fenghuang, Ox, Croc, Mei Ling, and Taotie. He maintsined his expression even as Master Yao was hanging onto the side of his face. "Now we have another subject to attend to. Master Yao."

"Rhino! What intricate wrinkles you have!~" Yao beamed childishly, lowering himself down a bit so he was now hanging onto his arm. "The horn is quite sturdy and to the point as well! And the Cloud Hammer! It's even more impressive in person!"

"I still can't believe you would bring Master Yao all the way out here during such chaotic times. What were you thinking?!" Master Croc reprimanded the others.

Shifu lowered his ears. "His box was destroyed and his attendees left him to die. We couldn't just do the same thing to him. We had to bring him with us to keep him safe."

"And this was after you discarded your Kung-Fu Master status?"

"That is not a decision I regret."

"Truly? Some things could have been a lot easier if you had-"

"Hey. The pipsqueak said he made his choice. Back off." Fenghuang glared at Ox, silencing him.

"Yeah, the constant pressure of being a Kung Fu Master, Master Oogway dying while he wasn't even there, the Valley of Peace being devastated, looking after his daughter, reuniting with his best friend, then his lover, then with his son...you see why he wouldn't be able to do most of that as a Kung Fu Master? He would have to bring down at least two of those people!" Taotie said in exasperation. "He just couldn't handle the strain, those weights on his shoulders were not gonna do him any good."

"Poor Fufie was running himself ragged trying to hold true to ideals." Mei Ling pouted sadly as she hugged Shifu's arm, nuzzling his cheek. "It grew too much for him. So I tagged along with him, to help him feel better~"

Croc raised an eyebrow. "It would appear that the journey has placed Shifu under a lot of emotional, mental, and spiritual strain. I can see why he would need someone or something to relieve said stress. Though she _is_ your lover, I guess I can understand why she would wiilling volunteer herself that role."

Shifu lowered his ears, blushing slightly. "I don't see what that certain subject has to do with our current conversation..."

"Doesn't mean they're not right, though. Mei Ling seems pretty willing to help you relieve your stress." Fenghuang said with her wing covering her beak, snickering. "She knows what she wants, she wants you. And we all know you want her back. You're just so damn shy about it...it brings me great amusement to see you so nervous. But...just how long are you going to make her wait, Shifu?"

"Once again, I fail to see how this is relevant."

"And now you're dodging the question. How expected of you."

"Really Shifu, with everything that's happened, it wouldn't be a bad thing for you to blow off some steam." Taotie folded his arms and nodded in agreement. Sometimes he wondered if Bian Zao would be interested in someone, but that was becoming unlikely.

"I would really like to focus on anything that isn't about this. Literally _anything_."

Master Ox raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then explain the situation with yourself and Tai Lung."

"...Okay." Shifu didn't really hesitate that much, which genuinely surprised Ox. He's a lot more comfortable talking about his formerly estranged son than he is about his love life. That says a lot. "I reunited with Tai Lung all the way back to Mount Penglai. His appearance as really unexpected. But as you probably saw already, he's mellowed out incredibly due to Master Yao's interference which I really wasn't aware of. He said something that truly made him think about most of the decisions he's made so far in his life. The consequences of his actions were not worth it to him, and he abandoned pursuing the Dragon Warrior title. Not that it matters, the scroll has been destroyed with the Jade Palace."

"Basically a lot of things happened with Shifu's entire family. It left being a Kung Fu Master unbearable. The burdens kept piling on and on, and after such a major tragedy." Taotie said. "Now, now he has something more important to worry about that better deserved his attention, these growing warriors of his. But mostly his daughter. His daughter rose up on his priority list by a large margin."

"And quite possibly, he can have a love life again now that he isn't tied down by his status."

"Why do we keep coming back to that? I don't wish to come back to that." Shifu said sternly.

"You're just nervous, Fufie. But that's okay, I know you're trying to keep yourself presentable as much as you can~" Mei Ling smiled, hugging his arm and kissing his cheek. The small fox seemed to enjoy placing him in a corner.

"...On another unrelated, yet much more preferable note, where is Po?" Shifu asked, fighting the blush on his face.

Zeng coughed a bit as he crashed into the ground, panting silently. Shifu was a bit surprised by his appearance, he had already went on a flying run to send messages around Gongmen that When would no longer be a threat. "Po...Shen...mission...together...Komodo Dragons...very important..."

Shifu blinked. Then he looked at Fenghuang in disbelief. "Po had just lost an arm fighting this madman, and you allowed him to go on a mission with him?!"

"He used his cutey pouty face on me, I was completely powerless!" Fenghuang exclaimed, raising her wings for emphasis. "Plus this might actually be a decent chance for Shen to learn to be _less_ of an asshole! Because as far as I'm concerned, that personal title isn't going anywhere!"

 _Cutey? Pouty? Face? She really HAS changed._ Rhino, Ox, and Croc each thought simultaneously, blinking in surprise.

Shifu sighed. "And the Kung Fu Council agreed to this decision...?"

"Indeed we did. As risky as we all think it is, Po has insisted that he could handle it. Though there's a high chance his friends have chosen to accompany him, so he won't be completely alone with the man."

"See Shifu? Everything is going to be fine! Shen won't be able to blindside Po if everyone else is watching the latter's back. They'll be _fine._ Besides, I have the utmost faith in my student. He's not going to be cut down by Shen when an opening is available. Because that peacock already knows the consequences of trying to pull such a stunt while people are watching him." Fenghuang narrowed her eyes. "Mr. Ping has made it quite clear that he will absolutely eviscerate Shen should he do anything to Po."

"...Evisceration? That kind, gentle, caring goose that we've come across that likes to make noodles, dumplings, bean buns and more... has actually threatened _evisceration?_ That can't possibly be true." Croc shook his head in disbelief.

"Listen to me. His son willingly lost a limb saving this jackass. It had taken him an _**enormous**_ amount of restraint for him to not beat the peacock bloody in the most brutal manner possible, because he didn't want to render his son's sacrifice meaningless. You greatly underestimate the rage of a parent facing someone responsible for their child's pain, adopted or not." Fenghuang shivered. "I'm not even gonna dodge around this. That man, _terrifies_ me when genuinely angered. ME. One of the very few people in China who fought **_Master Oogway_** to a standstill...is terrified of an angry goose with a variety of kitchen utensils at his disposal, and he knows how to use them for more than just cooking. Sweet, compassionate, goofy, food-loving Mr. Ping...scares the living hell out of me when he's really pissed off. Just...just let that sink in for a bit."

"The man really knows how to hammer home just how much he cares about Po." Shifu said. "He's also a great reminder that while one can be kind, it is a grave mistake to confuse said kindness with being weak. Shen learned this the hard way, and we pray he doesn't test Po's patience again when he's trying to help him."

"I would hope so. The boy looked very determined to see this through. I'd hate to see him fail because the peacock was being stubborn. But then again, their stubbornness could actually be a very noticeable comparison between the two." Master Rhino nodded.

Everyone agreed that no matter the outcome of that mission, Po and Shen's thoughts on one another will be greatly affected by the experience.

"Perhaps a bit of silliness is needed in the peacock's life. It'll do him more good than he realizes." Master Yao said, hanging from Rhino's arm. "Hmmmm...ooh! Taotie! Would you go and bring your son here to me?"

"What? Why?" The warthog asked curiously.

"Your dear boy has shown an exceptional amount of bravery. While he may be a bit of a lazy bum at times, he knows when to put that aside and do the right thing." Master Yao smiled. "And because of this, there's something that I wish to teach him. I believe he'll like it.~"

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Sooo...Shen. Buddy."

"I'm NOT your buddy."

"Sure ya are! We're hanging out, goin' on a mission to find those Komodo Dragons and kick their tails, this is a fun time!"

"This is a fun time for _you._ As for _me,_ I have the distinct displeasure of having to deal with a traitor so that precious _innocent people_ won't be harmed by whatever the bloody hell he's planning. It surely won't be much. Lizards don't seem too smart to me."

"...Well. That was just _mean_." Viper pouted a bit angrily.

"Insensitive much? There's no need to be a grump." Mantis said atop Crane's hat. "Anyway, you know this little Komodo Dragon faction better than we do, obviously. Maybe you could help us figure them out since you know the most about them?"

"I will not be taking orders from-"

"Shen, _chill._ " Po cut Shen off before he could finish. "Mantis wasn't giving you an order, he was asking about what you knew about the komodo dragons. He wasn't trying to look down ln you or anything like that. There's no need to lash out at us every time we ask you for something."

Tigress kept her eyes trained on Shen, keeping notice of his every movement, cautious enough to not trust that he'll keep himself focused on his own, and not attack Po with the clear amount of spite he had left behind his eyes. She'd be there to interfere should things get too serious.

Shen sighed. "You know...I just don't understand your group organization. The striped feline is clearly the most powerful of you youths in terms of physical strength and the most skilled in Kung Fu, and yet she's following this panda as if he's the more capable leader."

Crane tilted his hat a bit. "Don't get this all twisted. We don't have a full-on official 'leader'. But when it comes to making super big decisions or something related to such and the elder members want us to settle it on our own, we'll turn to either of them for guidance." He nodded. "Tigress and Fung have the brains to lead us all. Po has the heart. And so far, while it did lead to some careless decisions, his heart's never let us down yet."

"Speaking of decisions..." Mei Ling lowered her eyelids halfway. Mrs. Yoon, Zeng, Xue, Ànyǐng, and Yao if the Kung Fu Panda dictates it to be so, they've each come to a big decision. They would be staying in Gongmen City as a somewhat permanent settlement. It's becoming too increasingly dangerous for Mrs. Yoon and Zeng to continue tagging along with them, so Shifu would be making the decision to relieve Zeng of his services. Xue and Ànyǐng genuinely wanted to find their own paths in their lives, and have chosen to leave the group on their own. Master Yao's fate was still up for debate. It wasn't certain, but it was very likely that he wouldn't be accompanying them any longer. But Tigress would be sure to make it clear that he is NOT to be crammed back into a box.

"Well...that's their choice to make for the most part. They don't have to stay with us if they don't want to." Po said while adjusting his scarf, Tigress helping him do so. He can definitely understand Mrs. Yoon and Zeng wanting to stay behind. The former survived a very troubking experience and deserved a very long break from all the chaos. The same goes for Zeng. While he may have the nerve, he doesn't have the endurance for all the chaos headed his way, not like Crane. Xue and Ànyǐng will probably have their own lives to live, despite everything that's happened. They didn't seem like the adventurous types. Luckily Po was very understanding about this.

"You don't have much to sorry about in regards to us, big guy. We're definitely here to stay!" Mantis said, pointing a foreleg at himself and the others. "Not sure about the peacock, though..." Shen just huffed in response.

"Shen. The Komodo Dragons. Do you know where a majority of them might be hiding or gathering?" Tigress questioned.

Shen reluctantly complied. "If I remember correctly, I've sent a majority of them to gather at a specific part of the city. It's named the Undercity."

"Huh. Is it because it's a City under another city? Undercity..." Monkey said, rubbing his chin curiously.

"...Your jokes are bland at best."

"So are your feathers. Wanna keep goin'?"

"How _dare_ you-!"

"Monkey. Ease up on the feathers, okay? It's a really sore spot for him." Po cuts them both off. Monkey was surprised for a moment, then he lowered his head.

"Oh...alright. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I realize it'll take a lot of patience to deal with this attitude of his, but trust me when I saw that it'll get easier. He'll grow to like us, and we'll like him right back!"

"Doubtful." Shen rolled his eyes. Tigress growled in response, but didn't strike at him with a surprising amount of self-control.

"Oh boy, this is gonna be a fun time, isn't it?" Crane muttered under his hat.

Mei Ling rolled her eyes as she kept a sharp eye out for anything noticable. They've made it a fair distance away from the busier parts of the city, now into the less populated but still well managed parts of it. This part of the city heavily escaped their attention, so it would be a good place for the remaining Komodo Dragons to hide. Shen confirmed this as he recognized passing by this area when he first began taking control of the city.

"The entrance should be around here somewhere. And it splits off into multiple parts. So we'll have to split up and scour each part of the Undercity. Eventually we'll find Zhou Dan smothering around somewhere within it."

"Okay, again, you're being REALLY mean." Viper hissed lightly.

"It'll be alright, Viper. You won't be going with him. You'll be going with the others while me, Shen, and Tigress hunt down Zhou Dan ourselves." Po suggested.

Tigress nodded in agreement, then pointed ahead to a large, circular grate in the ground, which allowed some sunlight to shine through into the deeper parts of the ground. "Is that an entrance right there?"

"Yes. That would be one of them." Shen confirmed.

"Good." Tigress leaned down as she grabbed hold of the grate, then forcefully pulls it out of the ground and tossed it aside. It was baffling because that should have given her some trouble to lift. "We're going with Po's suggestion and going down to hunt for Zhou Dan. He won't be able to hide from us for long. The rest of you can split up and look for any other entrances and see if there's more Komodo Dragons around. Shen says there's an entire faction, their numbers are bound to be more than a simple three dozen or so."

"Right. So if they try to stop us, we'll kick their butts! Now let's go, Shen!" Po chanted as he jumped down into the hole.

"As if I'm going to blindly follow you into-WAH!" Tigress roughly pushed Shen over, watching him fall into the hole after Po.

The others looked at Tigress with a bit of astonishment. She didn't see anything wrong with what she did at the moment, so she shrugged as she followed the two down said hole, beginning their hunt for the leader of the Komodo Dragon faction.

 **(Meanwhile)**

Soothsayer was thinking about how most of these events began, and how they ended up. For the longest time, she's been thinking about how differently things could have been, how much better things could have possibly been...if she simply _didn't_ reveal Shen's fortune. Significantly less lives would have been lost, or even none at all.

Shen would still have his parents, and possibly the throne with a stable mind. The Warrior of Black and White would still have his mother...there was an entire plethora of possibilities of what could have happened. No matter how many times she tells herself there's little she can do about it now, she still can't stop herself from simply wondering.

What could she have done differently? Would it have made a difference at all? And if it did, just how much of an impact would it have made? Shen has been defeated by a Warrior of Black and White...Po exposed a loophole in that prediction. Shen met his _defeat,_ not his _demise_. She was actually quite happy with how things have turned out, even if Shen might have to suffer a little more. What just happened to her really won't get on his good side at all.

So there she lay, lying in a pool of her own blood with a knife wound to her heart, as she didn't bother listening to what her assassin had to say. He got into where she was sleeping completely undetected,which proved how dangerous he is, and makes more sense from the organization he's from. A wolf with a black Hood over his head stared down at her with remorseless eyes, and whispered:

 _"Heilang sends his regards. You've been given you what you wanted. Inadvertently or not, you ruined Shen's life. It's only fair that yours ends as he lives on in his suffering. Since he was betrayed by his best friend, you're the last light of his life...now imagine that look of despair on his face once that light vanishes...and he wasn't here to stop it. That'll be an interesting journey for him, the journey YOU set him on. Long live the Lin Kuei..."_

Soothsayer smiled through the blood on her lips. It looks like her journey has come to an end, and Shen would have to continue his without her. But regardless, he had survived this ordeal, and he would survive the others that come after it. He would _live_. And in the end, that was all she wanted. The panda would do much better than she ever could to guide Shen on a path to happiness, she was sure of it. It would be difficult, but not impossible. There was still hope for Shen. The sacrifice Po made for him has made him begin to question everything he's done up to this point. That alone filled her with hope that there was a chance to turn Shen's life around for the better.

 _Shen...you and I have had our differences, even when you were a young chick. Those differences only worsened as time went by, and I take full responsibility for it. For not guiding you better, and for not being there for you. I wish I could mend the deep scars of your soul...but it is too late for me. I trust in the panda to succeed...where I have horribly failed. You may not hear me, and even if you did, you might not believe me...but I must get it out of my mind...at least once..._

Soothsayer begins to feel the last bits of life leave her being. She wasn't going to waste it calling for help, it was far too late for that. She just wanted to hear herself say it, because she means it with all her heart and soul. These words would be her good luck to him, for the future would be cold and relentless to him...but no matter how much he may abhor it now, he won't be alone anymore. She slowly closes her eyes as the life leaves them forever, and she spoke for the last time:

"Shen...I love you..."


	58. Broken Bird

Landing while you were still in healing...not the best sensation in the world. Shen legitimately had to summon most of his willpower to stave off the excruciating pain from a less than fabulous landing. Much less than fabulous, it was downright embarrassing and utterly painful. Shen also didn't know whether or not he should just take his chances and attempt to voice out the tiger's eyes. Of course she most likely won't be giving him the opportunity, and would smash him into the ground in an instant. His luck wasn't going very well today, he felt. Or more like, this entire week. This entire week, he just couldn't help but feel as if the whole universe have been entirely against him the moment the panda and his comrades entered the city. Ever since then, things have been going more and more downhill. And now instead of death, he has to suffer more humiliation.

...Death would have been much quicker, and much less humiliation. Why couldn't the panda have landed in his neck...?

"Okay...ow...I didn't land as well as I thought I would...dang..." Po groaned as he managed to roll onto his back and try to regain his bearings.

Tigress landed beside him a couple seconds later, immediately coming to his aid and helping him up. "Po! Are you okay?!"

"Just a rough landing, Ti. Nothin' to fret over."

Tigress narrowed her eyes in disapproval. "You can't make that claim, Po. You chose to go through with this even though you haven't finished recovering. As such, I can't let you too far out of my sight for the entirety of this mission. If something goes wrong with you, I need to know about it so I can do my best to rectify it to the best of my ability. I'll take the lead. If it becomes too much for you, I'm getting you out of here."

"Tigress, come on..."

"If you get seriously hurt on my watch, Mr. Ping will not be pleased with me. _I_ won't be pleased with me. So please don't try anything exceedingly reckless, okay?"

Po sighed, fully standing up and rubbing his neck. "Alright. I don't want you getting in trouble with my Dad just because of me being too eager. He'd probably blame me for my eagerness either way. I just didn't want to ignore this problem, you know? Besides, you wanted to help too, didn't you?"

"I would have been perfectly content with you leaving this to the rest of us. But we are already here, so there's no turning back now. Only forward. So let us move forward."

With a strong nod, Tigress adjusted her scarf and lead the way through the lit path. Po followed a couple paces behind her. Shen groaned as he forced himself to stand, and followed the both of them simultaneously. He noticed that Tigress didn't even take notice of his own condition. He couldn't say he didn't expect it, but he definitely found it a bit annoying that he was being blatantly ignored. Of course Tigress couldn't care less what he thought of her. He was in little to no position to be given respect by anyone of his enemies. Except the panda, who keeps doing his best to great him nicely.

Foolishiness in its most potent form. So why does he continue? Even with slight answers from others, he won't be satisfied until he gets the full answer from the panda himself. Because the more he observed, the more it seemed that the panda was either too honest or too stupid to tell an incredibly convincing lie. So until then, he had his very deep doubts.

"Wonder where Zhou Dan is. I wanna kick his butt and be done with this. Don't want him and his goons hurting anyone else, especially since the city is still kind of in a recovery stage, just like me." Po said as he placed his arm behind his neck, lightly kicking at the ground.

"It's moronic that you care so much about others that you'd risk drastic harm to yourself. Me still breathing and you missing an arm. That's a very good way to get yourself killed." Shen huffed. Tigress whipped her head back at him to deliver a steeled glare that stopped any other words on the subject coming out of his beak. Snarling quietly, she returned her attention to the front of her, resisting the impulse to savagely beat Shen I to the ground.

"Well...I've been helping a lot of people out, and I'm still alive. So I'm sure I'm not doing anything wrong." Po blinked. "I'm pretty sure I'm doing a good job. And I don't really regret saving you back there, like I keep saying."

"You _should_ regret saving my life."

"Yeah. I probably should...but I don't. Nothin' I can do about that right now." Po casually shrugged, as best as he could. "Wow. Shrugging feels weird when you only have one full arm. Now all of the weight goesninto one shrug, instead of a dual shrug. At least, I think that's how that works..."

"I hardly believe this is the time to chat about such insignificant details such as shrugging. We should put all of our focus into finding Zhou Dan and those Komodo Dragons of his. He'll need to be dealt with in a severe and just manner."

"We can agree on that. We'll beat those komodo dragons into the ground! And then we'll get something good to eat!" Po grinned. "Seriously though. First thing's first, beat down the thugs and take doen the leader. Seems easy enough."

"Zhou Dan surely doesn't sound like a serious threat. Still, we ought to bring him down before he can increase his numbers. Better to be safe than sorry." Tigress reasoned. "Shen. Is there any more information that you can provide that will help us in our encounter?"

"He is very sure of himself. He'll talk big, and he'll try to act on it. He's inferior to you both on unbelievable margins. You should be able to crush them all easily." Shen closed his eyes. "Honestly, why the Kung Fu Council is having me attempt to deal with this issue is beyond me. You're both much more competent at this than I am. I shouldn't have to dirty myself with this labor."

"You dirtied yourself trying to make cannons. I think you can stand a little battle firsthand, you're still capable, even despite your injuries."

"Of course. Send me out to battle when I'm still very much injured, but the panda gets to take it easy." Shen rolled his eyes.

"Po needs rest much more than you do, yet he insisted on coming with you despite the fact that he's still recovering. I allowed him to go with great reluctance from Mr. Ping, on the grounds that I came with you both so I can look after him. Though I'm not against assisting you as well, if only to make sure that our enemy is brought down and Po is brought back to recover quickly. Nothing more and nothing less than that."

"So this is merely cooperation to achieve a goal."

"I trust Po's judgement, as strange as it is. But that doesn't mean I have to be friendly towards you. I can be civil and cooperative, but that's about it for is."

"Can you two not be mean to one another for a bit, please?" Po said with a tired sigh. We didn't even find the Komodo Dragons yet. Can we please find them first before you two try beating the heck out of one another?" Pause. "...Or Tigress beating the heck out of Shen?"

"What?! I'll have you know, I can soundly defeat her any time I-"

"No. I'm sorry dude...but no. You really can't." Po shook his head with a deadpan stare. Shen simply huffed, but the slumped shoulders indicated that he definitely felt a bit humiliated at being shot down like that. Po eventually pointed ahead with raised eyes. "Hey guys, check out what's ahead! An open room!"

Tigress was the first to step through the door and enter the room ahead of them. She looked up to see another grate on the ceiling, meaning they traveled a far enough distance to approach yet another opening in this underground passage. The others are bound to be able to find this entrance at some point and provide support. She didn't think it would be very necessary, but she's definitely not going to deny it if they needed it. She then looked forward expactantly, so find the Komodo Dragon they were looking for.

Shen his his wings in his sleeves and scoffed at the lizard in front of him. "So, Zhou Dan. You're trying to undermine the remains of my army, are you not?"

"Heh! It's not like you're usin' it, Shen! You've lost, and you lost HARD! It only makes sense that someone more competent were to take your place."

"Competent? _Please!_ Whatever competence you had was rendered moot once the thought of betraying me being a good idea entered your head. This isn't competence, but foolishness. Not only that, you actually find yourself worthy enough to be sitting upon a throne. Forget foolishness. Now you're just being an idiot. But you're still smarter than this one." He gestured to Po, who was scratching the back of his head in confusion. Shen shook his head. "It certainly wasnt a pleasure knowing you, Zhou Dan. So make it easier for everyone and just dispose of yourself to right now."

The Komodo Dragon huffed, drawing his sword. Once he drew said sword, Komodo Dragons, as well as a couple gorrillas climbed out of different holes in the walls, as well as different entryways around him. "Dispose of myself. What sort of fool do you take me for?"

"He just called you an idiot, dude. Were you not listening?" Po said with a tilted head.

"...You let _this guy_ defeat you, Shen? You're even more pathetic than I thought you were. You were far too weak to try and conquer China. I don't have that weakness. Soon I'll-"

Tigress suddenly raised her paw to silence everyone around her. They looked at one another in confusion, then towards her. She took a deep enough breath, then released a powerful roar that echoed throughout the Undercity and effectively terrified the soldiers surrounding her. The sound soon echoed and traveled through the grate leading above ground. Po and Shen were mostly unruffled by the roar, the former casually adjusting his hst and scarf. Tigress soon stopped her roaring, regaining her composure and lightly rubbing her throat.

"...Why...?" Zhou Dan asked in confusion.

"Sorry. I just felt a need to let that out. Also, I have no care for your boasting." Tigress said simply. Soon enough, the grate has been busted through ad it falls to the ground, startling the Komodo Dragons and Gorillas around them. Crane soon swooped in, then flapped his wings powerfully, creating a gust of wind that slowed the fall of his companions following behind them, allowing them to fall without any harm done to them. "Also, it was a bit of a signal to disclose our location."

"So that was the idea. Good thinking, Tigress." Mei Ling nodded with a smile, slowly gripping her staff.

"You're so smart, Tigress!" Viper said cheerfully as she slithered around Tigress and nuzzled her cheek. The feline didn't react too much of it, but Viper could feel that the gesture was appreciated. Though she soon pulled back and glared at the army around her.

"So we just gotta take these guys down and the army will fall apart completely? Works for us!" Monkey said energetically, Mantis hopping on his shoulder.

"Yeah! After that chaos we endured with Shen, these guys are nothing!"

"Oh, cool entrance guys! Wish I could have been a part of it, though..." Po pouted. "Well, whatever. Now that we have backup, things will be a lot easier!"

"I could have taken care if it..." Shen lowered his head.

"You see why none of us believe that, right?" Crane said with a questioning gaze.

"Mind your tongue!"

"Whatever."

The lack of respect here was not lost on Shen. It was quite aggravating. Even more aggravating when they repeatedly made it clear that they don't care about his status. Especially not Po, and he was the only one trying to actively befriend him. Somehow that was worse than trying to antagonize him.

 _Baffling. They respect this simpleton more than they respect a lord? What could he have possibly done to gain so much of it?_

"Stop treating us as if we aren't here!" Zhou Dan shouted.

Po was still adjusting his hat a bit. Then he turned and blinked towards the Komodo Dragon in question. "...Huh? You say something?"

"That's it! Kill the panda first!"

"Aw man! What'd I do?!"

Tigress slowly cracked her knuckles. They were recovering from a war, they had little to no time for this nonsense. So when the first Gorilla pounded his chest and made a large leap towards Po, Tigress and Monkey jumped simultaneously and kicked him in the center of his chest, sending him flying back into a wall, cratering it. They both landed gracefully as the others readied themselves to deal with the rest. Zhou Dan became understandably nervous at the casual display of strength, specifically from Tigress.

The others attacked soon after.

Mantis and Viper were far too quick for them to catch. Viper would slither between the legs of Komodo Dragons before wrapped the end of her tail around one if there legs and swinging them against others, knocking them into the ground. Gorillas assumed that Mantis may have been small, but his physical strength is greatly lacking. They were proven horribly wrong as he zipped across the room, bouncing off the walls, until he chose a target and kicks one in the cheek, which sends them flying into another and knocking them both out.

Crane and Mei Ling swiftly moved forward, Crane flapping his wings and picking up another gust of wind to accelerate Mei Ling's leap. Mei Ling thrusted her staff forward and hits a Komodo Dragon right in his chest, slamming him roughly into the ground. Crane soon twisted his body as multiple Komodo Dragons shot a plethora of arrows towards him. All of them were deflected and sliced apart by his wings. While he does this, Mei Ling continually moves forth and slams her staff into them and knocks them aside, effectively dodging most of the strikes and rapidly delivering counters that knocked them into the ground.

Tigress watches as an oncoming Gorilla tries to go after Po once again. She has none of it, catching it with her own paw without moving an inch. Monkey soon comes up and kicks him in the face. Tigress takes advantage of the stumble and managed a powerful strikes to his chest, sending him flying, with Monkey jumping up and kicking him down into the ground to make another crater.

Po smiled, his one paw behind his neck. "Heh. I guess I won't be needed for this. Guess Tigress was right about it being best for me to take it e-" He sidestepped to Dodge a sword slicing down on him, looking face to face with Zhou Dan. "Oh, hi."

"That's all ya have to say to me, fatso?!"

"I do wonder when people are gonna be more original than that..." Zhou Dan sliced his blade down on Po again, only for Shen to stop the attack with his sharp metal talons. The lizard was greatly surprised by this, while the panda blinked in astonishment. "Oh, hey Shen!"

"Fool! Why are you so carefree when your life is in danger!?" Shen shouted angrily at him while he pushed Zhou Dan back. He then moved forward and sweeped up a sword one of the soldiers dropped, and slashed at Zhou Dan. Both of them slashed at one another, causing sparks between their blades. "Blast it, I seriously have to defend this buffoon?!"

"Ya don't _have_ to. I could probably-" Po began, only to duck under the fist of one of the other lizards. He pouted. "Why do you all keep interrupting me? That's rude."

"Anyone who eats with you will learn what rudeness will truly mean." Crane sighed as he flaps his wings again, blasting most of the Komodo Dragons with bursts of wind. Mei Ling jumped up when a couple of them were in the air, leaping up quickly and slams a couple of them back with multiple spin strikes, and Tigress jumped up and slammed one of them straight into the ground.

"What the heck, we're being beaten back?!" Zhou Dan said with disbelief, until he was kicked back by Shen, which also sliced due to his metal talons.

"You should pay attention to your executioner, Zhou Dan! He doesn't take betrayal easily!" Shen shouted in anger, once again slicing into him with the blade he now had in his wings. "I don't take kindly to traitors, especially those that try to undermine me entirely! They are to be cut down by my blade!"

"Technically it isn't yours, pale feathers!" Zhou Dan grinned as one of the other komodo dragons slashed at his back, causing him to screech in pain, and nearly fall over from the pain. Though he refused to fall, forcing himself to stay standing. But he was clearly annoyed by the situation at this point.

 _Blast the Kung Fu Council for making me go through with this when I'm still injured..._

Po narrowed his eyes after this. That was not going to stand with him. With his fist clenched, he gathered chi in his paw and glared at the Komodo Dragon. Without uttering a word, he thruster his paw forward and pushed out a swift Wind Hammer. Zhou Dan turned around in confusion, but was too slow to dodge the blow. It struck him in his chest, resulting in a powerful burst of wind that sent him flying back. Tigress leapt up and grabbed his feet, and slammed him into the ground below her. The momentum forced an even deeper crater into the ground, nearly shattering it entirely.

The shock wave from the toss forced back all of his other men, effectively knocking them down. Some of them were choosing that it was wiser to just stay down. Others were genuinely knocked out. Tigress landed on the ground gracefully, adjusting her scarf once again and looking around her with indifference, only showing emotion for her comrades, making sure they were alright. Especially Po.

"Okay...I might see why everyone wanted me to just get some rest and not do much..." Po said as he lightly stared at his bandaged arm stump. It was beginning to bleed again. "That's probably not good..."

"Of course it's not! Seriously, how feeble is your mind?!" Shen shouted in outrage, though it was more because Po just saved him from being cut down during his moment of weakness.

"Stop shouting, Shen. Po needs to get back to the surface and get some serious medical attention, again!" Viper exclaimed worriedly, slithering up to the panda and wrapping her tail around his paw.

"Viper...I'm fine."

"No you're not, Po." Tigress said, shaking her head. "We've completed our objective like the Kung Fu Council asked of us. Now it's time for you to continue your recovery."

"Tigress..."

"Your arm is bleeding again! That has to be dealt with immediately! It takes more Ethan a couple days to take care of a wound like that, Po! You need much more time to rest."

"But if I wait for so long, I'm gonna be-"

"I'm sorry, Po. But this is no longer up for discussion. I'm worried about you, Mr. Ping is obviously worried about you, and so is everyone else. We're getting back to the surface, we'll income them that we've completed our objective, and you're going to take much more time to rest, until you're completely ready to travel with minimum risk. Am. I. _Clear?_ " The authority of Tigress's tone jumped a couple levels, and the others lightly shivered from it.

Po realized that Tigress was not backing down. They would be in an eternal stalemate if this continues. Plus, he was getting hungrier by the moment. He sighed as he adjusted his hat.

"Okay, okay. I'll take it easy. I guess I can't just walk off having a dismembered limb in a couple days."

"Oh really? What made you think that?" Crane said in an incredibly sarcastic/concerned tone.

Tigress nodded as she lead the way out of the tunnel. "Monkey. Crane. Help Shen walk with us."

"Right." Monkey said as the called duo helped Shen stand.

"Unhand me! I don't need your help to walk!" The peacock resisted.

"Stop being stubborn about this, dude. You're not in much better shape than Po." Mantis said while hopping alongside the others. "Seriously. I'll press your pressure points and make you easier to move. Don't make me do that."

"Tch." Shen rolled his eyes and looked away from them. At the very least, this tedious task is done, and he didn't even have to do too much himself. Though he did get a deep cut across his back for his troubles. At the very least, his day couldn't get any more unbearable.

He was about to be proven wrong.

Tigress reached the surface first, gently helping Po upwards, and everyone else managed to follow suit. They were soon greeted by the rather solemn looking faces of the Kung Fu Council, as well as Shen, Fenghuang, Mei Ling the fox, Mr. Ping, and Taotie. It didn't take long for Po to sense that something is seriously wrong. Shen found out even faster, and glared at all of them.

"What's with those grim expressions? I've already done your moronic and tedious chore. Explain yourselves!"

Master Rhino found the strength to speak. "...Shen. We won't beat around the bush about this, it'll only make the news much worse."

"What happened...?" Po asked, taking his hst up in concern.

Mr. Ping had his her in his wings, staring down at the ground with a heavy heart. "Son...its the Soothsayer."

"What?! What about the Soothsayer?! Speak, goose!" Shen demanded.

Mr. Ping was undeterred by Shen's outburst, gently rubbing and hugging his hat. Until he sighed and looked up at Shen. "She's been killed, Shen. We found her in the room bleeding from a deep stab wound...by the looks of her position, she didn't bother trying to get help. She...she's gone."

The breeze that suddenly passed by everyone was the only thing that could be heard.

The goose didn't feel like he was lying, and he certainly didn't have the looks that said that he would lie about something so serious. So when he hers those words leave the goose's beak, as vehemently adlnd strongly as he wanted to, he had to accept that the words rang true. Besides, he had the other elders vouching for him, so he definitely couldn't discount it as a lie.

This confirms it. He discarded Zhong, killed off a majority of his own men, burned through most of his resources, only for the entire conquest to be for nothing. His army was gone,the allies he could at least tolerate abandoned him. And now, even Soothsayer was gone. And a majority of these travesties was because he refused to surrender when he had the chance.

"...I want to be alone for a while." Shen said quietly as he slowly moves away from everyone, his head lowered with closed eyes. Everyone watched him with concerned faces, and the saddened ones came mostly from Po and Mr. Ping. He's been dealt major defeat, his entire army has fallen apart, and now the only one he truly and genuinely cared for has been killed by some assassins. Most likely the Lin Kuei, whom Zhong broken off from a long time ago. This must have been in revenge. At this point, Shen has lost everything. And he couldn't fully blame everyone but himself.

What everyone saw walking by, was a man who's been broken by the consequences of his dark choices. Like he was thinking before, death would have been preferable over this.

...only Po, Tigress, and Mr. Ping followed him from a distance.


	59. Po And Shen

Shen didn't know what he should feel, nor if he should feel at all. He figured this was a result of him hearing the news that he heard, which was something he most definitely did not want to hear. Something like this was the last thing someone like him needed to hear. Not after all that's happened, after everything that's been thrown his way. He at least wanted one victory to make his entire series of endeavors not feel so pointless...but it was far too late for that. The last person who meant something to him, someone who was truly and genuinely close to his heart...has left this world. Had he not been so focused on his loss, he probably could have done something about it. But the fact was that Soothsayer, his precious mother figure, was gone. Their last conversation didn't even end on positive terms, which made this an even worse experience for him. Not only can he not properly say goodbye to her, but he can never properly reconcile with her for hisnpoor treatment of her.

Fate seemed to be treating Shen's life as if it were some sick joke without a punchline. There couldn't be any other reason for this line of misery to keep building up. He tried to defy it with everything he had, and all it did was make everything worse for him in the long run. In all honesty, it would have been infinitely better if he was dead. Then he wouldn't have to deal with this.

He REALLY wanted to be dead at this point. But he was not cowardly or weak enough to take his own life. He wasn't in too deep despair to commit such an act, but it was definitely enough for it to pass throough his mind a couple times with irritable persistence. He really wanted to give into it, but his pride-what's left of it-wouldn't allow it. Shen would not die in such a cowardly fashion. Though because of that blasted panda sparing his life and insisting that he live, no one would be very insistent on killing him themselves, no matter how much they want to. The very person whom he was so determined to kill ended up persuading the people far more than he ever could. Not even Tai Lung, Fenghuang, or _Tigress_ would kill him, no matter how much the matter two might want to, even though he's the reason Po's been put in a permanent disadvantage.

He just couldn't understand how the panda thinks. Why would he spare him? What could bring him to make such a foolhardy decision, and so confidently? Why must he be so much stronger than him? He could have killed the peacock and have been completely justified for it, but he chose to save him from drowning instead. It couldn't be as simple as just not wanting him to die. No matter how dumb the panda looked, there was no way that he was sparing someone as dangerous as him for simply the reasons he presented to him. There was something much deeper, something he just couldn't understand. And he wanted to know what it was, so he wouldn't be burdened with these accursed thoughts. It's a bit tormenting to have this type of wonder hanging over his head _after_ it's been confirmed that Soothsayer was dead. He was sure that he didn't do it out of cruel mercy to know all of this and have those answers. The panda just wasn't that kind of person. Then again, he doesn't know the panda much at all, so he couldn't truly know.

 _So...why? What's the REAL reason?!_

Shen soon stops in his tracks as he could hear someone following him. It didn't take too long for him to figure out who it was. He slowly turned around and glared at the trio in front of him. Tigress looked ready to defend Po and Mr. Ping just in case. The two men just looked concerned for Shen's state. The latter didn't even look angry with him anymore, as if his grudge against him was nonexistent. Now he was just worried about the peacock's state.

Why?

Shen slowly turned his head towards the ground, blinking his eyes slowly as he softly touched the scarred side of his face. "...I bet you're pleased with how things turned out for me...aren't you?" Tigress could sense the despair in his voice, but it no longer had any emotion behind it. She could tell he wanted to be angry. He wanted to yell, scream, kill, and maim. But after hearing such terrible news...he simply didn't have the spirit in him to do anything worth meaning. This type of atmosphere made Tigress cautiously lowered her guard. "Look at me. All Hail Lord Shen. The supposed supreme rule of Gongmen City. And China itself afterwards. It's...it's quote ridiculously how this turned out for me. Things went so terribly...and all because of you..." Shen shook his head. "All of my hard work...all of my plans...all of my ambitions...rendered moot. It was all incinerated by the flames of my own vengeance. As well as you. Because one survived. _You_ survived." Shen pulled his wing away from his face and clenched it tightly. "One panda. Just **_one_**. That was all it took for it all to be rendered pointless. The moment I discovered you, I threw **EVERYTHING** I had at you. And you were somehow able to return it a thousandfold and beyond. One by one, everything I worked for became pointless, and I was so desperate to hang onto whatever was left. I kept trying to defy you, and it only made things worse for me."

Po quietly listens to Shen's disturbingly tranquil rant. The peackock noticed how he never interrupted him, and also didn't blink at all. He was paying full and genuinely paying attention to him despite not having to do so.

"...Why...? Why did you have to be here...? Why did you have to survive? If you had just died along with the rest of the pandas...but know. You still survived despite all of that, and I'm trying to figure out why and how? Everything would have been fine. I would have proceeded through my plans without fail. Everything would have been _perfect_. I would have _WON._ I would have proven myself worthy of ruling China the way I see fit!"

"...Would that have made you happy?"

Shen blinked, fully raising his head to meet the panda's curious eyes. "...Wha...what did you just say?"

"Would going through all of this...all this pain and suffering, the loss of innocent lives, losing all of your friends...would all of this had actually made you happy?" Po asked again. "Because I have a pretty reliable gut feeling that's telling me that you're not very happy with all of your decisions."

"What would you know about how I'm feeling?"

"Shen, you knew what you were doing was evil, insane, and outright _wrong._ But you keep feeling the need to justify yourself for those wrongs so you won't have to feel guilty. You don't want to feel guilty. Because if you were able to fully and properly comprehend what you were doing, and realize that it was wrong, you would have stopped a long time ago." Po pushed his hat behind his neck and placed his paw on his chest. "But now that all of the distractions are out of the way, you realize that none of this madness was worth what you were trying to gain. You ended up losing much more than you tried to gain, and then some. Something that could have been avoided if you just realized you were in the wrong."

"You don't know anything! My accomplishments...my parents...they should have been proud of me..."

Mr. Ping shook his head solemnly. "Shen...you killed off a majority of my son's kin...in what sort of dark and twisted world would that make _ANYONE'S_ parent's happy? No one's parents would be happy with their children attempting genocide, should they! What kind of pride were you trying to instill in them, taking taking innocent lives?"

"That's one of the main things that you might be refusing to comprehend. That attack was completely unprovoked. Many innocent lives were lost because you refused to understand and accept your folly." Tigress narrowed her eyes. "You should consider yourself fortunate that Po chose to spare your life. Because after all the things you've done-"

"Tigress...dont." Po shook his head towards her. Tigress was briefly surprised by this, but she nodded and didn't say anything more.

Shen didn't take this lightly, however.

"No. She's entirely right about that, panda." Shen said bitterly. "You realize the sins I've committed against everyone, especially you. And you're fully aware that most of them are out of complete selfishness and the need to justify all of them. When it reality, there is no fair justification for any of them. And despite all of this, you chose to spare my life. What is the true reason for you wanting to keep me alive?" Shen narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Did you want me to continue my suffering? You want me to live with my sins as a constant reminder of my eternal shame, knowing they everyone else who knows me will forever deem me an irredeemable sinner? Or...are you perhaps waiting for a chance to end me yourself?"

" _Hell_ no." Shen was taken aback by the scathing retort Po delivered, seeing the panda narrow his eyes. "Shen. I know you regret your actions. And I have a pretty good grip on why you're doing all of this in the first place. While those reasons certainly don't justify your actions, I can at least come to an understanding on why you would feel the way that you do."

"Then tell me, you blasted panda...how is it that you're able to understand me better than you used to before?"

"You just really wanted your parents to accept you, because you felt like no none else could. Peacocks are supposed to look vibrant and colorful, and yet your feathers were completely white and colorless, except for bits of red and black. Despite this, you wanted to prove that you could really succeed at something. But you went about it in a seriously messed up way. No sane parent can be proud of their children attempting genocide." Po shook his head. "Shen. They didn't banish you from the city because they didn't want you around, they didn't _abandon_ you. Sending you away, _literally_ killed them. That doesn't sound like parents that didn't care about you, they were just in redibly saddened by your heinous decisions. They hoped that sending you away would set you straight someday..."

"Is that so? They did a lovely job succeeding at that plan, did they?" Shen thought bitterly, turning his head towards the ground with an incredibly winded sigh. "It's not that it matters, anyway. If they wished to seee me at my lowest so that I would see the error of my ways...well, it worked. Each sin I've comitted for my own gain...each life I took was completely for the success of my conquest. The more I continued, the less sane I became. And the less sanity I had, the more willing I became for drastic decisions. Every decision I made distanced everyone away from me. Soothsayer was he only one who still had faith in me...but now she'll never know for sure whether I'll be on a brighter path or not...and does it really matter either way? Without her...I..."

Mr. Ping could only imagine how difficult this was for Shen. Everything he had worked for was for nothing, and he had genuinely thought he was in the right, even though the truth was that he knew he wasn't. But he had went too far to stop. He was sure his fate was sealed, and decided to just endure it until his inevitable end. Po discovering a loophole in their shared destiny has left an even more damaging impact on mental and spiritual levels, because he has no idea what to do next. He had no one and nothing to guide him.

Shen wasn't just broken, he was lost beyond recognition.

He slowly gazes at Po, the hostility behind his eyes putting Tigress in guard, but Po called her with a pat of her shoulder. "Tell me, Panda. Do not dodge my question, and give me a full answer. You knew what was waiting for me if I was left alive. You knew what I've done to you. I've done horrible things to everyone, especially you. And yet still you chose to spare me. I want to know _why_. Why did you let me _**live?**_ "

The two warriors of black and white simply stared each other down as the wind harmlessly passes by them. Po's face returned to a tranquil calm, while Shen's was full of anger and confusion. The former was towards himself, and the other was caused by Po. All he wanted to know was why. What could have caused him to keep the peacock alive, despite how many peoppe would be sarisfied seeing him dead.

Po lightly tilted his hat down with his one paw. "If you genuinely regret your actions...that means you can still clean yourself up. You can still become a better person. I really don't want to waste that kind of potential just because it might make me feel better to wipe you out. Because the truth is, it really won't. All I wanted to know was the truth. That's all I wanted from you. Not your death, that won't make feel better at all. You oughta live with your mistakes and try to learn from them, let them help you lead you to bigger and better things."

"...How...how did you do it...?" Shen asked softly. "How do you keep thinking like this despite what happened to you? I took away your parents. _Everything._ I scarred you for _life._ "

 _Scarred for life...something else we have in common..._ Tigress muttered sadly.

Po rubbed his neck. "That's...a bit hard to explain, really. I mean...geez,I'm trying to figure out how to do this...um...oh! I know!" He nonchalantly pointed at his stump. "There's a pretty high chance that I'm not gonna fully heal from this. Because...y'know, panda's can't regenerate. Did it hurt like hell? Yeah it did. Is complaining about it every day of my life gonna make it go away or make me feel better? No it won't. So instead of complaining about it and letting it slow me down, I gotta adjust to it and keep on moving forward. Because no matter how busted up I get...at the end of the day, forward is the only way I can go. Fenghuang says not many of us have time for regrets. Sooner or later, I gotta get over it and focus on what's ahead of me." Po nodded. "In a weird sorta way...I think scars are a necessary part of someone's life. At least lives like ours. They can fade until they're almost completely unable to be seen...but they'll never fully go away. A guy like me can forgive...but that doesn't mean I'll forget. And I don't want to forget. At the end of the day, this experience will only make me better as a person, and a warrior. So I'm grateful for it."

 _My baby..._ Mr. Ping mentally thought as Po's solemn look brightened up a bit. He was glad that his son was strong enough to endure whatever was thrown at him, but a father still tends to worry.

Po looked towards Shen with a much lighter look than before. "Shen...of course I'm upset about what happened to my people, and my mother. But constantly spending every day of my life going back to that day, hurting myself even more in the process...that's not what she would have wanted for me. That day, it was either me or her. And she chose me. She died for me, died so I can have a chance somewhere else, and to live a life where I can be happy. Guess what? I am happy. At this point I can't fully imagine my life going any other way but this one. My life is are me the way it is, and I don't want to change any of it. Except, you know...my arm...but like I said before, I'll get over it." Po shrugged. "Anyway...there's your answer, Shen. One of the biggest reasons that I was able to achieve Inner Peace was that I can't let the past determine my future. I can determine my own the and live my life the way I see it, much like Master Fenghuang does. The thing about my mom was sad, and I'll never forget what she did for me...but I also can't afford to let it slow me down. She would want me to keep moving on despite what happened. Allowing the past to keep me from living my life would be a desecration to her sacrifice, and I definitely don't want that."

Shen...didn't know what to say after that. The panda had just admitted that he achieved Inner Peace because he accepted that clinging to the past would not get him anywhere. He wanted to keep moving forward despite all the troubles thrown his way. He didn't allow his past to shape who he was in the present. The past was something he accepted, something he couldn't forget...bit it didn't matter in the present. Because that's where his life currently was, and he wanted to focus fully on that. And the part where he considered allowing the past to hinder him from living in the present to be outright disrespect to his mother's sacrifice...

If the peacock didn't feel like scum before, he definitely did now. He wanted to hate the panda...but he lost the will to do so. He was much stronger than he was on all accounts, even on the spiritual level. And this was just one of the reasons why the panda proved himself to be superior, even if he wasn't trying to be. He was outright obsessed with the past...while Po let's his go for his own sake, and everyone else's. Shen was...he was weak.

"...Maybe you'll be able to learn from this as well, Shen. Your parents, nor the Soothsayer would want you to feel miserable like this. They'd want you to redeem yourself, and keep on living, like they always hoped you'd do." Po said, walking up to Shen and gently patting his shoulder. "I probably won't be reaching you at this very moment, but I do hope that I was able to convince at some point. There is a line that's crossed when redemption is outright impossible for someone...In know you're not one of them. Take advantage of that, Shen. You've sunken so low, you hit rock-bottom. Allow yourself to help us lift you back up, because that's the only direction you can go from there."

Mr. Ping slowly stepped forward. "He is right, Shen. Fenghuang was someone no one could trust. Everyone was wary of her, thought she couldn't be trusted, and was completely incapable of feeling regret. But she was lonely. Po was able to connect with her this way, through their desperate need for companions to be around them. Po was able to convince her to give the world a second chance, instead of hiding from it for the rest of her life. He's the reason why she could smile much more easily than she ver has before. The immense warmth of his heart melted the icy prison that encased hers. And it remains in effect to this day." Mr. Ping smiled. "Perhaps spending time with my son for yourself can do the same thing for you. The Kung Fu Council made you Po's responsibility, so you can count on him trying his best to be your friend despite your previous conflict."

The panda keeps becoming some sort of enigma that Shen found himself unable to solve. Mr. Ping basically summed up the reason why Fenghuang hung around the two of them...they showed kinder to her. Something no one would bother to offer her in decades, yet they were the first ones. There's no way that could possibly be enough. Though the owl did seem viciously protective of the two of them...

Tigress shook her head, closing her eyes. "Po sparing you has given you a chance st atonement, Shen. I suggest that you take it." Just lke how Tai Lung wished to atone for attacking the Valley of Peace and emotionally damaging her. She wasn't entrely satisfied, but she still at least had to give him a chance. He was family. Shen was not family to her or Po, which made her much more hostile to him. She kept telling herself that she hsd to trust Po's decision, and hope that it doesn't result in anything terrible. Because if it does, Shen WILL regret crossing her.

Po turned around and nodded towards Tigress. "Don't worry, Tigress. Shen will take the chance. After all, he doesn't have much else to lose by grabbing it. The Kung Fu Council deemed him to be my responsibility, so I'm gonna have to do my best to make their trust in me worth it!"

"If that's what you want, Po."

"It is." Po reassured her. He then blinked slowly, rubbing his eye. He then yawned as he plopped down on his butt, blinking slowly. "Wow...I suddenly feel tired...very tired..."

 _That moron..._ Shen mentally said, his eye twitching with an aggravated sigh.

"Po...?" Tigress asked, kneeling down before him and holding him by the shoulders. She then gasped as she could see his bandaged arm still seeping slightly with blood. "Dammit! How could I let myself forget?! You still need newer and cleaner bandages for that arm! We also gotta stop infection as soon as possible, before it gets worse! Mr. Ping, go get the others!"

"Oh my son! You're still badly hurt!" Mr. Ping wailed, rubbing his eyes and flying off to get some assistance.

Tigress nodded strongly as she turned towards Po, trying to keep him sitting upright. "It's going to be alright, Po. We can simply meet them in the middle and get you help faster that way. Just try not to move too much, okay? We don't want to make it worse." Po is going to need more than a couple days to recover from this. A couple weeks at the shortest, a month and a half at the most. Maybe more.

"Yesh...you're right, Tigress. I gotta take it easy..."

"That's right, Po. You've done a lot already. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Hah...thanks for looking out for me, Ti...man...I sure feel sleepy...the room is spinning a little...think I'm just...gonna...take a bit..of a power nap..." With a woozy yawn, Po closed his eyes and fell forward...right into Tigress's chest.

Tigress blinked for a couple moments...then blushed madly with widened eyes as Po wrapped an arm around her. Her response? Becoming stunned and rigid with shock and surprise. _What?! P-P-Po...?!_

"Hah...Tigress...it's pretty cool to know that you're always there for me. Don't mind me...I'm just gonna take a quick nap right here, okay?" Po mumbled, not completely aware of what he was doing, or that he was nuzzling her chest with a happy smile. "And you say that I'm pretty warm...you're not too bad yourself...snuggles and hugs...they're so nice..."

"Ah...ah...a-ah...!?"

Shen wouldn't have believed it if he was told that the same powerful feline capable of decimating a majority of his men by herself and be smart enough to organize ways to do it efficiently...could end up in such an awkward psoiton and have close to NO idea what to do. She wasn't reacting violently, she just didn't know how to react. This wasn't like last time, when Po was in need of her comfort. Now he was just incredibly dizzy from the blood loss. Shen wondered how such a strange group managed to stay together for so long. It must have been dumb luck that they haven't gotten themselves killed.

...or maybe they're just that powerful together?

Away from their position, as Mr. Ping was trying to get assistance, Shifu's ears twitched. He was confused by his sudden, inexplicable urge to beat the hell out of Po...


	60. Rest Continues, Shen's New Path

The two of them have been standing in front of her grave for a while now. They didn't have the heart to leave the grave behind, not yet.

Her funeral was quiet and melancholy. Everyone had attended, even he remaining army members that weren't all bad and were just taking a job. The Soothsayer has never been hostile towards Shen or his army. She was constantly filled with disappointment over Shen's consistent bad choices, but she never stopped trying to bring any of them into the light of a much more positive path. More han anything, she didn't wish for the peacock to fall as far as he had. Though she admitted that a majority of what happened could no longer be undone, though she never stopped trying. And even more than that, no matter how disappointed she was in him, her love for him never changed.

He had this feeling swirling around in his soul as he stared at the grave, alongside Po. His arm has been properly dressed and bandaged, though it was still going to take a long while to heal. He wasn't allowed to leave the city until he was completely healed. It definitely wouldn't ne shorter than a month until he was ready to travel again. It was annoying, but he didn't feel like intentionally giving his father a heart attack or making Tigress force him to stay put. He really didn't want her to do that, because she very well could make it happen. He would take a rest and stay in Gongmen for a while if only to soothe everyone's worries.

He could use a vacation anyway. Maybe sacrificing his arm was a bit...much. But he didn't have a lot of time to think of other solutions that could work out for him and Shen in their current predictament. He didn't regret his decision in the slighest. But he did admit that it caused things to be...slightly harder than they should be. Nevertheless, he didn't have time to worry about that right now, he had more important things to worr about, such as the depressed avian standing beside him. Though he didn't exactly know how, he did know that he couldn't just leave him like this.

"She...really cared about you, Shen. I...hope that you fully realize this." Po said quietly.

"...I was well aware. Very well aware. The person I had left who connected me to the past...the one person who never stopped caring about me despite how far I've fallen...and now she's gone. I very well could have prevented this travesty from happening...but I was more focused on just dealing with the filthy aftermath of my chaotic actions. She did so much for me, and I completely took her for granted. Even after my defeat, she was still trying to hel me when most of the city was against me. And now...I can never truly apologize to her..." Shen rubbed his beak while closing his eyes shamefully.

"I'm sure she still loved you regardless, and I'm pretty sure you loved her back, and always will."

"That may be, but it doesn't change the fact that I've done her so many wrongs, and now I can never right any of them. Nothing I do from this point on will be enough to make up for the heartbreak I put her through." Shen's last precious person from the past who ever gave a damn about him was now gone. He probably feels like he was all alone, with no one left in the world who truly cares for him. That kind of loneliness placed on hiself, and feeling there was no way for him to rectify this due to this turn of events...Po couldn't help but feel sympathetic. After all, the very same Soothsayer helped him proceed forward when he honestly thought he would be unable to.

"...Just keep living, Shen." Po said slowly. "Soothsayer was dreading that this entire crisis would end with your death. She was legitmately and truly relieved to see that wasn't the case, thanks to me finding a loophole in her prophecy. Goes to show not everything is set in stone down to the latest detail. There's always a chance to change. If you truly want to clean up your act, you can start by continuing to live, and not ask for death so desparately. You can't stay in one spot forever. Eventually you gotta pick yourself up and keep on moving." Po placed his hand on Shen's shoulder. "D it for her, Shen. And do it for your parents. Continue to live, that way you'll spend time from this point onward trying to clean yourself up and become a more decent person." Shen turned towards Po with a confused look. "Ya know how the good guys are willing to die for the sake of their loved ones? Don't get me wrong. As admirable as I think that is, I find it much less troublesome to live for them, instead. If you're willing to die for the sake of your loved ones, then you should be just as willing to survuve alongside them so they don't suffer from that kind of heartbreak." He tilted his head. "At least that's what Master Fenghuang said. You can't continue to protect those close to you if you die in the process."

"...You...you have a very dfferent way of seeing these kinds of things, don't you...?" Shen asked quietly, genunely surprised.

"I like to take a bit of pride in the fact that having different views isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes you discover something new in the process. Something about yourself, and probably how you see yourself and the world in general. Though when those views get crazy...well..." Po smiled sheepishly. "Leeeeet's not go down that road of conversation at this moment. Right now we should focus on bettering ourselves for the future. Can't get stuck up on the past forever, ya know?" Shen sighed as he takes in Po's words. He's mostly speaking in such a casual manner on something seemingly serious. At least to Shen. He's beginning to wonder if the panda is always like this, even after such an intense clash. Strange couldn't even begin to describe how he views this panda. "That's enough brooding for now, Shen. It's about time we get back with the others and continue healing." Po slowly grabbed Shen's wing, and gently began pulling him away. Shen was about to protest, but a growl from his stomach promptly stops him from doing so. He sighed in defeat, then gazes at the grave one more time. Soothsayer always regarded him as a skinny bird, and that he seriously needed to eat more. He supposed he could make it up to her by doing just that.

Yeah. That was a good start.

 **(Meanwhile...)**

"Hey! Geezers!" Fung shouted allowed, walking into the room with an casual swish of his tail. Gahri was nervously following him, begging him to please be a bit more respectful.

Ox crossed his arms and shook his head in grave annoyance. "Disrespectful little punk. You think because you helped saved the entire city that you get to act like a bit shot? Hmph! It's quite obvious that Croc was far too lenient on you when it came to teaching you respect."

Fung gritted his teeth in agitation. "Lay off, old man! I've been pulling my weight around by helping the city with it's reparation efforts! I have't been lyin' on my tail doing noting, you know!" Gahri pulled on his tail to keep him from engaging Ox, who was stomping towards him with aggravation. Croc got in-between them and kept them from engaging.

"This is nto a good time for you two to act barbaric. Fung, it's true that you're not really acting civil. But just as well, Ox, you should show a bit more appreciation for Fung's actions, as well as patience for his rather youth-driven disrespect. I know he can be a handful. Please, both of you try to be well-behaved while we all help rebuild the city." Croc said to the both of them as he and Gahri separated them from their angry staring contest.

Fung huffed and turned away from Ox. He blinked a bit as he observed Rhino and Master Yao sitting right next to Bian Zao and Peng. They were closely observing Bian Zao sitting with his legs crossed, as much as he could, anyway. Rhino heard a bit of his and Ox's back and forth, and only chuckled in slight amusement. Fung blinked as he made his way over towards them. Peng could hear him coming, turning towards him and waving politely.

"What are you guys doing?"

"It would seem that Master Yao is trusting Bian Zao with the teachings of **Jian Tian's Tempest**." Peng answered for him.

"Woah, what? He's seriosly teaching him something like that? A Mystical Kung Fu Secret? Is he sure about that?"

"i tried to dissuade him from doing such a thing, but he refuses to listen to me. He's rather intent on learning it." Taotie sighed as he sits nearby with Shifu, sipping a cup of tea.

"I'm also a little apprehensive when it comes to Bian Zao learning such a powerful technique. Nonetheless, it was an offer that Master Yao made. As... _interesting_...as he can be, I fully trust his judgement on the matter." Shifu said while lightly twirling his moustache. "Besides, not only did Master Yao offer it, but Bian Zao agreed o the teachings as well. Safe to say that being cvaught up in all of the action has given him the mindset of wanting to protect himself, as well as the others when the need calls."

Taotie shook his head a bit in irritation. "Well of course I know _that_ , but does it really have to be via Mystical Kung Fu Secret? There are other ways to go on about this, Bian Zao. There's no need to seek power of this magnitude. We don't even know if you'll be able to use it well. Besides, doesn't it take a significantly prolonged amount of time to be abl;e to learn, let alone _use_ such power?"

Bian Zao groaned a bit, not opening his eyes as he looked in the direction of his father's voice. "Dad' it's gonna be alright. i can learn how to wield this power if I just put in the work. Normally that isn't really my style. But the results that might come out of this will be well worth the effort. Besides...I'm smarter than I look. I'm pretty confident that I can figure out how to use it with enough time. And I tend to learn fast when I'm really paying attention. I'll have this thing down in no time." He opened his eyes slowly. "Can't be sitting on the sidelines forever. If I get dragged into a battle, I'd better be prepared for it." He grinned. "Plus...lightning powers are freakin' _awesome_."

"But I...you...ugh...!" Taotie groaned in defeat. "Alright, fine. You've made it clear that I can't prevent you from doing this. I'm just getting the point across. And the point is, I'm not in full approval of this. Enough to not stop you, and enough for me to worry."

"I believe your boy might become quite adept in this ability. He has the interest, and the youthful enthusiasm to see it through. Those two things tend to make quite a delightful combination! And as he said, the results of two such attitudes tend to be very much worth it!" Master Yao said with a cheerful nod. "I'll tell you, the results of your sons training will be rather _shocking_! Hehehe!"

"Hahahaha! That's a splendid joke, Master Yao! Excellent indeed!" Shifu stated from atop his staff, sipping his tea while balancing on one foot. He casually ignored Taotie muttering 'kissup' under his breath. Either that, or Shifu was getting a taste for awful puns. That would be a nightmare for himself and Fenghuang alike. Shifu curiously turned towards Peng. "Peng, may I ask where Lian and the others are?"

"You mean all of the girls?" Peng asked. Shifu nodded in confirmation, and Peng rubbed his neck. "Well...they chose to further their relaxation time in one of the bathhouses. It's one of the public ones since the royal one is...well...kinda trashed. It was Master Fenghuang's idea..."

"We're trying to focus our rebuilding efforts and she chose to spend this time _bathing?_ And she persuaded the others to join her? Bah..." Ox folded his arms and rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't criticize them for it, Ox. I might actually take a go at the baths myself." Rhino said cheerfully, with a loud yawn. "We've been really busy lately, so taking a break isn't something I'm against."

Fung narrowed his eyes as he stroked his chin. "So...they're taking a break...and they're in the baths?" He wondered, tilting his head a bit while closing his eyes. _Hm...I wonder if Song is..._ His eyes widened and he rapidly shook his head to shake the thoughts away.

 _Bad thoughts, Fung. Bad thoughts. Make them go away._ He would resist the temptation to think about it. He would NOT give into the temptation!

...He was thinking about it.

 _DARN IT!_

 **(With the girls)**

"Wooooaaaah..."

Lian beamed as she gazed at the pool of water before her, which was emitting a fair amount of steam. Mei Ling, Song, and Viper observed alongside her, being lead into the room by a rather kind sheep. The staff here was tremendously kind to them, saying that all of their treatment so far, from bathing, massasges, and some delicate food was all free of charge. Which was _more_ than fine by Fenghuang and Song. The less they spend, the better.

"Take as much time to rest here as you like, girls. You've certainly earned it with all of the hard work you've put ut for our sake." The sheep says with a rather gracious pat to Viper's head. She had discarded her signature flowers for the time being.

"Thank you! This is really nice of you all to do this for us!" Viper beams happily. SHe slithered back a bit so she could see Fenghuang lying facedown with her wings spread out. "Master Fenghuang! Are you sure you don't want to join us?"

"Just enjoy your soak, ladies. They're offering free baths, might as well take them while they last." Fenghuang moaned softly as two antelopes worked on her wings, while a rabbit worked on her back. She continued lying facedown, her tail feathers lightly shaking as she trembled with relief. "Aw yeah...I've been needing one of these for a _looooong_ time...I am NOT gonna waste it..." She mumbled as her eyes slid closed. Xue has chosen not to join them, she was really missing out. Mrs. Yoon simply chose to rest within slumber in one of the spare rooms of the inn.

Mei Ling the fox, however, may be the only other person who was enjoying this off-time more than anyone. Spending years on the run tends to do that to a rogue warrior like her. And she was sitting in a chair as a band of bunnies took care of her, brushing the fur on her head and tail, as well as massaging her feet. She pouted at the last part, disappointed that Shifu wouldn't be the one giving it to her. That would have been nice.

 _Oh well. I'll continue to wear down his shell. He'll come around eventually~_

"You don't have to tell us twice! Free is one of my favorite things for many reasons!" Song smirked as she began stepping into the room. Though she blinked as she realized Tigress wasn't with them. She turned around to see her hiding behind the door. She rolled her eyes. "Tigress...what are you doing?"

'...I...I can't." Tigress murmured, staring at the floor sheepishly. It was extremely rare to see her this nervous. As in, actually look the part. Her eyes were shifting around shyly as her tail lied limp on the ground. She was dressed in just a towel like the other women, as they prepared to enter the bath...though she was having many second thoughts.

Lian and Viper looked at each other with a bit of amusement, before looking back at Tigress as the latter smiled softly at her. "Tigress, we're the only ones who'll be in here. There's no need to worry."

Mei Ling nodded, already placing her feet in the water, splashing it slightly. "Yeah, c'mon Tigress. Water's nice and warm~"

Tigress did admit that it looked tempting, but she once again shook her head. "I'm sorry, I just...I'm not used to to something like this..." For the first few years since her adoption, Shifu has helped her bathe. And at a certain age, she became capable of bathing herself without assistance. Though she certainly wasn't used to bathing with others. Sure, they were all girls, thus lessening her hesitation. But still. "I haven't exactly bathed with others before, not altogether like this. So I guess I might be a bit...shy..." Shy was an overstatement, she looked downright scared to get in the bath with them.

Viper found it extremely rare for 'Tigress' and 'scared' to be put together.

"First time for everything. Now get in here!" Song said as she got behind Tigress and pushed her through the door, as Lian swiftly closed it behind them.

Tigress didn't have her guard up, so she stumbled a few times before regaining her balance, sighing softly and turning to Song with annoyance. All she did was smirk victoriously at catching the feline off-guard. That wasn't something that happened often, and she became determined to lessen that outcome as soon as possible. "That...was _not_ necessary."

"You wouldn't have moved if I didn't force you."

"Geez..." Tigress reluctantly surrendered, following the others into the bath while shyly removing her towel. Though only after she was sure there was enough water and steam to be able to hide most of her body. She slowly closed her eyes and sighed, allowing the warmth to soothe her muscles after a hard day of helping Gongmen's recovery.

Mei Ling tilted her head as she gently feels Tigress's arm. "Wow, Tigress! I have done some pretty amazing training myself, so I know I'm not lacking in muscle. But you... _you_...taking a closeup look and actually feeling them...I can definitely see how much power you put behind your punches. A LOT."

"W-Well I-"

"And the intensity of your kicks when it comes to your leg strength...how you just casually crack the ground when you really want to...amazing!"

"Both of these things help you lift things many times heavier than you are! It's amazing!" Lian said, nodding hurriedly. "Seriously, I'm hoping I can be as strong as you one day! Then I'll be able to have Peng's back even more than I ever have before!"

Tigress smiled sheepishly, as she rubbed her neck a little. Lian was actually looking up to her. It was strange, as she never thought of herself as an idol for anyone. Of course she knew this wasn't the first time this has happened, but this was one of the times that really managed to touch her heart, and slightly embarass her.

And of course Song knew how to ruin it, and turn it against her.

"My my, Tigress. Now that you're not wearing any of your baggy clothes, I can agree that you definitely have quite a physique that excellently demonstrates beauty and brawn. You underestimate yourself too much in terms of the former." She began slyly. "Don't think i forgot that my fellow ladies have mentioned how amazing you are, and how amazing you look. Seeing it up close is quite a sight."

Tigress's smile fell off of her muzzle, and she began blushing. "W-Wha...?"

Viper's eyes sparkled with agreement as she gently splashed the water, slithering up to Tigress with a nod. "She has a point, Tigress! Given how Shifu is...well, Shifu...guess it would be a bit hard for him to say how great you look." She rolled her eyes a bit. The more beautiful their daughter, the more protective the father. Though fathers tend to be overprotective of their daughters regardless. It was just now beginning to shine through when it came to Shifu. Viper lightly bobbed her head. 'Well now that you're surrounded by more fellow girls, you can count on us to give you a bit of a confidence booster every time you feel a bit down about it!~"

"That's easy for you to say, Viper. You're adorable." Mei Ling commented with a laugh.

Song continued, her tail lazily waving through the water behind her. "Whether you knew it or not, you've been holding out on us, Tigress. the full potential of your beauty/brawn are still not completely explored. You tend to be as surprising as Po." She slowly looks downward, grinning mischeivously. "Indeed. So many surprises..." Tigress blushed darkly as she was quick to folded her arms over her chest, looking down in the water out of embarassment. "You sometimes get me envious of you, Tigress~"

"Tigress rarely fails to impress." Mei Ling chuckled.

"She's so cool, so pretty, and so strong~" Lian nodded readily, sinking deeper into the warm water.

"There are some good men would be interested in a woman who are beautiful in body and spirit, _and_ kick some ass! So I think you're a worthy candidate for Po!" Fenghuang shouted from the other room. That definitely caught Tigress off-guard. "I can sense your shock from here! You make it more and more obvious with your coddling every time he gets hurt!"

"W-W-What...?"

Viper looked over where Fenghuang's voice emitted, narrowing her eyes and shaking her head. "Don't mind her, Tigress. We all know how Master Fenghuang is."

"Doesn't mean that she doesn't have a point." Mei Ling the Fox also voiced from the other room. "You coddle the panda just as much as Mr. Ping and Fenghuang do, no matter how much the latter denies it. You're intense protectiveness of him can be rather cute when one sees it from a different angle. He has had quite a dark fate handed upon him, and it's nice to know that someone like you acting as such a strong pillar for him."

"I..."

"Po needs someone strong to keep him up when even he can't stand on his own. He also needs someone who can be warm and soft of her own right so he rest against them." Song smiled slyly. "There's more for him to lie on than _only_ the shoulders, you know~"

"What has gotten into all of you?!" She yelped. The implications only made her cover her chest even more. Why oh why did it have to be her? Why did she have to grow in such a way? Now they-aside from Lian and Viper-would tease her about it. It didn't help that Po had freely placed his head on her chest twice now. He was crying the first time, and she needed to comfort him. The second time, the more recent one, was because he became too dizzy from blood loss to realize what he was doing. She was shocked both times, but she never pushed him away, not forcibly at least. They seemed to know that had it been anyone of the other guys-except her dear nephew Peng-she would have pounded them into the dirt with extreme prejudice.

Still, she sensed her catlike curiosity pick at her. Was this how female friends sent time with one another? Filled with teasing but still having a sense of friendliness between them? She guessed there was more to that, though she never thought as deeply on it as she might have liked. She made a personal goal hat she would begin to try and change that soon, and try to become closer to all of them, experience new things.

Speaking of getting along with someone better, she wondered what Tai Lung was doing right now.

 **(With the guys)**

"Is he going to keep going with this...?" Crane said awkwardly as he and the other guys were sitting in one of the bars. He recognized himself alongside Shen as the odd men out. because the other guys were cheerfully enjoying themselves. Po and Monkey were stuffing their faces with food, the latter having assistance from Mr. Ping. Mantis wasn't doing anything in particular, just sitting upon Po's hat and watching he and Monkey go at it. Mr. Pig always took cautious glances to Po's arm, very critical and careful to see if there was any signs of the bandages breaking and the wound pening up again. Shen humbled himself to having a bowl of the goose's dumplings so he would satisfy his empty belly.

Every civilian in the bar was cautiously keeping their distance from the peacock. Not that he blamed them.

"Bah, will it kill you to lighten up a little? Or at least _try_ to lighten up?" Tai Lung said after vigorously gulping down a cub of wine. He slams it back down on the counter as the rabbit behind it takes i for a refill. "I'd take the panda's advice if I were you. You don't have to rush, as you have plenty of time to heal. But what he's saying is that you should focus on healing. Take too much time in that space of darkness in your mind and heart, you'll never be able to heal."

" I know..." Shen lowered his eys in response to the words, and he gazed at Tai Lung with a hint of newfound interest. "What did you think of the panda when you first met him? What impression does he give you?"

Tai Lung pondered this, rubbing his chin as he recalled first seeing the panda. "Well first off, I was surprised that there were any panda's left. I've been all around China, and I never saw one up until that point. Now for his impression...he seems to be a pretty good guy. The only thing bigger than his gut is his heart. This is the guy who remained within my little sister's hopes and dreams even though they've been separated for fifteen whole years. That's a powerful impression to make on someoone you've only known for a week and a half." He nodded. "I'm just glad he was there for Tigress in a time of need, even if it was only for a little while before he left. He's definitely an okay guy in my book."

"I see..."

"And I meant it when I said that his heart is bigger than his gut. Hearing what you did to him in the past is one of the only things that completely left him utterly shaken. And yet he still left you live." He closed his eyes and turned forward again. "He seems to be the kind of guy who doesn't give a damn about what happens to bad guys getting what they deserve, whether it be by his paws or someone else's. Though he spared you, and gave up an arm to do it. He must see something in you if you're worth that kind of sacrifice."

"Keep em' comin! I'm still going!" Po shouted as he easily gulps down a bowl of dumplings, not even slowing down as he now grabs a bowl of bean buns.

"Crap! How are you still beating me at this?!" Monkey groaned in irritation.

Mantis laughed and pointed at his head. "He's got you beaten, Monkey! The big guy is still the champ!"

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that! I accepted him as the champ, but that doesn't mean he can't be overthrown!" Monkey declared as he begins slurping up noodles at a fast rate, racing against Po with everything he had.

"You boys and your eating competitions! They're always so exciting and funny!" Mr. Ping laughed with cheer.

"Yeah, it's funny until they burn through someone's entire food supply." Crane deadpanned.

Tai Lung chuckled as he turned back towards Shen. "Not to mention the guy's absolutely hilarious when he wants to be. And even when he doesn't try, he just is that funny!" He calmed down a bit as he patted Shen's back. "Not to mention...he and I have a certain something in common. It involves my name, and his scarf."

Shen raised an eyebrow. "How is that...?"

"My name means 'Great Dragon'. And he has a dragon on his scarf." He explained. "A dragon's wrath...is not something you want to invoke. A Dragon's rage can be a legendary thing that leaves his enemies decimated before they're done. They can conjure up quite a storm if they're angry enough. And the kinder, gentler, peace-loving, and overall nicer the dragon is...the more devastating their wrath unleashed on those that wrong him. Except the difference between me and him...he channels his wrath against those that wrong him and his loved ones, still making a point to keep the innocent safe...while I was unable to control my own, and I hurt everyone around me in many different ways." He said as the bunny comes back with another cup, and he slowly takes it within his paw. "The panda still has a lot to learn...and yet he's still a significantly better man than I could ever be."

Shen was surprised by this. Even the mighty Tai Lung, who could very well be considered a legend himself, even if it's not an entirely positive one, thinks of the much less experienced panda as his superior. And he admitted it so cooly, without a shred of humor. He was serious. He continues to wonder. The panda managed to convince the Kung Fu Council to let him leave, despite the fact that he very well deserve to die. It seems that the panda's personality, as well as his intense intolerance for those that do good peple harm, manages to bring people around him. it was only himself and his father Mr. Ping in the beginning...and now they had such a large pack to quite possibly call family.

Shen slowly gazed at the panda effortlessly eating large quantities of food with a single arm. After a moment of contemplation, he nodded.

 _I still don't consider myself worthy of his mercy. Or consider myself to continue having the right to even be alive. And yet...he wants to keep me breathing. The dead do not suffer...that is why I'm still alive. Even if it's not intentional on his part, I find that mercy to be cruel, but fitting. So, Soothsayer...I've found a new purpose to follow, as I endure my continues days of suffering._ He closed his eyes as he sighed calmly. He wanted to see for himself. He'd travel with the panda to see for himself if he was truly the kind of person everyone is depicting him as. And perhaps, he might find something within himself as well, that something which Po found him worthy to spare.

 _I want to see what kind of person you are with my own eyes, panda. And I want to see if I'm truly worthy of your mercy..._

* * *

 **Okay. For real this time. From this point onward, I WILL update this faster. Maybe not to the same speed as I did before, but I definitely will. Got real life to deal with after all. And my other stories as well. The arc is over. The major events of Gongmen are over, and in-story, it'll be a while before the heroes get moving. Unlike everything else he took so far, Po can't casually walk off a dismembered limb. He tried. Well...you saw how that ended. He almost completely lost consciousness from blood loss due to straining the arm too much. Not a pro on medical things, so I hope you can forgive that. He'll be alright, though.**

 **I know not much happened here, or the previous chapter. But everyone REALLY needs this break.**

 **The next arc to come...the Shifu Arc. _Obviously_ Shifu will be having a lot more screentime to go with the name. Because while Shifu ultimately turned out somewhat alright, I noticed that a majority of his life...really, really, REALLY sucked, even with Oogway looking after him. As I'm putting altered movie events and altered LOA events together in this story, his life growing up may be one of the most troubled of all the characters here. Now I'll take a shot at exploring this part of him in detail. And his loved ones are more affected by these things than any of them thought they could be...**

 **I probably said all of this before and don't even remember it.**

 **...crud.**

 **Seriously, I meant it when I said I would upload this more in the future. I even made it a New Year Resolution. So hopefully, I can follow through with it and not totally disappoint everyone...**

 **..Welp, that's enough from me for now. Seeya!**


	61. Two Months Later

_It's been approximately two months since the Great Battle of Gongmen City. A great amount of things has happened during that clash between us and Lord Shen. Large portions of the city have been destroyed, civilians have died during the large-scale battle, most of the young ones have been deeply emotionally scarred by the experiences, the Soothsayer has been aassasinated days afterward, Tai Lung now sports a scar on his chest from a cannon blast, and Po has lost his right arm. All in all, this has been quite a devastating experience for all of us. But despite this, I'm mostly just glad that everyone in our group is alive, if only somewhat traumatized by the events. We have each other to help recover in that regard._

 _Plenty of difficult decisions have been made, as well. Zeng, our beloved messenger, will have to stay behind. His services have been quite plentiful, but it's becoming far too dangerous for him to continue traveling with us. He will now be serving as the Kung Fu Council's resident messenger bird instead of ours. We can make do without him. We've already said our goodbyes, but it does not change the fact that we will miss him so._

 _Someone else staying behind, is Mrs. Yoon. She's been a sweet little lady, having been looking after her since the Valley of peace has been destroyed. She has been a joy to have around, but Po and Mr. Ping found it best to also leave her behind, and Anying and Xue will be the ones taking care of her. Their recruitment has been fun while it lasted, but they have ultimately chosen to be left behind, as they wish to follow their own destinies, and do a great service for this once great city. Po was once again upset about this since he really seemed to like them, but we all accepted their decision. The Kung Fu Council assured us that they'll take very good care of them._

 _Bian Zao's experiences in Gongmen City...have changed something in him. He's still about as lazy as ever, much to Lian's annoyance. But he's also being trained by_ _Master Yao to use the technique, **Bian Tian's Tempest**. He seems to think the boy has a strong affinity for lightning, plus he's considered that Mystical Kung Fu Secret to be the most interesting. How the most lazy warthog of all found the concept of wielding lightning to be interesting, still leaves me and Taotie clueless. Nevertheless, we did not try to stop him anymore. He was very determined to see this through, so we let him be. He follows this mindset because he wishes to protect his father and loved ones. Peng and Lian must have really grown on him, to have him act like this on his own accord._

 _Back to the matter of Po and his arm...he seems to be recovering quickly over these past two months. During that time period, he tries to get energetic and move around more than he's supposed to, but Tigress and the others will not allow it. Mr. Ping and Fenghuang are especially adamant about this, not allowing him to go anywhere by himself. He always had to have at least two of us accompanying him, and if his injury gets highly irritable, he was to report to Mantis right away so he can examine it for himself and properly deal with it. It happened at least four times, and his freedom to move wherever he wanted without our supervision decreased each time it happened, much to his agitation. A laid-back kind of panda, and yet he wishes to continue the adventure as soon as he possibly can. But like we've all said MULTIPLE times, no one just 'walks off' a lost limb. It would take much more than a couple weeks of recovering from something like that to be suitable for travel. He's been awfully persistent about it._

 _Speaking of Po, Shen has been kept under close watch since a majority of us does not trust him. He hasn't exactly given us much reason to, except that he seems interested in how Po chooses to live his life. Since he spared the peacock, he wonders how the panda's life went in order to bring him to make such a decision. Tigress obviously distrusts him the least, possibly even more than Fenghuang. Mr. Ping is also displaying distrust, but seems willing to at least give him a chance. The rest of us are not so accepting. But we all had to remember that leaving him alive was Po's final judgement. We were skeptical about the decision, and we still are, but we didn't wish to undermine it since he wss so determined. So we left it well enough alone._

 _...Sigh._

 _I cannot tell a lie. Or at least, I can't tell a believable one very well. I really do miss how things used to be. Oogway was with me, we were both looking over the Valley, I was still raising Tigress..I never imagined that life could change so drastically in such a short amount of time. I'm well aware that change is an inevitable part of life, but this was not the kind of change I was expecting, nor was I completely prepared for. The entire world feels so different ever since that day, and especially since I've abandoned my official title as a Kung Fu Master. No...now I am a rogue who constantly travels around China. And as described by Po, we help whoever we can...and we do it OUR way. At least...that's how he said it. It hasn't always lead to the best of outcomes, but we've always turned out alright so far._

 _Still...there is so much to worry about. The Kung Fu Council has been generously lenient with my decision, as it is mine alone. However, they warned me that's not everyone will agree with that mindset. As our travels confine, there will be more instances of other Masters or Kung Fu figures not finding my decision to be...correct. In that regard, I'm doing my best to follow the example that Po has been setting for all of us: Follow our hearts. As someone who thinks a lot, this might not come to me easily. Though I can adapt. That's what we've been doing this entire time, after all. Adapting together._

 _...We are gathering all of our things so we can leave the city. It's been quite a venture, but we must keep moving onward. We have no idea what lies ahead for us now, but Po is confident that we will all be fine, so long as we stick together. I choose to believe him, and I too hope that things go well on our travels._

 _May our wisdom and hearts continue to guide us forward._

 _-Shifu_

* * *

"Are you finished writing in that thing, Fufie?" Mei Ling the fox asked with a huff as she circled around the Red Panda with curiosity and slight impatience.

Shifu rolled his eyes and closed up the scroll he was writing in. "I just find it nice to write down my private thoughts once in a while. I do wish to do so often, most likely during the times I'm slightly stressed."

"You're writing out your stress now? Is that _fun_ to you?"

"Yes. Writing out my thoughts is fun to me. Thank you for asking."

"Oh Fufie...if you were really so stressed out, you should have just told me." Mei Ling said, lightly passing by and brushing her tail against him. "I have _many_ methods to helping you deal with that stress of yours. You know you can always consult me for assistance in that regard, right?~"

Shifu shifted his eyes away from her, trying to force his blushing face away. "You don't really seem to be helping me. If anything, you're making it worse."

'Is that so?~" Mei Ling eased closer to his face, lightly nuzzling his cheek. " _I_ think I'm doing a _great_ job at helping you deal with stress. At least you're not thinking about your problems anymore. You're a tough cookie, Shifu. Much tougher than you portray yourself as." She gently walks around him, and gently brushes her paw along his big and fluffy tail. The contact made him flinch a bit, before she leaned into his ear with a cheeky grin. "So don't worry so much, Fufie. Take a deep breath and enjoy the peace for the moment. _Relax~_ "

Shifu shivered immensely, simply from the soft and sensual way she whispered this to him. These past two months have made her significantly more persistent in pursuing him, and getting him to return her advances. And so far, he has resisted them with much determination...but he would be lying if he wasn't the least bit tempted. Shifu had immense amounts of self-control, self-control that she was determined to break. It was a silent game between the two of them: Which one gives up first?

They both seemed very determined.

"Mei Ling! Stop harassing the Midget already! We need your help packing!" Fenghuang shouted into the room, which earned an agitated frown from both of them. She rolled her eyes and exited the room just as quickly. "You can harass him when you're on the road! But right now, focus goes to getting out of this place as soon as we possiby can! I've had my share of community service, and now I just wanna get the hell outta here!"

"Master! You love doing community service! You get to help so many people!" Po exclaimed as he was carrying a satchel over his head with his single arm. "Don't pretend that that you don't like doing so! I've seen you smile a lot more often since we started doing so!"

"Those were flukes and you know it! And dammit, what did I tell you about carrying things on your own?!"

"Oh come on! I'm not that helpless! My single arm is still capable of carrying this satchel own my own! I've healed up plenty! Enough for me to be walking around on my own!" Po pouted childishly. "Besides, Dad approved of me walking around on my own! He's perfectly cool with it!"

"That's _after_ TWENTY straight hours of begging. I was ready to kick you through the wall...for the fourth time in a row."

Po set his satchel down and raised one paw upwards. "Now to be fair...that third time was to the ribs, so it didn't hurt me as much as I thought that it would. Since my belly is pretty good at absorbing damage. Plus, you don't _nearly_ hit me as hard as you used to."

"How hard I hit you has nothing to do with it. You just got significantly better at taking them. Or in simpler termns, you got tougher. Nothing special about it." Fenghuang huffed.

"You're just jealous because I'm on my way to becoming even more awesome than you are! Hehe!"

Fenghuang slowly turned towards Po with a twisted grin. "Is that so? You've got quite a hundred years left before you could _possibly_ stand on the same pedastal as me. I'm still on a completely different level you are."

"You're also the one who told me to always strive to break the boundaries. That includes boundaries of the skillset."

The owl was about to reject, but she lowered her wings and folded them with a curious tilt. "Yeah. I did teach you that, did I? After all, I didn't train you up to be a weakling. I trained you up to be as tough as you possibly be! To be one of the strongest! And having one arm lobbed off? I won't allow you to use that as an excuse!"

"Course not, Master! I'm one of the best around! Nothin's gonna keep me down!"

"Hell yeah! Nothing scares us!" Fenghuang lowered her wings and turned away. _Except his father...that frying pan packs one hell of a punch._

Shifu sighed as he rubbed his forehead at the way they were both acting. "Their personalities may be drastically different to an extent, but their spirits are certainly on the same level. Unbelivably high."

"And it will spread upon our comrades and keep getting higher. That's how we're going to keep growing as a group, I suppose." Mei Ling nodded. "High spirits are needed in a large group like ours. Though it's rather sad we'll have to leave a couple of us behind, for their own safety. We don't actually attact a feeling of safety, Fufie."

Shifu sighs as he looks back at the scroll he has just written in. He lowered his eyes and lightly rubbed his ear. _I'm well aware..._

 **(Meanwhile...)**

"Welp, the time has come, boys. I gotta move on." Fung said as he was packing his things.

"You're going already, Boss? It's only been two months. You pratically just got here..." Wong groaned, folding his arms.

"Please don't go, Fung. We're doing so much better with you here with us. As in...we're not instantly getting our butts kicked." Irwin yawned. 'And Wall-Eye has been getting better at not putting dangerous things in his mouth."

"All the more reason that I have to go. I love you guys. Really, I do. But I gotta be there for Po and Tigress. The three of us stick together anywhere. Plus...the city isn't really doing me any favors." Fung said, tying up a bag and hauling it over his shoulder. "Gotta keep moving forward, and all of that."

Wall-Eye slowly stared at Fung, having a flute in his nose. He didn't seem to acknowledge it's existence, nor the fact that he was the one who put it there. "You also want to follow the pretty lady...?"

Fung blushed heavily, swiftly turning towards Wall-Eye with a glare. "W-What?! Don't be ridiculous! Song going along is not a major reason I wanna keep going with my friends! I genuinely do wanna keep going on adventures with my friends and not stay with old man Croc!"

Gahri smirked. "Hmph. Wall-Eye never said that the pretty girl was _Song_. Your group ihas a slid division of beautiful and powerful women. And yet, your mind just instantly went to her, is that right?"

Fung glared at him with grinding fangs. "Gahri. I will tail slap the hell outta you! And know that my tail is the strongest part of my body! I can easily send you spiralling through multiple walls and breaking your ribs! Maybe I'll even bite your tail for good measure!"

"You're acting awfully defensive, Fung~"

"SHUT UP, DAMMIT! I'M THE ALPHA CROC! I DON"T HAVE TO JUSTIFY MYSELF TO YOU!" Fung said, roaring at Gahri's confident and tricky grin. The older croc sighed and shook his head. "Gahri. I actually have something important to tell ya." Gahri lost his smile and blinked owlishly blinked in confusion. "I've been thinking about this for a while due to the old man's constant prodding. After some contemplation, Fung smiled and folded his arms. "He told me that out of all of you, you were the furthest developed of the buncvh while I was gone, and that you were most apt to travel with me. So I picked you to accomany me on my travels. Wanna come travel with me bro?"

Gahri blinked again with his eyes wide. "W-Wait...you actually want me to come with you...? And Master Croc approved of it? Why?"

Fung rolled his eyes. "I just told ya why, you moron. I picked you, Croc picked you, because you have what it takes. So don't take these things into stride. I like the other guys of course. But I just really want you to be around with me. You'll be a great addition to the team, especially since we're losing quite a couple members due to personal and wide-ranging reasons. Of course I really can't force you to come with us. I just think it would be really cool to have you around and all of that."

"Are you kidding, or course I wanna come!" Gahri said excitedly. "Ignore me teasing you about Song, or course i wanna come with you! I would love nothing more than to go on an adventure with you all! I would prefer that over stayong in this city any longer! I mean, I love it and all, but I can see why you left!" Gahri spoke with sparkling eyes. "I would very well like to join you and the others!"

"Excellent! From now on, you're sticking with me and the others!" Fung declared proudly. Though he slowly frowned and sighed in annoyance. "Though you have to pass some sort of initiation made up by Po. It's quite an easy concept, really."

"Is that so? What kind of initiation is it?"

" _HUUUUUUUUUUGSSSSSSS!_ "

As if he were aware of what they were speaking of, Po suddenly rushes into the room and picks Gahri up in a one-harmed hug. "Just because I'm one-armed, doesn't mean that I can't hug! Ya wanna join? Ya have to get hugged! It's a hug or be hugged world with this panda behind the reins!"

Monkey, Crane, Viper, Mantis, and Tigress were standing by watching the scene, and all with somewhat relieved faces. Monkey scratched his head. "Sheesh. We lose a couple, yet we gain one. That's some crazy arrangement we have going on, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It really is a shame that we have to say goodbye to Zeng, Mrs. Yoon, Xue, and Anying. But we have to remember that they have their own choices to make. If they wish to stay behind, even though we said it was for their own protection, then that's what we have to accept." Viper said with a soft smile. "While it's sad to say goodbye to a couple friends, we have a new one ready to join us. That's pretty great!"

Crane huffed, tipping his hat over a bit. "Fung was really serious about this, though. Guess he and Gahri seem to be really close. Why else would they be the ones most likely to argue?"

Mantis was right on top on his hat. "Is that so? We fight together all of the time, sometimes against each other? So by that kind of logic, we must be _really_ close with one another." Tigress folded her arms as she watched Po hugging Gahri. Another friend was joining them, at the cost of a couple others. She wondered how they would progress from there. She would have to rearrange their groups a bit in order to make up for Po's lost arm. Though he didn't seem to mind, Fenghuang did tell her to stop coddling him. He had to adjust on his own, eventually. Tigress thought she was being ridiculous. She didn't think she was coddling him.

... _was_ she coddling him?

 _A tigress can get quite possessive over what she believes is hers._ Mei Ling once teased.

"Tigress? Are you alright?" Viper asked, seeing that she was being pretty silent.

Tigress jumped a bit, and shook her head rapidly. "N-No! It's nothing!" She stuttered a bit, getting a mischievous chuckle from Mantis. Tigress once again gazed at Po, who was looking quite cheerful and lively as always, even though he could only hug with one arm at the moment. Though it didn't seem to stop him. She smiled a bit with a soft nod.

 _Nothing at all..._

* * *

 **It took a while, but I'm finally back on track with things here! Let's have this arc start small, because it'll get bigger as time goes on. Everyone else will be truly departing in the next chapter, most likely. Their journey continues then...and they'll have absolutely no idea where to go next.** **Mei Ling the fox might have some sort of idea where to go.**

 **However, as this is the Shifu arc, she's going to be a major character on this, as well as everyone else who's leaving. Something BIG is gonna go down, and it requires all of them working together.**

 **See ya then!**


	62. An Invitation of Desparation?

**(The Emperor's Palace-Two Weeks Ago)**

"Can we play again?! I wanna play again!"

"I dunno. You're _really_ good at this game."

These two were members of the Royal Family. One was the grandson of the esteemed Emperor of China, though he didn't really have the aura of an esteemed member of the Royal Family. He gave off a much more humble aura thsn one would expect from the Royal Family. He was a water buffalo wearing brown pants with a green sash wrapped around it. His face didn't give off any vibe of royal maturity either. Only confusion and clusminess. Speaking of clumsy, that trait was the exact reason why he keeps losing at hide-and-seek. That, and he seriously can't tell what a good hiding place from a bad one. How bad was this tendency? There were PLENTY of great places to hide in the Royal Palace, and yet he keeps getting found within two minutes.

And by his second cousin. Who was four years old, a young goose, the daughter of the Emperor's sister, who was also a goose. No one dared to question this, if they truly wish to keep their heads on their shoulders. The close familiar bond between all members of the Royal Family, while tense at times, was absolutely unquestionable. While the Emperor was really living up tp his title of high authority, as well as being incredibly strict at times, he's very much a fair and respectable leader. His sister was much more laid back and easy to approach. She takes great love in her family, and takes much time in taking care of her beloved son. The Emperor's grandson didn't have much dignity at all, and was a total goofball. Ironically, he and his second cousin were the easiest to approach.

Lu Kang was rather easy to interact with, precisely because he was the kindest. Zan was easy to approach because he was four years old and still learning about the world. Despite one of them sometimes being unable to fit through certain doors, both of them had the capacity to be surprisingly adorable.

"Well...alright. But I keep telling you, you're too good at this game." Lu Kang sighed as he raised his hoof. "Alright then. As usual, I'll hide, and you seek me out!"

"Okay!~" Zan smiled as he turns around and covers his eyes. "One...two...three..."

Lu Kang looked around the large room, eagerly looking for a place to hide. He smiled s he believes he found somewhere to hide, and briefly sprints off to hide. Zan continues to count upwards, the both of them currently oblvious to the Emperor and his sister watching them both from a distance. Zu smiled warmly at the interactions between the boys, especially how her nephew was so eager and willing to play hide-and-seek with her son, despite how notoriously terrible he was at it.

"...Okay! Here I come!" Zan said as he uncovered his eyes and turned around quickly.

Lu Kang was hiding behind a pillar, giggling the entire time. _I've got him this time! There's no way he'll guess where I am!_ He says this with the utmost confidence. Though he seemed to be completely unaware that the pillar was not large enough to hide his body, nor his horns. He may be unaware of this, but his cousin sure was. Zan walked up to the pillar and waved at him happily for a few moments. The water buffalo slowly turns towards him with a look of shock, utterly baffled by the geese's success. Though he sweatdropped and sighed, lowering his head.

"You win again...how the heck are you so good at this game?!"

"Hehe!"

The Emperor sighs as he slowly facepalms. "This is their one hundred and fifth game of hide and seek..."

"And my darling boy has won every single one! Zan is the best seeker in the family, isn't he brother?" Zu said sweetly, her wings clasped with a delighted and slightly mischievous smile. her brother groans in aggravation and simply stares at the ceiling, while the much smaller goose giggled at his embarassment. He soon turns away from the boys and walks down one of the many hallways that filled the Palace. Zu dropped her slightly joking demeanor as she walked by him with a more supportive gaze. "Brother...I know you are worried..."

"How can I not be, Zu? I worry about my grandson every day. It doesn't seem to me that he can properly understand the seriousness of his position." He replied while turning towards his younger and smaller sister. "His birthday is coming soon. And I think it might be as good a time as any to become the day that he will..."

"...Succeed you?"

"...Yes."

It was no secret to everyone who served the Emperor. He could not stay in power forever, nor did he really wish to. He would like nothing more than for his grandson Lu Kang to step up to take the throne in his place, and he himself could finally retire. Unfortunately, Lu Kang did not have the skill, nor the mindset, nor the maturity necessary when it comes to claiming the throne of Emperor. It was not a position to take lightly, as it is a position which allows the entirety of China to be placed upon the occupants rule. Zan was much too young to be placed in such a position, the boy needed to enjoy his age while he could. Lu Kang, however, was at the efficient age to take over as Emperor, but has never shown interest it so far. But that was likely due to a lack of confidence of being able to take up such a big and important responsibility. This possible, significant change in Lu Kang's life has greatly intimidated him, and he hasn't talked about it much when he brought it up a couple weeks ago.

 _"U-Um...I don't think I'm cut out for being an Emperor, Grandpa. Besides, I don't think that I can do any better than you can...maybe someone else can take my place...? I...I just don't feel up to it..."_

His grandson lacks confidence. To the point of self-depreciation. That simply would not do at all. An Emperor does _not_ have to be cruel in order to be a strong and powerful leader...but an Emperor also cannot be weak-willed and defenseless. He would like nothing more than for Lu Kang to take his place, but not the way he was now. If Lu Kang couldn't prove himself worthy of the throne...then he would have no coice but to banish him. That's the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn't have much time for many other options. He found these pooints to be repeatedly pointed out to him by his closest servants and advisors.

"Brother. Lu Kang does not believe he's ready to become Emperor. He certainly has his heart in the right place, but that's overshadowed by the dark cloud of low confidence that hangs over his head. It would appear that his cousin Zan is his only escape from that tension." Zu continued. "You're not going to force him onto the position without him being mentally prepared for it, are you?"

"Of course not. I don't want him to take up this position without all of the preparation he needs. And I made sure that he understands the duties of Emperor, and what comes with it. The only thing he lacks is the confidence, and Kung Fu..." He quietly shook his head. "Try as he might, he just cannot seem to pull it off on his own. It's imperative for him to learn it as soon as possible. Because if he does not...then..."

"Being his grandfather and being Emperor..." Zu said quietly, not finishing the statement.

"I don't want to undermine and jeopardize China's future just for his sake. But I also cannot forsake him and leave him to fade away. I truly wish to find a way to have him overcome this mental block, but I don't now how to do so. Not on my own." As much as Lu Kang loves his grandfather and vice versa, it was incredibly difficult to understand and connect with each other. Their personalities contrasted to the degree that it could be identified from even total strangers that don't directly serve the Emperor. This made communication between the two rather difficult, because there wasn't much they could truly and genuinely agree on that didn't involve their family bond.

Soon enough, the duo were interrupted by steps echoing through the hallway, and they turned around to identify the cause. It was their servants/advisors. Meng Tao and Fai Suan, an antelope and ibex respectively, bow before them both. The former wore a yellow robe and yellow hat. The latter wore a blue robe, black hat, purple garlic belt-which made the Royal Duo step back s couple feet since he eats them daily, and gold earrings.

"Perhaps we can be of some assistance." Fai Suan said while looking downward. "Your grandson lacks the discipline to take over as Emperor. And you say that he still does not know any kind of Kung Fu. Well...suppose we could find a way to remedy both of those cases...if you'd care to hear us out."

"...Explain." The Emperor's eyes were narrowed, but it was clear they had his attention.

Meng Tao raised his head and stepped forward. "You only wish the best for your son, don't you? And his birthday is coming very soon. A month away, in fact! If he doesn't take up Kung Fu soon, then you'll have little choice but to banish him. Even worse than that, you'll be disgraced by your own grandson! No one wants that!" Zu looked worriedly at her brother, noticing he wasn't pleased with these words, but acknowledging that they were true. "Which is why I'm considering an idea of mine, get a proper Kung Fu Master to teach him."

"I have been considering that...but how do we select one?"

"Ah. That's the tricky part of this suggestion. We can't just pick some random Kung Fu Master out of the blue, especially since there are so many. Which is why we'll have to use a more... _interesting_ selection process in order to choose a Kung Fu Master worthy of mentoring the grandson of the Emperor in the art. It will be one of the biggest spectacles that China will ever bear witness to, one of the most large-scale events in it's history! And it will all take place in the Imperial City."

"What event are you speaking of?" Meng Tao briefly explained the simple terms of what he was suggesting the Emperor should do. Fai Suan was nibbling on his garlic, which didn't help in making anyone else in the room feel better. After he was finished recounting his idea, the Emperor's eyes were sharp and concerned. "Meng Tao...what you are suggsting...not only is it incredibly dangerous, but everything could be torn down if it isn't handled with the utmost caution. Why would you even suggest something like this?"

Meng Tao lowered his head with his eyes closed. "That depends on how desparate you are for your grandson to succeed you. And if you believe a Kung Fu Master, or possibly any martial artist capable of teaching him is the way to go...then by all means, why not take a huge leap of faith and use this process to decide who is worthy enough to mentor your grandson. And if none of them are successful...well...you know what that means for him, don't you?" He could see his Emperor looking quite conflicted by this ordeal, and Zu was looking towards him worriedly.

"...Even if I were to agree to this idea of yours...how can I possibly get them to agree?" As the highest authority in China, he could simply be forceful with his intentions...btu that's not how he wanted to do things. He's taken a lesson of kindness from his grandson through watching him, so he wanted to at least present this as an option instead of a direct order.

Fai Suan smiled. "Believe it or not, that's actually quite easy. After all, you have what a majority of them might want. And I'm sure with slight persuasion, they'll want to come and claim it, alongside having a chance to train the grandson of the Emperor, which might prove to be the highest of honors for them, should they accept. Of course who could turn down the chance of improving the Royal Family overall?"

"There's no need to decide right here and now. You can think about it."

The Emperor sighed as he sent the two of them on their way. Zu looked towards her brother and placed a wing on his leg. "Brother...you're not really going to do this, are you? You cannot possibly be considering this idea of theirs, are you? You're not really that desparate to have Lu Kang succeed you, are you?" She saw the conflicted look on his face as he gazed back at Lu Kang and Zan playing with one another. Zu sighed as she closed her eyes and stepped back a couple feet, silently clasping her wings. "I will respect your decision...I just sincerely hope that none of us come to regret it..."

Meng Tao and Fai Suan moved onto the lower levels of the Palace, their faces suddenly becoming emotionless. The guards they passed by didn't seem to mind their looks, though they did seem a bit confused. They didn't give it further thought, and just let them be. Fai Suan was carrying a bowl of cookies in his hooves. He kept his mouth closed so his foul breath didn't spread to them. After all, the one who'll receive them won't be too happy if they smelled foul. They soon reached the bottom and saw a hooded figure staring at them from afar. Fai Suan soon handed the bowl over, and it began levitating towards them, they then grabbed it with their paws and began eating the cookies.

"Ah...the Royal cook sure know his stuff. These cookies are delicious!~"

"I still don't see why I have to keep sneaking these to you..." Fai Suan groaned.

"I also don't get why you insist on eating that rancid purple garlic. Your breath suffers the grave consequences of doing so." Fai Suan jawdropped, at the insult, and was about to reprimand the stranger. Though she swiftly silenced him by slapping him in the face with her tail. "Don't open your mouth so close to me. Back off."

"You didn't have to slap me..."

"Knock it off, you two." Meng Tao grumbled. "...Anyway, we've done what you've asked. We've put the thoughts into the Emperor's head. He's considering the idea."

"Consideration is more than enough. He's too desparate to find other options, espeially in the short time span that he has. He'll take the idea, because he just wants his precious Lu Kang to be come a worthy successor...even if it results in the suffering of others. And in this case...well...we'll just have to see if it actually gets off the ground, first. And if it actually gets genuine recognition, then things might progress quite nicely, won't you agree?"

"Patience is a virtue." Meng Tao said professionally.

The siamese cat under the hood smirked as her eyes flashed with bright blue energy. "When you live as long as I have... _you tend to learn a thing or two about patience~_ "

 **(Gongmen City-One Week Ago)**

"Panda. I need you to come with me for a moment. I have something to show you." Shen came to Po, while he was still packing. The panda turned around with a confused expression, which looked a bit silly. The Peacock rolled his eyes at this and cleared his throat. "We have decided to delay our departure for a little while. Something a bit more important."

Po blinked, setting down his satchel. "Something...more important? Whatever could that be?"

"The matters of your right arm."

Po looked at his stump for a little bit, once again blinking in confusion. "Eh? What about my arm? It's kind of...well...not there."

"I understand that, you dimwit." Shen groaned. "You cannot be an efficient warrior without both of your arms. So I have decided to do something about it. We don't need your lack of a limb holding your friends back and putting them in danger."

"That's his way of saying that he feels bad about being responsible for your lost arms. He wishes to make it right." Taotie said as he was standing in a doorway.

"Silence, you insolent pig!" Shen shouted, though Taotie was unmoved.

"Anyway, we've both been working on something when it comes to your arm. I've come up with the design, and we've both been working on it for quite a while." Taotie saw the confusion on Po's face, and secretly grinned. This was going to be great. He was going to give him such a surprise, and Po was going to be so thrilled about it, too. "We-"

"They've been working on a prosthetic arm." Bian Zao said while sipping a cup of tea.

Taotie slumped over, arms hanging. He sighed in depression and whimpered towards his son. "Why must you always strive to bring me down when I've been trying to building myself back up. It's really mean how you insist on doing that." Taotie shook his head and sighed. "Anyway...yes, Po. We've been constructing a prosthetic for your arm. I worked on it, Shen's worked on it, and Master Yao did a bit of work on it as well. We made sure to do whatever we could to have it fit you, AND make it efficient enough for you to use."

Po tilted his head curiously. "...Um...prosthetic...? What does that mean...?"

"It means having a replacement limb for your lost one. An artificial limb that can function just like your original one. Or any part of your body, for that matter." Shen said as he held out his metal talons. "Like these."

Po looked towards Shen's talons, his eyes wide wih surprise. "Woooah...you replaced your original talons with metal ones...? That's...that's awesome!" He beamed brightly, eyes sparkling in amazement. Though he then blinked again as he wondered what could have caused him to require such an operation. Probably something incredibly serious. He then turned towards Taotie with a curious head tilt. "Wait...so...you've been working on giving me something like that? Something to replace my lost arm. Like a...replacement arm?"

"That's right, Po. You're quite lucky that you recruited my son, and I was required to join him. For as you know, I am a genius!" Taotie declared confidently. "Coming up with the design, measurements, and everything else needed to have it operate as precisely as your old arm!"

"Really? That's...That's awesome! I can kinda get an arm back!" Po declared with cheer. "I'll be able to eat with two paws again!"

Shen rolled his eyes. _Simple panda. He's going to have a second chance of having an arm, and he can only think about how much he'll be able to eat with it. I don't see what his compatriots see in him. And what makes him so worthy to be Fenghuang's precious student...? I really am curious. Even though I probably shouldn't be...and I also felt obligated to help him with this arm...hmph. If I'm going to be traveling with him, I cannot afford to have him holding me down with that handicap. That would only further my humiliation and I won't stand for it._

At least that's what Shen thinks to himself.

Taotie folded his arms. "Alright, Po. We might take a chance of safely attaching the prosthetic to you, but it might take a while to get used to. Luckily for you, I know how you tend to adapt and heal awfully quickly. Still, it'd be best not to push your luck too much, alright?" Po nodded readily, and Taotie nodded back. "Well then, let's not dawdle. The sooner we get this started, the sooner you can adapt to it. Follow me and Shen into the other room."

"Alright! Let's do this!"

 **(Present)**

Peng, Lian, and Bian Zao were sitting on top of one of the roofs, gazing out towards the afternoon sun. Bian Zao in particular was just sitting back and relaxing, while Peng and Lian were sitting next to one another while holding paws. Bian Zao sighed as he lied on his back, staring at the sky with an even more relaxed expression than either of them.

"...Ha. The sky's always so blue. Blue is a pretty chill color, if you ask me." Bian Zao said peacefully. "Clouds are always so shifty and so fluffy looking...kinda like a sheep. Sheep are pretty fluffy, aren't they?"

"You tend to talk about the sky a lot, don't you?" Lian noted.

Bian Zao shrugged. "Well, sure. The sky, when it's like this, is one of the most peaceful things I've ever seen. Clouds are cool to look at, and the ones that fly through it don't have anythin' botherin' them. They just...fly up there and chill out." He closed his eyes. "Don't laugh...but I legit wih I could fly around like that, if only to enjoy the wind passing by and the view of the clouds really interest me. It doesn't even have to be an everyday thing. Just...every once in a while."

Peng turned towards him and smiled. "Why would we laugh at you for something like that? There's nothing wrong with it."

"Always the nice one, aren't you?" Bian Zao chuckled as he reopened his eyes. "Yeah, you're Mr. Nice guy, while Lian is the cool girl. Guess it kinda makes sense that you two had to fall head over heels for each other. Peng also has his muscles, which are pretty incredible for someone his age, way to make guys jealous once in a while just like your uncle. And Lian...not only does she act tough, she has the actual toughness to back up. Guess I can see how Peng could be into someone like you."

Lian blinked a bit, then smiled kindly. "Why, thank you Bian Zao~"

The warthog yawned as he clasped his hooves behind his neck, smirking mischievously. "Though I guess the nice ass might have something to do with it-" Bian Zao suddenly found a foot crashing into his nose.

"Why does this not surprise me?" Lian said with a tick mark on her head, growling in annoyance. Peng just nervously laughs at the exchange. Lian kicked at Bian Zao again, flipping him on his face, he landed with a pained grunt. Lian folded her arms and puffed her cheeks. "Geez! You really are a handful despite how much of a Lazy Ass you are!"

 _She's one to talk about being a handful. I admit I had that one coming...doesn't make it any less of a drag...or any less true._

"Hehehe! Youth! Even the lazy ones can have a bit of mischievous fun!" The trio blinked as Master Yao suddenly popped up a few feet away, properly balanced on the edge of the roof. Though given the way he was walking along it, they might have guessed that he was trying to fall off. "Ah yes! Just becsuse I've missed my youthful days locked in a box, doesn't mean I can't watch other youths progress. And I must say...you're such an amusing bunch! Young quarrels! Represents you three as such close friends!"

"Lian sees Bian Zao as her best friend. Though she has quite a few strange ways to show it. Heh..." Peng rubbed his neck sheepishly. "They have an...interesting friendship. I think it's pretty cool, in a way."

" _Peng_..." Lian growled lowly. Peng flinched a bit and looked away sheepishly.

Bian Zao picked himself up from the ground and rubbed his mohawk. "Geez. Hey, Master Yao. What are you even doing here anyway? Didja need something from us?"

"Hm? Did I need something from you? No, not me. But are you needed? Yes." Master Yao said as he raised an arm. "I've been sensing a great change in the wind today. And I'd like to believe that it represents something _significant._ " The trio was briefly confused by Master Yao's words. He chuckled as he raised his other arm. "Ah yes. A change of the wind. I believe there's a familiar phrase surrounding those words being put together...meh. I don't think I remember. Oh well!"

 _Like hell he doesn't. The old man may be crazy, but he's also much smarter than he makes himself look...and I guess he figured out that the latter is something we have in common._ Bian Zao mentally sighed. "So what's going on, Master Yao?"

"Hmmm...I think you should regroup with your other friends, youngin's. You might discover something important~" Master Yao teased slightly. He then stepped off the roof and fell backwards. Peng gasped and was about to go after him, but wws swiftly stopped by Bian Zao.

"Give it a moment."

"...Ooh wow! These are some fresh smelling apples, madam! I'll help myself to a few!"

"Told ya. The guy is definitely not lame...but he can be such a drag..."

After the rather unexpected display from Master Yao, the young trio made their way to the others, wondering what exactly he was implying.

Surprisingly, Po and Taotie were not currently present. But everyone else was present, and they were all surrounding Shifu. He looked extremely troubled, and so did Fenghuang. Mei Ling the Rogue were also staring at the letter, her paws covering her muzzle. Masters Rhino, Ox, and Croc had solemn expressions as well, while the younger ones were slightly confused.

Bian Zao blinked. "Woah...why does everyone look so freaked out...?" The warthog walked up and and began examining the scroll for himself.

 _This is a request from his Imperial Majesty:_

 _If you are not aware of this, you will know it now. Our Emperor is expecting his grandson to exceed him soon, but he is currently lacking the potential. And in order for him to reach that potential, he'll need some help. But who is possibly worthy of tutoring the grandson of our Imperial Majesty? That is something that should be decided quickly, since his date of birth is vast approaching. We will not sugarcoat it, he is desparate. Which is why he took a certain suggestion, and it is a very risky decision he made. He's cautious about this decision, but he's made it regardless._

 _We're calling out to all Kung Fu Masters, and/or simply those with the experience to mentor him about China and it's inhabitants. It doesn't matter what morality you follow, or anything of the sort. You could be an honorable warrior, a criminal, you could even be...a rogue. Any of you will do, so long as you're willing to mentor Lu Kang. As long as you don't turn against the Royal Family, we will turn our heads and excuse the victor's crimes, should they be a criminal. Any victorious Kung Fu Master will succeed the highest honor, and will have their names etched in history as the ones who assisted the Royal Family in it's progression._

 _Of course, for those who aren't easily moved by simple titles, we have a second prize. That prize includes the legendary treasures that belonged to the once great Jade Palace and Grand Master Oogway. Both have perished, but we've recovered those treasures. The victor who wants them...they can have them all, and do whatever they'd like with them. Use them, sell them, destory them, it matters not. We're more than prepared to deal with any potential consequences to this gamble, for as long as the Royal Family succeeds in progressing._

 _As this scroll states, anyone is allowed to join, background does not matter, pasts do not matter. Earn your honor, earn your prizes, and/or earn their freedom from authorities glare. Prices for these actions may be steep, but no price is too steep for the Royal Family's continued success. That includes the safety of China itself. It isn't anything that can't be fixed with time. It's a short-term price that will reward itself in the long-term. Only one is worthy, or perhaps even a select few. However it might go, however it might end...I'm sure everyone will agree that all can agree that when we reach the conclusion, China will never be the same again. The choice is yours to make. Though we do hope there are some brave enough to make the right one._

 _On his Imperial Majesty's behalf, Duke Zhihui._

"WHAT. THE. _HELL_!" Lian shouted in outrage/disbelief. "They're seriously gonna do this in order to get the Emperor's grandson a mentor worthy enough?! What is he trying to do with this kind of action?!"

"Lu Kang...the Emperor's grandson. How desparate must he be if he's willing to bring Kung Fu Masters and other martial artists to become a tutor for his grandson...and not care if they're good or bad? And also be willing to let less than pleasant martial artists or anyone of the sort scot-free from their deeds?" Peng said quietly.

"I also don't like how they're pawning off the Jade Palace's treasures..." Fenghuang narrowed her eyes. "Midget...besides tryin' to find a mentor for his grandson...I think they're tryin' to draw you out. I've been a rogue for an awfully long time. But you...you actually dropping your official title for the public to know about it...I'm guessin' he doesn't like that very much. And I'm also guessing that the treasures that survived the Jade Palace's destruction...I dunno how they ended up in the Emperor's possession, but I'm certain you're gonna make an attempt at taking them back, right? You don't want Oogway's remaining stuff to end up in the wrong hands."

"..."

"...You're gonna go to the Imperial City, aren't you?"

"..."

"...Fufie?" Mei Ling said nervously.

"..."

Tigress watched Shifu continue to hold the scroll in his arms, sensing that he was pondering what to do next. Crane, Mei Ling, Mantis, Viper, and Monkey were thinking the same thing, wondering what Shifu might decide. Fenghuang examined her friend closely, her eyes narrowed to a critical degree. She already knew what he was going to decide, though they both knew she wanted to hear him say it aloud, so they could hear it. After a couple minutes of silence, Shifu slowly closed his eyes and also closed up the scroll.

"...Hm. Fenghuang knows me well, despite how much we bicker."

"Hmph~"

Shifu placed his arms behind his back and turned towards everyone present. "...I will not lie to you all. This is tempting. I wish to reclaim the lost treasures that survived the Valley of Peace's destruction. If some of those artifacts survived the destruction...I must retreive them at all costs. Some of Oogway's legacies, and the artifacts that have been left behind in the Jade Palace that still survived...I must make sure that none of them end up in the wrong that's not the only reason why I'm doing this." Shifu narrowed his eyes. "The Emperor is desparate in having Lu Kang become his successor, if this is his way of choosing someone worthy enough to tutor him, regardless of their moral scale. If they teach Kung Fu, it does not matter...which is why we must make sure that Lu Kang does not become corrupted by any negative influences. It also helps to make sure that the Imperial City does not become overrun by by those negative influences. We must be victorious in order to reclaim those lost Artifacts, as well as keeping the Emperor's grandson away from the path of corruption."

"So to sum up, we're gonna have others getting in our way. Others trying to claim what rightfully belongs to the Jade palace, and we can't take the chance of them falling into the wrong hands _or_ the Royal Family not acting so Royal. We'll be clashing against other Kung Fu Masters...I'm in." Tai Lung grinned. "We could use a bit of a rise in difficulty in order to improve ourselves ever further. This is great chance."

"W-W-W-W-Wait a minute guys! I-I mean...going to the Imperial City? We've done some pretty bold stuff before, but this... _this_ is where I can officially say that's a crazy idea." Crane stuttered. "I mean, we're dealing with Emperor-like business here! Are we sure we gonna get involved in something like that? I mean, it's not that I don't wanna help, because I do. But...are we sure we're gonna do this?"

Mantis looked upwards. "From Gongmen City to Imperial City...man, we keep heading to big places, huh?"

"I guess that's what adventurers do." Viper smiled.

Monkey placed his paws behind his neck. "Eh. We've had a two-month vacation. It's about time we get moving again, anyway."

Song tilted her head. "Treasure...and it's my friends treasure...hmph. Now I have two reasons to go to Imperial City!" Fung and Gahri looked at one another due to her attitude, and they both sighed. Her inner thief has gotten her excited, though they doubted Tigress will allow it to completely manifest.

Tigress folded her arms. "So I guess that settles that. Our next destination is the Imperial City, the home of the Emperor and the Royal Family."

Crane sighed, laughing uneasily. "I dunno why I even asked...of course's she's gonna say yes. Which means Po is going to..."

"I heard!" They could hear his voice approaching quickly. "Bottom line is that we have some treasures to reclaim so they don't end up in the wrong hands, and we have an Emperor's grandson to keep on the right path. And if other masters, friendly or non-friendly, are gonna be there...that means in order to earn any of those things, we gotta beat the others first. Which means we've got ourselves a Kung-Fu competition in order to make both of those things happen. A tournament of sorts that kinda decides that grandson's future...?

Po came through the door, Taotie and Shen walking alongside him on both sides, with Mr. Ping entering first. Tigress immediately noticed his slight change in wardrobe. He still had his patched burlap pants, though now he wore a short-sleeved green robe with black trimmings. His precious red scarf still hung around his neck, and he carried his hat in his left paw. His right arm was completely covered in bandages, which signified that they attached a prosthetic to him. judging by how he moved it, he wasn't entirely used to what was underneath said bandages. They were counting on his quick adaptability to take care of that specific problem in time. He slowly placed his hat on his head, and sported a cheeky grin.

"Welp. Guess we're just gonna have to win, right?~"

* * *

 **Shifu Arc...or Emperor Arc...I dunno. Both are gonna have a lot of focus, while everyone deals with what the two of them are experiencing. This is very important to Shifu, as this is his opportunity to save at least a few objects that survived the Jade Palace's destruction. He's doing it for Oogway...or is he?**

 **While Po seemed intent on meeting the Emperor's grandson and becoming his friend in order to help keep him off ta dark path, which he realizes he'll be tempted to take just to make his grandpa happy. Though what actions will he take in order to make sure he stays off that dark path? Certainly not something that will be good for Crane's heart.**

 **Until next time!**

* * *

Oogway opened his eyes as he gazed upon the glowing pool. Soothsayer was right by his side, also gazing into the pool, her wound completely gone, and her expression much calmer. Though she was still very much concerned about what was to come, and so was he. She turned towards Oogway with a tired sigh.

"This is very troublesome...they're still recovering from one war...adnd now they're about to head right into another one. They just don't know it yet...and this worries me as greatly as it worries you. Especially when the Emperor is this desparate for something. And we both know what this something is. The treasures are one thing, and he really does want to help his granedson. But there's a third purpose, one that rivals them both in importance.

Oogway continued to gaze into the pool, watching the reflection of Po's adventurous smile. His thoughts go back to the Emperor, and what he might be planning...or what his servants might be planning. Either way, something huge was coming, and they weren't fully prepared for it because they don't know the danger that was hiding underneath the gathering of Kung Fu Masters and other fighters. He closed his eyes and sighed sadly.

"It approaches...the War of the Masters..." Oogway said quietly. "It saddens me how much they must endure for the sake of others...the world has gotten darker without me...the Emperor doesn't like this. He's completely tired of waiting, so he's willing to risk it all. Will the short-term decisions be worth the possible long-term consequences? Only time will tell." When Soothsayer looked at him in question, even though she knew exactly what he meant, he smiled sadly.

 _So...the time has finally come. When this newest venture is over and done...China will know the true identity of the Dragon Warrior...and everthing will be forever changed._


	63. Destination: Imperial City

**Hiya guys! Another chapter is here!**

 **...Eh. Things change a little bit in the beginning. Not too much, but enough for it to be noticeable. You might see what I mean later on. Or right here and now...something like that. Who knows what it could lead to or something like that. Maybe.**

 **...Rambling. I'm rambling.**

 **Po: *Munch* Munch* Rambling, eh? *Munch***

 **...Please ignore him. He's eating.**

 **Anyway, let's begin this Shifu/Emperor arc! It's a big one. This new part of the story will be the start of it getting much darker. From Chapter 60m onwards, things will be much darker than usual. The reasons why will be made clear in time.**

 **...Oh yeah. Anime-like intro. I still do those. Might as well keep the trend going. Well-received or not, I'm gonna keep doing it, because it's my thing~**

 **Let's start.**

* * *

 _ **[No Pain, No Game: Btoom! Opening 1]**_

 _Shifu's eyes remained closed and his cloak flows with the wind. He stands atop a cliff that oversees the Imperial City below. Fenghuang stands right next to him with her eyes fully closed as well, cloak dancing with the wind. As they stand side-by-side, Oogway's spirit stands behind them and gently placed one paw on Shifu's head and Fenghuang's shoulder. For some reason, this unknown contact was filling them with newfound confidence. Enough for Fenghuang to flap her wings proudly and for Shifu to open his eyes. They both turn to see all of the young ones they've brought with them throughout this journey._

 _The one in front was Po, who eagerly pounds his fist into his paw with a wide smile._

 _'Tales of China' appears in golden font, flashing off the beaming sunlight, only to begin disappearing due to the moon slowly moving in front of it..._

 _Shifu and Fenghuang nonchalantly walking through the streets of the Imperial City, not caring if the other judgemental Kung Fu Masters were looking down upon them. This surprisingly includes the Emperor, who was watching them all with a critical eye. Then goes the Furious Five, both old and new, who were carefully analyzing the suspicious intentions of some of the less trustworthy Masters. Such as the shadows of a siamese cat, a fox, and an emperor tamarin..._

 _Po briefly opens his eyes again, his paws being put together with the Mongolian Fireball being gathered and enlarging, before launching it out towards the darkness..._

 _Multiple shadows, most likely masters with malevolent intentions, the Imperial City seemingly in flames. Tai Lung was surrounded in a malevolent aura of his own, roaring against the heavens. Tigress was the one to stand against him, as her own chi aura slowly shifts to a shining white. Shifu is once again seen with his cloak surrounding him, except his own chi was flaring as he senses the malevolence around him, the malevolence intiated by grudges against himself and Fenghuang. He could no longer run from it...it was time to face them head-on..._

 _The siamese cat cackles as the shadow of the eclispe lingers behind her. Po covered in multiple bruises, grits his teeth and refuses to surrender, standing up as a golden glow emitts from his body, before the glow begins to shine across the entire city..._

 _Last scene, Po, Tigress, Shifu and Fenghuang stand before the Emperor and the Royal Family. The Emperor curiously narrows his eyes towards Po, mentally swearing that he could see an image of Oogway standing in his place..._

* * *

"I still cannot believe you're all heading to the Imperial City, and for something like this." Mrs. Yoon asked as she watched Po and Mr. Ping pack their things in an orderly fashion. "I don't understand why they're willing to gain from this, aside from the ascension of the Emperor's grandson. I think this is a rather abrupt and dramatic way for them to decide who gets to mentor him in the ways of Kung Fu. It's strange...but I suppose there isn't much you can do about it except go and participate. I'm betting you're pretty curious about what you'll discover in the Imperial City, Po?"

""Absolutely!" Po grinned as he heaved his bag over his shoulder, smiling excitedly. "Of course it's gonna be pretty sweet to see the Emperor and all, as well as his super awesome city and his son...but what I'm REALLY excited about...is the _food_." He grinned with glee as he closed his fists and held them up to his face. "As a chef, I must explore all of the foods that I come across, that China has to offer. Some may be good, a LOT may be REALLY good! Others...might be terrible..but that's okay! Because that's a part of the Chef experience! The positive experiences help build my confidence, while the negative experiences help me grow and...uh...gain experience!"

"Wise words from my dear son Po!" Mr. Ping clapped excitedly, lightly swinging side to side. "There's always room for a chef to imrpove! And one way to do this is to travel to new places and see what they have to offer! Our own horizons are broadened, and our own skills are heightened to tremendous heights! Oooh! I wonder if I'll be able to cooperate with many other chefs in the Imperial City?! Maybe we can come up with something totally knew if we put our kitchen skills together! Or maybe we can further improve a previous food? The possibilities might as well be endless!"

Po grinned dreamily as both he and his father began looking upwards, to the small building they were currently occupying. "Kung Fu and Food...it's a totally awesome combination...not many can surpass such a thing..." He blinked slightly, shaking himself from his thoughts for the moment as he recalled the other details of this newest journey gazing towards his bandaged arm. "Huh...wonder what they're going to think of my prosthetic arm thing? Will they be a bit freaked out by the thing? Or...nah! I'm not gonna think too much about that! Taotie worked really hard to put this prosthetic together just for me. so I'm gonna appreciate it! Besides, it's certainly working well for me so far.. And he might yell at me for complaining about it, so I'm not gonna do that either." Po folded his arms and grinned. "Long as I can still eat and still Kung Fu, not to mention give out and receive some hugs, then everything's all good!"

"Indeed! Strive to look for the positives!" Mr. Ping beamed, clapping even more. He then turned towards Mrs. Yoon, and his expression turned slightly somber. "The only thing that can make this trip sound slightly less fulfilling...is that you, Zeng, Anying, and Xue shall not be joining us any longer. We must go our separate ways here, unfortunately..." Mr. Ping gently reached out with his wings and held her hooves within them. "I truly am sorry it has come to something like this, Mrs. Yoon. It's been quite a pleasure traveling with you, despite all of the numerous and troubling obstacles along the way."

The kind goat slowly shakes her head. "No, it's no trouble at all. Even though I've had my share of heart-pounding moments that I would have been fine not experiencing, it's just great to know that I've had quite a bit of fun. I'm perfectly fine with stopping here. Gongmen is a place of terrible memories, but that doesn't make it a terrible place. There's always a chance that the city cannot it's dark past behind and continue to thrive onwards. Just like dear Po."

"Hehe~"

"It also warms my heart that you boys, as well as Tigress, are in good hands. Not even taking into account how strong you really are, it's pleasant to know that I won't have to worry about any of you. I know you'll be fine. This is just another challenge that you're bound to surpass, no doubt about it."

"Yeah. A new adventure is starting up, and I'm itching to take it head-on. And we have everyone backing each other up and having each others backs. Though the unexpected can still creep up on us without warning." Po folded his arms. "But that's alright with me. If every single venture we went on were too easy...well...not really much fun in that for everyone else, is it?" He looked up again, his head tilted. "So far, we've been doing pretty well...though I'm pretty excited to see how our own mettle can stand up to other Kung Fu Masters...even though we're not official Masters ourselves."

"They're looking for anyone and everyone with impressive fighting skills, Po. Trust me, a majority of us will definitely qualify." Fenghuang huffed while passing by. "Hurry up already! We've got an Imperial City to go to, and some asses to kick!" The only one who was more excited about this tournament than Po, despite being more subdued and casual about it than he was, was Fenghuang. She also wanted to keep China from going into disarray because someone chose to mess with the Emperor's grandson's head. And yet another reason was because she wanted to polish her skills as a Kung Fu Master...as well as rub a lot of things in the other Masters smug faces. She raised her wing and clenched it tightly. She'd show them, she show them all. And she'll also have a great chance to show Po off as well, proving that she CAN be a goo dteacher when she sets her mind to it. And set her mind to it she has. "They're gonna be in for a surprise once they see me! During my days as a Master, I've taken a LOT of bullshit from most of them because they approved my skills but not my attitude, but I couldn't do too much in retaliation. Now that I'm a free wanderer, I'm gonna say whatever the hell I want to and not give a damn what they think of it! I'll put those fools in their place!" The fire in her eyes was intense as she said this.

Mrs. Yoon giggled and shook her head playfully. "Such crass. In a strange way, I'm going to miss that. That gave Po a similar mindset to your own."

"Saying whatever he feels like saying and not care who hears it and what they think?" Mr. Ping asked.

"Precisely."

"Hmph. Your praise means quite a lot to me, Mrs. Yoon. Seeing how you took a majority of the crap we went through as best as you possibly could, and I respect that about you." Fenghuang bowed slightly towards you. "Po and Tigress are going to miss you, and so will I. As well as pretty mucvh everyone else in our little group of ours. Though you can certainly remain an honorary member. Zeng shall be as well. He's been quite a messenger goose. Pretty effective one, yeah."

Mrs. Yoon smiled and gently patted Fenghuangs leg. "I know these two boys can be quite the handful. But I must say this regardless. Please continue to take very good care of them for me. I would greatly appreciate it if you do."

The owl huffed a little bit, but it was lighthearted and soft. "You've got it, girl. I'll continue to whip these two into shape if I catch them slacking more than allowed."

"Hey! I don't slack off...much!" Po feebly tried to defend himself. Though one slightly hesitant look from Mr. Ping left him a bit confused, and it made him scratch his head in thought. "At least...I don't think i do..."

"Good grief, panda..."

Mrs. Yoon simply watched on in amusement, enjoying the slight banter between the three. Indeed, she was going to miss every single one of them, there was no doubt in her mind about that. It's been fun, it truly has. But alas, she has made her choice, and she plans to stick to it. From now own, Gongmen City will be her new home. As for Po and the others...they will have to continue their journey without her. Besides...someone has to keep an eye on that wolf and goat duo, they look like they'll need an extra hoof.

Po grinned as he tightened his grip on his sathel again. "Welp. We'll have to go soon. We oughta go check on the others, right Dad?"

"Indeed!"

In another part of the city, the Kung Fu Council was speaking with Shifu and the other elder members of the rogue group, as well as their main concerns. And a majority of those concerns involved the prospect of Shifu and Fenghuang attending what the Emperor was requesting of them. The one mainly concerned about their well-being was Mei Ling and Taotie, obviously for Shifu's sake. And he continues to give the same response to their concern.

"It's fine. We'll be more than capable of handling ourselves in this newest development. It's rather unfortunate, I'll admit that. But it certainly isn't nothing we cannot handle." Shifu said while adjusting his cloak and making sure it fits properly. "Am I concerned still? Of course I am. But as Po has been unknowingly teaching me that keeping a cool head in these types of situationa ia the best course of action. It helps to stay focused on the task at hand."

"But Fufie..who knows who's going to be there? And based on your decision to stop being an official titled Kung Fu Master, they might have a few choice words for you in that aspect, and I'm a bit afraid to discover what they might be." Mei Ling the Fox stated nervously, still obviously very concerned for Shifu's well-being. There's no telling what might happen in the Imperial City, especially since it's been named the gathring place of as many martial artists that aren't afraid to get involved with the Emperor's family. The future of China's stability is in the balance, since the Emperor haas made it quite clear that morality will not be a concern for him during this event, and that he'd worry about the consequences later. His desparation has been made apparent when he cares not for the backgrounds of who comes to the Imperial City." He closed his eyes. "Another role we're going to have to accept is that we'll have to keep them from acting out and causing trouble."

"Hm. You sure you'll be able to do so on your own?" Master Ox said with folded arms. "We'd join you all...but we'd be leaving Gongmen City defenseless. Especially after such a harsh attack two months ago..."

"I say we go!" Master Yao yipped with glee...as he was zooming around the room via **Wings of Light**. "A majority of Marial Artists gathering at China's Imperial City! WHat can be more exciting than that?! Hm...I wonder, do I wonder~"

"B-But Master Yao..." Shifu tried to reason, only for the eccentric Yak to fly up to him and gently hush him in an incredibly gentle manner.

"Shhh~"

"What...?"

"Now I know I said I had thoughts on staying behind...but I took the time to think it over in a different direction~" Master Yao said while stroking his beard. Seeing all these younglings get excited about this little Imperial City tournament and how they get to test themselves against the pros...something about it gets my heart and soul racing with excitement as well! This is something I would NEVER be able to witness when I was stuck inside my box! There's no way I'm going to miss this! I simply _cannot_!" Master Ox was about to retort, though Yao quickly shushed him again. "And before you go on about leaving Gongmen City defenseless again...the army here isn't exactly helpless, ya know! Have a little faith!~"

Ox still seemed hesitant, as well as Croc. Rhino, whom they expected to be the most cautious about this...actually seems pretty relaxed about the ordeal. Though he wanted a certain someone's input. Specifically, Tigress's input. "Tigress. What do you think? Should we all go?"

Tigress folded her arms and cupped her chin in deep thought, closing her eyes. Shifu and Ox looked towards her, anxiously anticipating what she might have to say. Master Yao seemed the most interested, dissipating his **Wings of Light** and landed on a box as lightly as a feather while grinning brightly, kicking his feet back and forth. She soon opens her eyes, which shined brightly and was the first to symbolize her strength on following through with her decision, as well as being mentally ready to accept possible consequences. "While I do agree that leaving Gongmen City as it is, even with two months of recovery, can be a bit risky. Though...since all of China will be affectedby this major event, it might be better to take this chance, and deal with the small-scale consequences later than wait around for the long-term consequences. The more of us coming on this journey, the greater our chances of the Emperor's grandson receiving a trustworthy role model. Someone who has a good moral compass, and can provide him with one as well, alongside teaching him martial arts."

Rhino rubbed his own chin while thinking it over. "The greater our numbers, the greater our chances. I understand. Maybe it isn't the _best_ course of action...but we should take the entirety of China into consideraton before worrying about one single city. Are you sure, Tigress?"

"I am. The biggest risk we can possibly take is not taking one at all. Po's daring nature seems to have rubbed off on me." Tigress admitted while scratching her cheek. "We rarely have a clear idea of what we're about to do next, yet it manages to wotk out anyway. So while I do agree that extra caution is necessary, we'll be going into this with no idea how it will end. But that's fine. We'll see what happens and whether or not it's what's best for our advancement."

Croc groaned a little, lightly rubbing his snout. "Well...it looks like we ARE going after all. But if we're really going to do this, we'll have to make sure the City is locked down tight and under reliable security before we leave. We'll have to follow the young ones example this time, and see if the payoff for the risk will be worth it."

Tigress nodded, pounding her fist in her palm. "Indeed. And if the city happens to be in trouble while we're away...we can simply fight to retake it again."

 _She makes that sound easy!_ The Kung Fu Council collectively sweatdropped.

Taotie sighed a little as he looked towards Shen, who huffed quickly and turned away drom him. Mei Ling The Fox soon shook her head. "This is utterly ridiculous...but I suppose it can't be helped. Fufie is heading towards the Imperial City. And wherever he goes...I suppose I have no choice but to follow." She smile sneakily as she brought her paw upon his tail, lightly petting it. He shivered immensely from the contact as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "And I'll be sure to follow _this_ tail anywhere~"

"...We should keep a cool posture once we get to the Imperial City...this kind of behavior...won't be well-received in front of the Emperor..." Shifu muttered, trying to hide his blush, looking away from her as best as he could.

"Aww...don't be like that. I'm sure he won't mind that we're old 'friends' simply getting to know each other again..." She cooed as she continued petting his fluffy tail. He clenched his fists and tried to keep a cool head even as his blush continues to darken.

"...Are you sure she's not in heat?" Taotie deadpanned as he watched the scene between the elder Masters.

"DON'T ASK SUCH RIDICULOUS QUESTIONS!" Shifu shouted, his blush no longer possible to hide.

"Trust me. If she was in heat, we would all know." Shen muttered under his breath.

"Eeehehehehe! There's no way I'm staying behind! I'll miss the amazing devlopment between my fellow friends!" Master Yao beamed while waddling a bit, regaining his balance. "Many discoveries will be made on this amazing new journey of ours! Discoveries about the Imperial City, it's people, their food and arts, perhaps!" He then brought his hooves together. "We might even be able to make some discoveries about ourselves. You'd be surprised just how much of a mystery you can make out of yourself, which makes it interesting for you to solve." Master Yao smiled. "Self-Discovery tends to be quite special. I believe many of us will discover something new about ourselves by the time this event ends. But for the time being...let's have fun with it!~"

Tigress nodded. "If you say so, Maser Yao. We'll be marching onward, unflicnhing. And maybe...we'll discover something new about ourselves."

Bian Zao yawned as he placed his arms behind his neck, accompanied by Peng and Lian. "Yeah, that'll be nice and all...I wonder if they'll have some good tea there...I could go for some tea..."

"You seem to be taking an appreciation for tea, son. Wonder what brought this on?" Taotie wondered.

"Having tea with Master Yao during our training sessions tends to be rather relaxing. We both really like to chill out by having some tea." Bian Zao yawned again. "Hopefully they have some good ones in that Imperial City place. Maybe I'll take a bit after Po and find some good grub to eat."

"While I have nothing against getting my paws on some new foods, I'm also super psyched for those fights!" Lian beamed while cracking her knuckles. "I eget to shoow my mettle to the official Masters, and to show them that we don't need their approval in order to be awesome!"

Peng laughed uneasily. "I know you want to prove yourself, Lian...but let's try not to push that desire to the point of outright antagonizing them."

"Hey, if there are more Masters similar to that stuck-up fish Mugan, then they'll know EXACTLY how I feel about them."

Tai Lung huffed, placing a paw on Peng's head. "I'll say this as many times as I want, my dear nephew. You've got yourself quite a catch with this little lady here!"

"Eh...ehehehe..."

"It'll be quite interesting to see how everyone reacts to seeing the Emperor and his famiy...I'm sure we can put up quite a change of pace."

"I really wish we wouldn't speak so casually about matters such as the Emperor's family and the Imperial City..." Crane sighed, with Mantis standing on top of his hat. "But...I suppose there isn't much we can do about this, is there? Po and Tigress have already made their decision. Oh well. At least it'll be a good chance for me to further practice my flying skills. I hear the skys can be quite clear and nice for flying sessions in the Imperial City...so long as they don't think too negatively about it...nah, I'm sure we'll be fine this time."

"That's the spirit, Crane!" Mei Ling the Golden Cat wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a hug. "WHo would think that a couple students like us would be able to venture into the Imperial City and see the Royal Family. That's gonna be a cool experience!" She says while looking upwards. "Wonder who else we're gonna meet there, hmm...curious..."

Fung came through the door waving to everyone, while Gahri followed behind, carrying most of his things. "To be honest, I'm kinda curious myself. About the other Masters...and of course the food they might have in store."

"You all must REALLY be interested in what the food will be like. You're talking about that more than you're talking about meeting the Emperor and his family." Song said, flaring her parasol and tilting her head. "Usually what most people are concerned about is the other way around. Worrying about the Emperor instead of the food that might be there in the city. Isn't that a bit of a skew of priorities?"

 _*Growl*_

A soft rumble escaped Tigress's belly. She blushed slightly and looked down at the ground, her tail swishing quietly.

"YOU TOO, TIGRESS?!" Song shouted in disbelief.

Tai Lung guffawed at the reaction. "HA! My sister knows how to operate her priorities!"

"Shut up, brother..."

Monkey carefully balances on his tail and cupped his own chin. "Alright...so we obviously don't have a plan for when we actually get to the Imperial City, do we? Not that I'm totally against that. Just wanna confirm that for sure." Tigress turned towards him and nodded. "Good. That's understandable. We don't really know how to plan a meeting with Emperor...so we should probably make plans on what food we intend to eat."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Song shouted once again. "You're seriously messing with what we should be most worried about!" She blinked as she pawed her cheek and tilted her head. "Then again, it's a place filled with many treasures...and a lot of them tend to be pretty valuable when I properly think about ...I guess I'm not one to talk about proper priorities, am I?~"

"Speaking like a theif. I knew I'd like you better once I got to know you." Mei Ling the Fox beamed slightly. "Treasures foor the taking, that's going to be quite fun~"

"Pllease do not do anything of the sort. I really don't want to have to get in trouble for rescuing you." Shifu deadpanned.

"...So are you saying that you'll come to my rescue no matter what?~"

"Knock it off."

Po yawned as he approached the group, rubbing his neck casually with one paw and patting his belly with his bandaged prosthetic one. "Alrighty then, guys! I've had my share of breakfast, lunch, and dinner!"

 _All at once?!_ The Kung Fu Council once again sweatdropped.

"I do believe it's time we start moving, for real this time. Think we've overdone it on the preparation time since we've been held back one more day. The Emperor isn't gonna greet himself, ya know!~" Po beamed, tightening his scarf around his neck while Mr. Ping held a bag behind his back. This didn't go unnoticed by Monkey and Mantis.

"Hey, Mr. Ping. What happened to your noodle cart?"

"...It was slowing us down far too much...so I had to discard it with a heavy and regretful heart..." Mr. Ping whimpered as he wiped fake tears from his eyes. "It was on it's last legs. There was simply no carrying it further! It's such a darn shame! A shame, I say!"

"Our fellow cart shall be missed in it's entirety...I mean, we still have the rest of our precious treasures...but our cart will be remembered as the trooper it was..." Po beamed as a river of tears escaped both his eyes, as he and his father began crying. Everyone watched the scene, and everyone began sweatdropping as a result of it. They thought about their future trip to the Imperial City, how they would be appearing before the Emperor and his family. As well as many other Kung Fu Masters. They might ostracize Shifu and fenghuang for abandoning their titles and living as wanderers. What would they think of Po and the others? WIll they look down on them? Maybe even criticize them as well?

Master Yao smiled calmly. A lot was going to happen. Not all of them were going to be good experiences. However, that meant some expotential growth for when these times end. This was becoming one of the most exciting times of his life. Much more than anything can he can ever experience inside of that cramped box of his. After all, it's been a long time since he's visited the Imperial City. Especially since he's never seen it outside of his box. And he'll also be watching to see how well the youngsters fare in this latest challenge.

 _I do wonder. How will Po react to seeing the Royal Family, and vice versa? Everyone will be in for a big surprise. A surprise I'll be sure to see for myself. This more exciting than ANYTHING that I could witness within my box!~_

And now the thoughts of Master Ox at the prospect of _Po_ meeting the Emperor face to face, now that he's gotten a proper read on the panda's mannerisms and overall attitude, aside from his obviously kind heart. These things, and that he convinced everyone to allow Lord Shen to live. Not to mention that Tai Lung and Mei Ling the Fox were still technically wanted fugitives, Shifu and Fenghuang have discarded their titles, and the group as a whole were ridiculously unpredictable.

 _...We're doomed._

* * *

 **Master Yao changes his mind about staying behinhd...there's no way in heck that he's willing to miss something of this magnitude. Po certainly seems excited about the event, and hopefully the others don't feel so overwhelmed...maybe it's just Crane. He's ready. Reluctant, but ready. Mei Ling the Golden Cat is there to help him through this!**

 **...Let's all worry about Crane. He's a bit shy...**

 **See ya later!~**


	64. Lu Kang

**Warning. Pretty much the shortest chapter in this story so far. But that is my intention, because the next chapter is one of great mischief and somewhat amusing situations. It's bound to be much longer, I assure you. But for now, I hope the shortest chapter of this story doesn't do very terribly.**

 **Don't hate me too much for me, alright?**

* * *

Lu Kang was slowly walking along a path, with Zan sitting atop his head and holding onto his horns. They weren't completely aware of what was going on and what was meant to transpire in the future, which was quickly approaching. Lu Kang was wondering what his dear grandfather was up to. For the past few months, he's been acting strangely. His aunt wasn't saying anything either, and he knew that she too, knew something he might want to know. He wasn't exactly sure what was it that he might need to know, but he was sure that something was going to happen, and he didn't know what or why. He gets those kinds of feelings, sometimes for no reason.

Thoug he wouldn't show his ever-growing worry to his dear cousin Zan. Zan was very young, and very happy. As well as highly optimistic for someone his age. He was a very friendly child, and there was no reason for him to be sad because of his cousin's small worries that might not even be real. Lu Kang has assured himself that if there was anything he was good at aside from reaching pickles, it was protecting his cousin's smile from anything and everything...even if he was not strong enough to back up his determination. And this was something that his grandfather has been trying to teach him as desparately as he possibly could. What good is determination if you didn't have the power and strength to enforce it? Lu Kang never allowed himself to answer. His grandfather would then sigh, and leave the conversation alone for another day.

They have been continuing this cycle ever since he turned eighteen. He was now twenty-two, and he still has not provided an answer for his grandfather. At the very least, not a straight one. This immense hesitance and his grandfather's constant pressuring has caused them to distance themselves from each other. Fortunately it's not enough for them to start hating one another, but it still leaves things very tense between them.

Lu Kang has been having a difficult time relaxing due to this very subject always interrupting his focus. He was really glad that he had his aunt and cousin to help him through periods of time like those. He was really unsure if he would be able to endure this as strongly as he was able to if he didn't have those two by his side. He really didn't have the spirit to become Emperor. Maybe he did have it, and he just didn't know how to make it emerge. Nor did he know how long it would take.

Zan cheerfully bounced upon his head, bringing those negative thoughts out of foucs for the time being. Right. He couldn't be sad with Zan in his presence, he'll be able to sense it the moment it appears. So he had to keep himself in a good mood so that he wouldn't worry the young goose so much.

 _I really don't want to worry him so much. He's the last person I want to worry._

Lu Kang was going down the path so that he could get some flour for the Royal Cook to use to cook later. And he wasn't going to use his status as Emperor's grandson just to get them for free. They tended to do this out of the kindness of their hearts, but his kindness far surpasses theirs. Never has he taken his family status for granted, nor has he ever taken advaantage of it. He's paid for whatever he had to go out and buy, just like everyone else tended to do. Though he would sometime's allow his clumsiness to really screw things up, and a few shops would end p with large messes due to the aftermath. No one has ever held it against him, he's been a very clumsy guy for the longest of times, even when he was a child. The people love him regardless of this flaw.

That's what has him the most likely candidate for the position of Emperor. after many years of having strict rulers, it would be a nice thought to have someone who's at least slightly more lenient. But they know that isn't likely to happen, not with the way China was now. It was just a nice thought to have a nicer Emperor, more willing to give second chances to the ones who most likely deserves it. Which is why they would like to have Lu Kang grow stronger. A strong and kind leader is what China deserves, and the current Emperor feels like he can no longer effectively fulfull that role.

The pressure was too much for him to bear, sometimes.

"Lu Kang...are you sad...?" Zan asked suddenlt, looking into his eyes as he lowered himself to face level. Lu Kang gasped slightly out of suprise, and he nearly dropped the flour he was supposed to be getting back home.

"No, Zan. I'm fine. There's nothing for you to worry about." Lu Kang gently shook his head as he kept the goose balanced on his head. "I was lucky you managed to snap me out of it when you did, I nearly dropped the flour on the ground, and we know how much that would have been terrible for me. Heheh~" He chuckled lightly as he rubbed his neck with his free hand. Zang scanned him in a manner that didn't seem to match the face of an innocent child. His curiosity and concern was very immense, and not always easy to calm. Though once he was sure that Lu Kang was being perfectly honest, his worries lessened and he was able to smile a bit more calmly. "Yeah...I'm fine. There's no need for you to worry about me too. I have enough of that in the palace."

"I'm sowwy..."

"No, don't be sorry! That was my own bad." He lifted his hand again and lightly patted Zan on the head. He couldn't expect Zan to fully understand the implications of what's going on, but he seems to have some sort of inherent sense of when something was bothering any of his loved ones. He would then try his very best to make it better, even though he wouldn't have any idea of how to fix certain problems. Everyone would be moved by his efforts to try and keep everyone happy, and won't tolerate anyone causing pain to anyone either. He would have been a pretty amazing Emperor if he were at the appropriate age. However, Lu Kang wouldn't want him to accept that kind of burden, even if it would make his own life easier. It was getting more and more complex the deeper he thought about it. He didn't want to accept the burden so readily, but he also didn't want to deny the position and risk letting everyone down.

His mind has been in a very difficult place ever since the subject has persistently revived itself. Especially with the most recent development surrounding the subject...

 _"Grandfather...you're going to what...?!" Lu Kang asked, his face somewhat twisted into shock as his grandfather relayed what the future eventws would be. After hearing it up to three times for precise and effective understanding, it was incredibly clear tht he had extraordinarily high confusions about the matter, and the extremes that his grandfather was willing to go to in order to have his way. "Grandfather...is this what you're seriously trying to do in order to get me to become Emperor...?"_

 _"It has become painfully clear, Lu Kang. No matter what we've tried and no matter how hard, we just cannot get you to take the mantle seriously. We can also tell that you're genuinely trying to your best to make the effort. But there's nothing we can say or do to pursue this with all of your heart and soul. No one else can become my successor, but every time we've tried to motivate you, we've been met with failure. So I've made some considerations, and we've decided that this was the best course of action."_

 _"Is...is it really...?"_

 _"...it isn't that I don't acknowledge your effort to understand, Lu Kang. That's more than enough for me to be proud of you. But I can tell than nothing we've done has been reaching you. So we're having this tournament for that one reason. To find the one person who CAN reach out to you and help you reach the inner strength required to become Emperor. Your heart is kind, and I will not consider that a weakness by any means. However...should anything happen and you cannot protect yourself or protect our people...do you see where I'm going with this, Lu Kang...?"_

 _Lu Kang sighed as he lowered his head before his grandfather. "Well...if that is what you truly think is best for me...then I'll have to accept it as it is. I don't have a choice..."_

 _The Emperor sighed as he walked up to Lu Kang and placed his hand upon his head. "I really wish it didn't have to come to this, Lu Kang. But the time we have is very low, as well as options that will benefit us in a meaningful way. But since I know that you're truly trying, I cannot fault you."_

 _"...I'm sorry that I let you down, grandfather. You shouldn't have to resort to something like this just to shape me up as your successor."_

 _The Emperor immediately pulled the younger water buffalo into a hug, closing his eyes. "Lu Kang...I cannot stress this enough. You are many special things. Not all of them are good things. But I absolutely cannot abide to you calling yourself a failure. You are far from that, you will NEVER be that. I didn't mean to give you that kind of implication. I apologize greatly for this. You know I love you and our family more than anything else, which is why I'm trying whatever I can to make you that you can take care of them and protect them, as much as I can. I know you have the desire to get stronger, but for some reason it isn't powerful enough to get the desired results. Someone from this event will be the one to bring out that untapped potential, because I've accepted that it's not going to be me."_

 _Lu Kang sighed as he returned the hug. "Again...I'm sorry, grandfather."_

 _"Once again, you didn't let me down, Lu Kang. It's more like...I've let YOU down..."_

"It really is a difficult thing, dealing with all of this. Grandfather is having this freakishly huge tournament just to find someone who can help me find my inner strength...I'll be causing trouble for a lot of people just because I don't have the drive needed to become Emperor...nor do I have the strength to even maintain that drive even if I had it..." Lu Kang mumbled as he continued making his way home, his shadows covering his eyes. "I can't keep looking down on myself...but I just can't hekp but think how everyone is going to have a big fuss over me becoming Emperor, and giving me the strength to keep it...Kung Fu Masters...how will any of them be able to help me, even if one of them did win?" Once again, Zan sensed that Lu Kang was having troubled thoughts, and was working on helping him feel better once again. Lu kang shook his head as he gazed at the skies and wondered.

 _An even better question...what kind of person would be able to help someone like me...?_

 **(Simultaneously...)**

"ACHOO!" Po sneezed as he wiped his nose and readjusted his hat to keep it balanced.

"Panda? I hope you're not coming down with something." Fenghuang asked, turning her head towards him as the rest of the group moved behind the both of them.

Po shook his head and sniffled a bit. "Nah, it's nothing. I just got a strange feeling all of a sudden..."

"How strange of a feeling we talking here? Is it gonna get us into even more trouble than before? Because I don't think that my heart will be able to take it, you know!" Crane said hurriedly, flapping his wings. Mei Ling gently calmed him down by patting his wings, laughing uneasily.

"No, of course not. It isn't anything like that. I just...got a feeling that something super important is gonna happen...aside from this whole tournament thing." Po said with a relaxed sigh. "I mean...it's just my curiosity runnin' wild and all that...wonder what all of the other Kung Fu Masters that will come to this thing will be like. How strong they'll be...how strong I'll be to them...I do think I'm pretty strong, though. Just sayin'."

"I think it's a bit too early to be wondering about things like that, Po." Shifu said as he kept his hood over his head. "Until Fenghuang and i make direct contact with the Emperor, we shouldn't allow our faces to be seen. However, I really hope that all of you can be much more careful than me or Fenghuang. The risk the two of us are taking are much more than the rest of you young ones. So I'll have to ask all of you to be very careful regardless of what might happen to us. So Po...be careful."

"Okay!"

"I mean it Po. I'm asking you to be. Careful."

"Sure!"

"...You're just saying that, aren't you?" Shifu deadpanned as Po continued to walk cheerfuly ahead.

Fung sighed as rubbed his forehead. "Po. I'm being super serious right now, dude. Don't do anything too stupid. Do NOT do anything stupid, to the extent that hell will rain down upon us like hellfire. I swear, you're going to be the death of us if you keep going on with that! Gahri isn't ready for your kind of chaos."

"You got it pal!~"

Po was now stuck in a choke-hold after saying that line too cheerfully, and he tried to pry him off as best as he could. Fung grinded his teeth together in irritation. "GET SERIOUS, DAMN YOU!"

"...Yep. Like I said before. We're all going to die." Ox deadpanned while facepalming. He, Rhino, and Croc were taking big enough risks just by leaving Gongmen City to attend this event. But now with the unpredictability of this group that they've temporarily aligned themselves with, they're bound to be running into a lot of trouble. It didn't help that Rhino wasn't bothered by it at all. Instead he seemed to be enjoying himself, calling it a change of pace from the company he usually has. Croc only found this _slightly_ offensive. He usually thought he was pretty good company to have...

Fenghuang huffed as she kept her hood over her head as well. "Hmph. You underestimate these brats, Ox. You've sen what they can do. In fact, they're grown pretty powerful from getting themselves in tight situations. They're gonna be in for quite a surprise once they see them in action. I'll rub it in their faces with how much of a good job we've done with them. Their jaws will strike the floor like they've never seen before! I've prove to them that I didn't need to give a damn about their statuses in order to keep being one of the strongest Kung Fu Masters ever!"

Po grinned as he gazed back at Fenghuang cheerfully. "You're really fired up about this, Master. That's good, so am I!"

"That's right. I'm excited about how much ass we're gonna kick!" She said as she clenched her wing tightly. "This is gonna be one of your greatest times to shine, Panda. Letting me down is NOT an option! Ya hear me?!"

"I HEAR YA LOUD AND CLEAR, MA'AM!"

"THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR!"

Tigress sighed as she watched the panda and owl energize one another, their eyes turning into menacing stars. Monkey and Mantis were getting slightly unnerved by this, while she herself found herself curious. She had thought about how Fenghuang considered herself to be coddling Po a bit too much due to her protectiveness. As a response, she wondered closely about the owl's relationship to the panda. Such a cheerful person has such a dark past. His mother was killed by Shen-someone she has an intense desire to keep an eye on, yet respects Po's wishes-and his father was nowhere to be found. Mr. Ping has been doing well enough as Po's adopted father. And Fenghuang. She's obviously his powerful mentor. But...

 _I wonder if she ever thought of herself as his moth-_

"We're here." Shifu said suddenly as the group approached the edge of the border, seeing the large city ahead of them.

Monkey's jaw dropped immensely as he saw the large city for himself. "Wooooooah! This city is much larger than Gingmen City! Looks like it carries a lot more wealth too!"

 _I realize that I might find that a bit offensive..._ Shen groaned mentally.

Shifu closed his eyes as the wind began to blow. It's been such a long time since he's been here. And he's come here without his title. That makes him a target, and a marked enemy to the other Masters. A disgrace. An embarassment to Kung Fu Masters everywhere. No doubt others would use this to taunt him and degrade him. Some might even react with violence and try to kill him to purify the name of the Jade Palace, and Master Oogway.

...the key word is _try._


	65. Unexpected Reunions

**Not even gonna make excuses. Laziness towards this story has taken hold of me.**

 **...Still not giving it up though. NEVER!**

 **...Oh, by the way. We have ourselves some guests! Wonder who they are?~**

* * *

Po was excited, which was a _huge_ understatement.

It took a while, a very long time to be exact. But he and his friends made it to Imperial City, where their supposed tournament was to take place. As he expected, the city was enormous. That was fine by him, that just meant a lot of room for all of them to explore. Shifu and Fenghuang looked awfully serious, while Mei Ling the fox looked a bit nervous. He didn't worry too much about it, though. He was sure that everything would be fine as long as they all stuck together.

Then again...

"Hey guys, ya wanna split up?" Po suggested, turning towards his comrades, father, and master with a rather relaxed expression, which contrasted the possible ramifications of his idea.

"WHAT?" Crane beak-dropped, before shaking his head rapidly. "Okay, no. NO. Po, do you have any idea how risky that is?! I mean, this isn't some regular city we're visiting. No, this is _Imperial City._ As in the city where the **EMPEROR** lives! There is no splitting up in a place like this!" He pressured, flapping his wings rapidly. "This place is far too large for us to e splitting up like this! Our best et is to stick together!"

Po raised his paws up playfully. "Easy, easy buddy. Just hear me out for a second." He did his best to placte the avian as he prepared to give his reasoning. "You're right, Imperial City is pretty big. And sticking together doesn't sound like a bad idea. But ya gotta remember that we don't belong to any palace or temple anymore. We're rogues, wanderers. Not only that, but we did a lot of things that wouldn't really shape us as... _ideal_ citizens in these guys eyes. Guys who are into order and all of that stuff." He placed his paws on his hips and tilted his head. "Which makes all of us entering at once even riskier, because no one knows who we are. And if we try to enter all at once, we'll be incredibly suspicious. Especially since there's a lot of us. They'll probably take us in for questioning and even prevent us froom entering the tournament. Maybe Rhino, Ox, Croc, and Yao will get a pass since they're official Masters, but we probably won't be so readily accepted."

Rhino rubbed his chin slightly as he thought about Po's reasoning. "It's rather troublesome for you all to have to sneak in just to enter the city without proper procedure...but considering who you all are, and the fact that we've brought Shen _alive_ with us...I can see his reasons to not want to be seen until it's too late for them to do anything about it. We could try and vouch for you all, ut we can only do so much with a reputation like yours. A reputation that isn't exactly positive."

Song flashed her parasol a bit, holding it over her head with a sly smile. "So we're gonna sneak into the capital of China and force our way into the tournament? I can accept that challenge. After all, they did say that _anyone_ can enter, free of repercussions...so long as they win. Even so, I can understand Po wanting to split up. Not only for our own safety, but for exploration purposes. If we're all bunched together, there isn't a lot of movement available for us. Plus...it'd be much more interesting this way. Probably even fun. Right Po?"

"That may or may not be one of the reasons...but yeah. I wanna explore this city without having to worry about you guys. I know you can take care of yourselves." Po folded his arms and looked out towards the city. "One things for sure, I'm definitely bringing my Dad along."

"I'm going with you. We don't want you to push your prosthetic too hard. You're still getting used to it." Tigress reasoned. "I suppose the rest of the Five, as well as Mei Ling and Mr. Ping will come with us, helping me make sure Po doesn't get into _too_ much trouble." Because preventing Po from getting into trouble altogether, was nothing but an impossibility. "And I suppose Fenghuang and Master Shifu, as well as the other masters, can go straight for the Imperial Palace and get us signed in."

"Exactly. Let's not worry about that whole sneaking in thing, that's just wasting more energy we might need for later." Fenghuang reasoned with a grunt. "Besides, they said _anyone_ can enter. They can complain all they want, but we're completely authorized to be here."

"That is true. Still, being cautious can't hurt."

"Aw. Don't wanna spend time with your big brother, hm?~" Tai Lung went to wrap an arm around Tigress, but she leaned sideways to avoid it.

"As nice as that sounds, it's more because you have a higher chance of getting into trouble than Po. Po will get into trouble because he does what's in his heart regardless of what people think. You however...you'll get into trouble because you'll be bored. This brings your maturity into question."

"What?!"

"The difference between you and Po...I already know he's not very mature. I'm used to that. You however..." She left the statement in the air as she turned towards Po, leaving Tai Lung groaning at his sister's complete disregard for his lack of maturity. Po didn't recognize Tai Lung's distressed, he was far too focused on what he might experience once he officially enters the city alongside his friends. Tigress gently smiled at how giddy he was being, and she tightened her scarf around her neck before nodding. "So Po, shall we proceed? Again, we must be careful. I doubt that the Imperial Guard will be tolerant of us doing something incredibly reckless."

"Bah, I'm not in charge of how they think. Besides, they said that everyone is allowed to participate, no matter who they are!" Po beamed. "Even dramatic edgy warlords like Shen!~"

"Edgy?! Now hold on just-"

"Great, we're all in agreement." Tigress nodded. She then turned towards Tai Lung. "You'd better look out for our nephew. Of course he has his own skills, as well as his friend and girlfriend. But..." Tigress walked over to Peng and pulled him into a hug. "I just can't help but be worried about him. I suppose this is what being an aunt is like, because I've been having this feeling for a while at numerous times."

"It's okay to be concerned, Aunt Tigress. But really, I'll be fine." Peng smiled calmly, seeking to ease Tigress's worries for him. "And like we all keep saying. So long as we all behave ourelves accordingly, we shouldn't have any problems before the tournament starts. Though knowing our luck..I think we should just be careful." Tigress slowly releases him as Peng moved onwards. Lian smiled softly as she held his paw.

"Nothing to worry about. *Yawn* Even if we did get into trouble...it's pretty normal at this point. We'll just do what we usually do...figure something out." Bian Zao yawned. Taotie obviously didn't approve of his son's reckless way of thinking. But since he was also much smarter than he looked, he decided to drop it for now. "Anyway, Dad. Are you gonna be alright, accompanying Shifu to that large building over there?"

"This is something I have to do by his side, son. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine." Taotie said while turning towards Shifu, who's head was still mostly shadowed by his cloak. He sighed as he rubbed his neck. "At least I hope so."

"Enough talk. If we don't move now, we won't move ever." Fenghuang declared as she swung her wing across. "Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Po said cheerfully.

"Remember, don't get that prosthetic messed up! I'll be able to fix it up in no time, but it's still really difficult to put together precisely and in a time-worthy matter." Taotie glared.

"Okay!~!

"BE SERIOUS!"

 _That's not easy for him to do._ The younger ones deadpanned.

The main point was that they were here, and they were somewhat ready. At first they would split up, and then find an opportune time to regroup and discuss further actions. Master Shifu and Fenghuang will have to face major parts of the past, and find a way to enter the ridicule that was to come. It would not be easy, but that's fine. They never expected this to be easy, so they'll gladly keep going. There was no telling how this would go. But that hasn't stopped them yet.

 **(Emperor's Palace)**

The Emperor had a feeling that things were going to get really noisy very soon. He didn't know how, but he did have a pretty decent idea of why. The tournament was going to start soon, likely in a few days so that all of the masters can become situated in the city. Some of the masters have made their way into the city, and were heading closer to the city. A few of them have already made their way inside, and were taking residence within the city. Some of them were already in the Emperor's Palace, gathering for a slight meeting. Nothing too significant, just discussing what they were expecting, as well as why they were expecting it.

He had to admit, the Emperor was nervous. Not every Master was entirely trustworthy. Nor were all of them particularly kind. But he meant what he said, that he needed any Master that would be willing to help teach his son Kung Fu, to figure out who would be most worthy of that honor. Or whatever thye would wish to think of it. It didn't really matter much, he just wished to help his grandson however he could. There is no way he wanted to dishonor his son and abandon him. Though tradition would be forcing him to make a very heartbreaking decision if this doesn't work out. He honestly couldn't care less about the tradition, but he can't afford making exceptions for everyone he cares about. How easily his position could be undermined just for caring, he can't underestimate something like that. It's another reason why he worries for Lu Kang so much.

Lu Kang...he doesn't completely approve of this entire thing, but he agreed for his family's sake. He knows how important this was to them, and he doesn't want to make a mockery of that just because of that fact. This must have been incredibly painful for him, he's terrified of letting his family down. And he was also terrified of disappointing all the Masters that came here because of him. The boy considers himself a lost cause, yet he still tries his best regardless. It was clear that they both wished it didn't have to come to this. So few options. The options that remain were at high risk for failure, especially since so many Masters were gathered here with high expectations. Disappointing any of them, especially the less than trustworthy ones, woul be incrediblky risky all on it's own. To put it simply, very few of the decisions he could make wouldn't really make everyone happy, no matterhow well-meaning he may be.

He once again sighed as he folded his arms, closing his eyes. It was large-scale decisions like this, a decision that can affect everyone's future, that makes it so hard to be Emperor sometimes. It was a really bad year for Oogway to have passed on. He could really use his advice. He thought about the last time he actually saw him face-to-face.

 **(Flashback...)**

"Do you have to eat so loudly, Fenghuang? We're in front of the Emperor! You should show some more manners than this!"

"Don't tell me how to eat, fuzzball! He said the feast for us, and I'm gonna enjoy it however I want to!" Fenghuang grumbled, her cheeks swelled with food that she continued to eat ravenously eat. Her comrades were minding their own business as they calmly eard the two of them go back and forth...again. "Besides, you're eating just as much as I am!"

"At least I'm not being excessively rude about it! Can you please show a bit more tact in front of the Emperor?!"

"He seems to be alright with it, so I don't find the need to change my eating habits just because _you_ say so! I can eat however the hell I want to!" Fenghuang huffed. "I'm a growing girl, and I need to eat as much as I can! Unlike you, who will always remain a pint-sized midget!"

"Why you-!"

Masters Snow Leoprd, Elephant, and Rooster collectively sighed as Shifu and Fenghuang glared at each other with powerful glares and their flaring chi. They each looked much younger, and much livlier back then. Especially Shifu and Fenghuang, who were once again arguing with one another. Oogway was casually speaking with the Emperor, so he wasn't exactly concerned with his student's bickering. He looked more amused about it than anything, which the others tiredly caught onto. These two argue so much, if it wasn't for the fact that Shifu once had a girlfriend, they would have guessed that they liked each other.

Snow Leopard sighed as she held her head up with one paw. "Are you two at it again? Can't you both act civilized in front of the Emperor?"

"I didn't start this! She refuses to show proper food etiquette!"

"Screw etiquette! I don't care about crap like that! I have no use for it!"

"Geez. You two can be so hopeless. Even in front of the pretigious Emperor, you just can't help but argue, can you?" Snow Leopard lowered her eyes while chuckling.

Fenghuang huffed. "You can say what you want, I still couldn't care less."

"That explains your lack of discipline."

"Tch. Lack of discipline. Where I lack discipline, _you_ lack _groooowwwttth~_ " Fenghuang cooed as she shamelessly held out her chest.

Snow Leopard blushed profusely at this, her eyes widening. "W-W-Why would I care about something like that! Stop being so rude!"

"Jealous, aren't you?~"

"SHUT UP YOU DIRTY OWL!"

Rooster and Elephant calmly sipped their tea, before setting them down and sighing. "How long do you think this one will last?" The latter sighed.

"Probably for a while. The smartest thing we can do is simply let them tire themselves out. And I know how ridiculous that sounds, but forcing them to stop isn't possible at this point." The former shook his head, taking another sip of tea. "The only one capable of stopping them is Oogway...and he looks like he's having fun with it."

"Of course...that's our Master for you..."

The Emperor and Master Oogway could hear their bickering from throughout the halls, and the latter was laughing. "Ah...youth. It's always amusing how easily they tend to bicker about the smallest things. But then again, having them channel that passion into their Kung Fu is something to look forward to. Wouldn't you agree?" Oogway closed his eyes as he continued walking alongside the Emperor. "I'm sensing a lot of potential within them, and seeing them put those skills to se and helping others. Hmhm~"

The Emperor didn't respond at first. He just looked along the sides of the hallways with slight curiosity gracing his eyes, and back towards Oogway. "Grand Master Oogway...can you really place your faith in them? A generation capable of looking out for themselves? Over China as a whole? Do you really believe in them?"

"There was a time when I was just like them. Overconfident, headstrong, annoyingly stubborn. Look at me now. I'm now humble, patient...and annoyingly stubborn. Hmhm!~" Oogway chuckled as he opened his eyes for a bit. "Give them time. They'll need much guidance, nurturing, and discipline for sure. But to officially answer your question...yes. I do believe in them, wholeheartedly. They'll become fine warriors for sure. And then they'll serve as inspriation for the generation after them. This cycle has been around for a while. Each one surpasses the last even sooner than before. It's that way for many things."

"Is that so? I find it difficult to believe that anyone has the potential to surpass you."

"It's not as silly as it sounds. You eventually learn that the impossible becomes doable if one is determined enough to surpass their own limitation. Shifu and Fenghuang have shown the most enthusiasm in this regard." Oogway smiled. "So is it really so impossible for someone to surpass this old pile of bones?~" The Emperor couldn't really form a response for that, as Oogway smiled softly in understanding. "I suppose your doubt can be somewhat justified. I've been around for a while and no one after my generation has been able to reach my level of skill. Still, that doesn't exactly make the concept impossible, does it? Just because a worthy successor to me hasn't appeared yet, doesn't mean that it won't ever happen. In fact, I'm waiting patiently for that to happen. I'm even excited!"

The Emperor's eyes widened as he looked towards Oogway with surprise. "You're actually _excited_ for someone to surpass you and take your place?"

"Very much so. Know why? I'm very interested to see how a new successor can shape a new era. Every new era deserves someone who can lead a major change. Mine was the creation of Kung Fu. I wonder what my successor will bring to fruition?" Oogway turned around and tilted his had down, overshadowing his eyes. "Perhaps the one who is worthy...is a warrior with just as much passion and determination as I do...or perhaps even more. My successor will know what is truly important in life, and will strive to protect it at all costs. Maybe their goals and my own won't entirely agree with one another...but that is fine. What I truly desire in my successor is for them to live their life as best as they can, refusing to be restrained by others. And I hope they have a family that accompanies those goals."

"Is that so...?"

Oogway closed his eyes again and sighed. "I do wonder...what would it be like to meet someone with the heart and soul of a dragon? I wonder what you would do when your family becomes graced with the presence of a dragon...?"

The Emperor raised an eyebrow. "You're speaking of dragons now? Why?"

"Oh, don't mind me. Just an old turtle doing his daily ramblings." Oogway smiled, waving his paw. "Now let's return to my students for some tea. I have to make sure that Fenghuang and Shifu aren't doing too much damage to themselves, after all." He slowly began making his way back to where they came, with the Emperor sighed and proceeded to follow him. There were times he really wished that Oogway wouldn't be so mysterious. It was really hard to tell what he's thinking.

He also knew that Oogway doesn't say these things without a reason, even though he implies it.

 **(Present)**

"Oogway...now that something like this is happening...what will happen now?" He said softly while closing his eyes. "You asked me what I would do when I came face-to-face with a dragon...how can I answer a question like that? I really wish you would give me a straight answer most of the time..." There was also a bit of guilt residing inside him when he realizes that he was using Oogway's possessions for his own gain. He really wishes there was some other way. But for the life of him ,he could never come up with one in time.

"My Imperial Majesty. Masters Rhino, Ox, and Croc have just arrived." One of the guards reported to him though he seemed pretty shaken by something. "And...they've brought quite a bit of company with them...company we didn't expect at all."

"That doesn't surprise me. I took a risk and said anyone who was willing could participate."

"Yes, well..it's more than that, sir. You might want to come and see for yourself." He insisted a bit nervously. His superior looked concerned by this behavior, but nevertheless found it important to follow the guard and see what the fuss was about.

As he descended upon the steps and arrived at the first floor of the palace, he would indeed find Masters Rhino, Ox, and Croc bowing before him in greeting. Though what he didn't expect was the company that they brought with them. Two of them were especially familiar to him, and were among the ones not bowing. He knew them all too well.

"It's been a while since our last visit, your Excellency."

"Hey Old Man! Long time no see!"

Shifu and Fenghuang stood before them, wrapped up in tattered robes that really emphasized their 'wanderer' status. And the company they brought with them was strange as well...and absolutely shocking. Mei Ling the Thief, and Shen the Tyrant. Not only that, but Master Yao was among them as well, simply admiring the high-class paintings that decorated the walls. They were among the ones standing before him. No wonder the guards were so nervous.

The Emperor abandoned having a level head for a moment, and simply facepalmed.

Yep. This was definitely the beginning of a seriously bad headache.

 **(Meanwhile)**

"Dad...are you smelling all of this amazing food here...?" Po declared as his nose was in the air, a dreamy look on his face. Mr. Ping shared the same look, smiling goofily.

"Indeed I do, son! It's days and experiences like these that humble me so much! There's so much great food out there that I don't know about, and I make a point to discover!" The goose declared with a beaming smile. "These scents...the potential taste...the long-lasting memory...these things really water our mouths, don't they?!"

"Yeah..."

There was something calming about seeing these two gush over food in a big city like this. Maybe it was the humor factor. They were making their friends laugh with their antics, so everyone's nerves were put off for a good long while. They didn't know whether this was intentional, or thay they really weren't as nervous as they thought.

Though Tigress was still slightly annoyed.

"I meant what I said, Tai Lung."

"Oh come on! Give me some credit! I've been getting better, haven't I?!"

Apparently he and the others decided to tag along after all. Tigress wasn't particularly against Tai Lung accompanying her. But his complaining about her earlier statement was getting on her nerves very quickly. Though her nephews presence seems to lessen this somewhat.

"You two really are siblings. What a drag..." Bian Zao yawned softly. "Can we get to wherever it is we need to go so I can take a nap?"

" _Lazy Ass_..." Lian pouted quietly.

"Hey, back off. My energy output is just not up to your level, okay?"

"No excuses."

"Whatever."

"Now now everyone, please settle down. Remember that we're not supposed to cause a ruckus...right now." Viper said a bit slowly. "Let's just think positively for a bit. Liiiiike...the new friends we're bound to make! The new adventures we're bound to have! And like Po and Mr. Ping said...the food!"

"GLORIOUS FOOD!" The three of them cheered gleefully.

"There they go again...focusing on filling their stomachs as the tournament slips further and further from their minds." Song shook her head with an amused smile. "I don't suppose there will be anyone that shall give us serious trouble during our stay here, will there?"

"I hope not. Croc will give me another earful if that's the case. And I really don't need his lectures here." Fung sighed.

Lian chuckled at everyone's antics, knowing they were in for a good time. Until she suddenly stopped, her eyes widened. Peng noticed how quickly she tensed up, and held her paw in concern. "Lian? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

 _This presence...the strength...that killing intent...no way!_ Lian soon turned around towards one of the structures and waved cheerfully! "Guys! I haven't seen you in so long! I didn't think we'd meet again here of all places!"

Mantis blinked for a second, looking around while atop Crane's hat. "What is she talking abou-"

"Well well...someone's kept up with their training. You noticed our familiar presence."

This time it was Tai Lung's turn to tense up. That voice felt eerily familiar. _This...is gonna get awkward for me, isn't it?_

"Hey...girls. Check this out." A figure pointed towards Po. "That one right there...is that a panda?"

"That's a panda alright. Looks like the whole 'all pandas are dead' thing was a load of bullshit."

"Huh. He's cute. _Really_ cute. Maybe I can have him...?" Tigress suddenly let out an absolutely savage snarl at that comment, though she didn't know why. "Oops. Never mind. He's taken."

"I'd say he's made quite a catch. She's quite the beauty. And I can feel her strength from here. _So much amazing strength...ehehehe...~_ "

"That so...?" The one in front sits calmly on the edge of the building with her legs crossed, her tail swishing calmly behind her. "You. Panda. Who is your teacher?"

Po blinked curiously, before he gathered up his thoughts and spoke casually. "My teacher? That would be Fenghuang. Why? Are you friends with her?"

 _I see. So he's the reason why she fell off the radar for fifteen years. He must really be something special if she did that to simply protect him._ "Panda. Do you know who we are?"

"Not in super great detail, but Master gave me a rough idea in one of her lectures."

"And yet you speak to me without an ounce of fear?"

"Is there any particular reason I _should_ be afraid of you?" There was a stunned silence between the three figures. Po wasn't speaking arrogantly or with confidence. It was a genuine, honest question, complete with an almost childlike tilt of his head, and blinking jade eyes.

He truly wasn't afraid of them.

...How peculiar.

The female in the center chuckled at Po's statement. "Even with a simple sketch of an idea of who we are, you speak to us so casually. You're a gutsy one." She settled down, placing her paws on her lap. "We do thank you all for taking care of Lian. She's a handful."

Tai Lung suddenly looked towards Lien in shock, while she was still smiling cheerfully. _How does this runt know them personally...?!_

"Allow me to introduce ourselves. The one on my left is the laid-back yet battle-hungry one, Wing."

"Heya. Nice to meet ya. Thanks for taking care of the brat for us." She grinned honestly, though it sent shivers down everyone's spines but Po's, Lian's, and Tigress's. "We have a history. A pretty straightforward history, but a history nonetheless. We'll be sure to tell you about it before the competition officially starts."

 _So...they're here for it too. That's definitely bad luck for me._ Tai Lung mentally sighed.

"The one on my right is the perverted one, Wan."

"Be cold about it, why don't you?! That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?" She pouted childishly. She then took and extended gaze towards Tigress, Song, and Mei Ling, particularly their chests. She eagerly raised her paws as she gently opened and closed them, drool running down her muzzle. "Oh my...what a collection of strong and beautiful women you've brought for me, Lian! I'm sure they won't mind a quick and _**very**_ thorough private test so I can get to know them better...hehehehe~" Against her earlier statement, there was an incredibly perverted grin on her face, her tail swishing excitedly. Wing immediately chopped her on the head. She recoiled, holding her head while pouting again. "Ooowww...that really hurt!"

"Learn some restraint then."

"You're a meanie..."

"Don't mind them. They act idiotic from time to time."

"THAT'S COLD, SIS!"

Crane tilted his hat nervously. "Well. They have...quite an interesting dynamic, don't they?"

"You have no idea..." Tai Lung groaned.

The oldest one smiled as she folded her arms. Her eyes opened and they revealed a yellow eye and a blue eye. Whether it was blind or not, Po didn't know. "As for me...I am the oldest sister, as well as the leader. Su Wu. We are among the most infamous criminals in all of China. We are the Wu Sisters."

Fung has heard of the Wu Sisters. It's one of the many tales that Master Croc told him during his younger days. Rhino, Ox, and Croc were bitter rivals with them...and now they're in the same city...and it's also highly likely that neither has let go of their grudge towards the other...

 _Darn it all!_


	66. Good And Evil Are Unnecessary

**Heya guys! A new chapter!**

 **I know I no, long time and all that. But rest assured, I'm still going strong!**

 **Not much happens here, except you guys get a more detailed explanation about how Po's mindset works in this story, and how it's very easy for him to do what he does.**

 **..It's pretty much in the title of the chapter, yeah?**

 **Let's get started.**

* * *

Well...this was unexpected.

After somewhat-formally introducing themselves to the gang, the Wu Sisters had politely asked them if they wanted something to eat, and that they would help pay for it. And with Po being Po, he was more than happy to accept free food. While everyone was mostly uneasy by the three legendary felines sitting in front of him and wanting a casual chat, they were just gauging them with catlike curiosity. Po was obviously the only one who wasn't unnerved by their presence, completely focused on eating as much of his food as he could. Su was watching him with a raised eyebrow, but chuckled nonetheless as she cleared her throat.

"I hope that we can make our first impression on you all to be a good and understanding one. We are aware that our reputation isn't... _completely_ agreeablle with society. But we can argue that it needs to lighten up a little. There are much worse people out there than us." Su said while sitting back. "Trust us when we say that we're much more amicable than it suggests that we are."

"You were trying to build a crime syndicate of every major gang in china, then take it over." Fung deadpanned.

"That plan was a bit over the top, anyway. We gave that up the moment it failed. Now we're just trying to get by with life and not have to deal with irritable hassles that don't interest us. This tournament, however... _that_ interested us. We couldn't just leave this event as it is, could we?"

"A lotta strong fighters are gonna be here, including a few candidates for the New Generation of Kung Fu. And judging by how young most of you all look, you're part of that generation." Wing said with her arms folded, smirking slightly.

"Yep. Most of you are young. And what from I can see, _very_ fit.~" Wan smiled, eying the female felines of the group with curious eyes. Mostly on Tigress. "Tell me, how long have _you_ been training?"

"5 years old."

"Really? THAT long? And how old are you now?"

"23 years old."

"Wow! That's amazing! This age and you already have those impressive muscles and power overall! And I'm sure that your skills are worthy of noting as well! You're incredible and I just met you! Such an amazing warrior and I haven't even seen you fight yet! You aura lives and breathes power! It's breathtaking! And to top those things off properly, you're so young! _So young and fresh..._ " Wan started out with excitement, though then she raised her paws and her eyes lowered to a very suggestive level. Though she was quickly snapped out of it as Wing smacked her in the head again. "OW!"

"What did I say earlier?" Wing grumbled in annoyance. Shaking her head, she turned towards Lian and crossed one leg over the other. "So kitten, what have you been up to? Have you been getting into trouble? Trouble that you couldn't handle on your own?"

Lian shook her head. "Trouble I couldn't handle? No. However, trouble seems to find me no matter what I do."

"That's not surprising. You have a tendency for attracting trouble without even trying." Su said calmly as she sipped her tea, before raising an eyebrow towards Peng. "Lian. Who is this boy, why is he holding your paw, and how come he looks so much like Tai Lung? Seems like you've been through a lot since you seperated from us." Su narrowed her eyes. "Boy. Speak."

"My name is Peng, Master Su." Peng said while bowing politely.

"No need for formalities. You can just call me Su." She said calmly while setting her cup down. "Now then, who are you to dear Lian here?"

"I'm Lian's boyfriend."

"Woah woah woah! Back up!" Wing stood up straight and looked between Lian and Peng. "You and her?! You two are a couple! A genuine article couple?!" She grasped her head and shook it in disbelief. "No way. How'd you land yourself a guy!?"

"It just sorta happened." Lian shrugged. "We've started hanging out two years ago, and have been together for at least a year and a half." She smiled as she squeezed Peng's paw, and he returned the gesture with a kind smile. "Peng can be a bit naive and a bit too gullible for his own good. But he's really, REALLY sweet." Lian looked towards him and wondered if she should continue. Peng shook his head, silently assuring her he could handle this part, and kissed her nose. He then turned towards the nose and finished her thoughts.

"I'm also Tai Lung's nephew."

Su's eyes widened slightly, while Wing and Wan jaw-dropped. The first sister blinked as she did indeed notice the great resemblance between the two male felines. "Tai Lung has a nephew? That's certainly...unexpected."

"The boyfriend is TAI LUNG'S NEPHEW? How long were we out of the loop?! HOW COME NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THIS?!" Wing shouted i disbelief once again.

"* _Slurrrrrrrrp!_ * Ahhhhh..." Po said as he sets down his bowl of noodles. When he noticed everyone staring at him, he blinked and figured they wanted him to answer. "Oh! It's because we didn't really...uh... _want_ anyone to know about Peng at the time. We were worried that people might send jerks after him so they would kill him for being the nephew of Tai Lung, who wasn't really that good a guy at the time. But he's a decent guy now, and that's what should matter!" Po folded his arms. "We even fought off the Kung Fu Express at their headquarters so that we could keep his secret intact."

"...Excuse me?" Su blinked again. "I was under the impression that you all were a band of heroes going around and helping people in need. You have that goodie-too-shoes look on your face."

"While the Kung Fu Express a pretty strict group, they're not necessarily a bad group. They're just doing their jobs." Wan wondered. "So...why would you pick a fight with them?"

"Because they threatened one of my friends. And not just that, the nephew of my best friend. Of course I wasn't gonna take that lying down." Po said as he wiped his mouth a bit before gazing at the Wu Sisters seriously. "And you've got it wrong sbout us. While we do go out of our way to help people who need it, we're not heroes. And we don't want to _be_ heroes, either."

"I don't think I understand. You wish to help others, yet you don't consider yourselves heroes?"

"Not in the slightest." Tigress nodded.

"We've done...things that don't really classify as heroic." Crane added, noting the crazy things po has done, and has SAID to be crazy things, but he went ahead and did so with him anyway.

"Some of our pasts are questionable at best, and it doesn't really label us as the heroic type." Viper explained, recalling the years that she's followed Fu-Xi's belief's until Po proved her wrong.

"A couple of us have even done some bad things for good reasons." Song added as well, recalling her times as a thief in order to save the Ladies of the Shade, and still classifies herself as one.

"Hell, some of us started off bad, kinda. But then we found a reason to straighten ourselves out, though that doesn't make us saints." Bian Zao yawned. "My Dad had a pretty deep grudge against Master Shifu, but they're kinda cool with each other now."

"You guys fought with Master Croc, Ox, and Rhino. None of them have perfeclt clean slates either." Fung said.

Wing nodded. "I see. you were trained by Master Croc. That explains some things." Wing said while rubbing her chin. "Though you have a rougher exterior than even he has...and he was pretty rough back in the day."

"And Lian has done some things that really don't make her out as the hero type, though she has good intentions at heart." Wan said, her paws under her chin. "This starting to make more and more sense, how you're group operates. Especially when you have questionable people like Mei Ling The Theif, Fenghuang, Taotie, and Tai Lung. Even SHEN. Not really people you can completely consider trustworthy." She smiled innocently. "Especially Tai Lung. He was a complete asshole before he mysteriously decided to change himself for the better. And we finally know the reason why."

"You three gonna take more jabs at me, or can I relax?" Tai Lung grumbled, sipping tea of his own.

Su turned towards Po and Tigress. "And I suppose that you two are the leaders of this little group of yours?"

"That's correct."

"And...who's stronger?"

"In terms of pure physical Kung Fu skill? Tigress." Po answered honestly.

"Seriously?" Su looked between the two, a bit surprised.

"Indeed. Though the reason why Po is the true leader and heart of this group is not because of his strength in power, although he is very powerful. It's because of his own philosophy about life." Tigress said with a nod.

"Really...?" Su folded her arms and gazed at Po curiously. "And what is this personal philosphy of yours...?"

Po closed his eyes for a moment. Then he reopened them with his jade eyes full of genuine honesty. "Ever since I was attacked by poachers trying to sell me off when I was a cub' I thought I'd never see my Dad again. I would have done anything to see him again, to be free, and to be safe in his arms. While I did escape, I was seriously injured...and I thought I was going to die. But then Fenghuang saved my life. Not because she thought it was the right thing to do, but because her heart insisted that I don't die. So she helped me out of her own free will, and not by a rule of morality." Su raised an eyebrow at this, as he opened his eyes. "When I was under her tuteluge, and still am under her tuteluge, she taught me something very important. That no matter what happens, I have to follow my heart, because it won't ever let me down. And so far, I was right to trust my heart than my mind." Po rubbed hs neck sheepishly. "Good thing, too. Because I don't really do a lot of thinking! Hehe!~"

"I can tell. You have that idiot look as well." Su deadpanned once again. "So you follow your heart, huh? And what about this thing about a rule of morality? Does that mean that whatever you do will classify yourself as a good guy going around saving people?"

Po spoke again. What Su heard from him was NOT what she expected. "While I do go out of my way to help people and I do see myself as a pretty nice guy...I don't totally consider myself good. And I also don't consider myself evil. I choose to think that I'm neither of those things. I just choose to be Po."

"...And...what exactly is...'Po' to you?"

"I'm a guy who's willing to help anyone in need, not out of some sense of duty or morality, but because it's what my heart wants. I go wherever my heart feels like going, and I do whatever it feels like doing. I don't let rules like those bound me. My Master says that those things will only limit me and my potential. And what my heart ultimately wants is to be with my loved ones. I'd do anything to protect them, and they feel the same way about each other. My only interest is good food, and amazing loved ones, and i'll do whatever I can to help protect the latter. It's why I really don't think society's rules and my rules will get along."

Su narrowed her eyes. "So what you're saying is...?"

"Labels like good and evil are just shackles holding down my potenial to follow my heart. They'll only hold me back from doing whatever I need to do to protect my friends, and to protect others. So instead of choosing to be either of those things, I choose to be just Po."

"You consider yourself to be above good and evil?"

"I don't consider myself to be _above_ them. I just consider them labels, and that they're unnecessary. I even heard a couple times about why I choose to save a person in front of me, even though I might have considered them an enemy before. Sure, I give them a few good points about why we should let someone live or something like that. But I don't really _need_ a reason to save someone."

Su searched for any sort of deceit in hs eyes...but she found none. She doubted he completely knew what he was talking about, but she DID know that he wasn't lying. This panda was fully willing to fight someone against him on one moment, and probably protect and befirend them the next moment, just because that's what his heart wants. He's willing to fight anyone to protect his loved ones, even other people who are considered 'heroes' to society, which may explain why he can't exactly consider himself a completely good person even though he always wants to help others. And he can't be classified as evil because by the looks of it, he never goes out of his way to hurt other people purely to do so. He looks like he's always willing to make friends, but he doesn't have a problem with striking against those who intend to harm him or others out of malice. And because he mostly follows his heart over his mind, predicting what he might do next may be considered close to impossible. His heart wishes to be free and follow wherever the wind takes him, which makes sense because Fenghuang has always loved flying in the sky, where no one can tell her what to do or where to go. Only herself. Fenghuang also follows her heart. And this panda is her student.

Her student just said that labels like good and evil are unnecessary to him.

 _Fenghuang...just what have you been teaching this boy...?_

Su turned to his friends. "And...you all share his belief?"

Tigress folded her arms and nodded. "To some degrees, some high and some low...but yes. We do share his belief. Allowing ourselves to be restrained by what the usual rules of good and evil are shall only serve to limit our overall potential when protecting ourselves, protecting each other, and protecting others. So we go by neither. I'm not good or evil. I'm just Tigress."

"And I'm just Monkey."

"I'm just Viper."

"I'm just Mantis."

"I'm just Crane...I guess..."

"I'm just Fung."

"Hi, I'm Gahri!~" That one broke the concentration for a bit, but they quickly recovered.

"And I guess that goes for the rest of us." Mei Ling the Golden Cat said with a shrug. "We try to follow that belief as much as we can. The usual rules of society didn't really treat us kindly. In fact, it tried to cast us aside and treat us like outcasts. They said that we didn't belong in their world, and that we weren't wanted in it and should just disappear. So in response...we chose not to give a damn about their rules anymore. They wanted to throw us away without a care in the world. That's fine. Then that means we don't have to abide by their rules anymore." Mei Ling was an esteemed student of the Lee Da Academy, as well as their greatest student. Though she was the only one aside from Crane's mother that recognized that he had a similar potential. When their mistreatment of him continued even though they saved their lives, they both chose to leave alongside the others to go on adventures. Even now, she does not regret her decision. Neither does Crane, though that doesn't necessarily mean that he's entirely used to the idea yet.

The Wu Sisters were genuinely shocked by their answers, and their attitudes. Not all of them were entirely confident, but it was clear that they were not going to stray from their path. Whatever Po did for them, he has earned their eternal loyalty and friendship...even though they can't always stand him or his antics. Despite that, Su could clearly see that they love each other, and are willing to do whatever they can for one another...even if it means to resist those that are considered 'heroes'.

She could perfectly understand that. There isn't anything she won't do to protect her sisters. They mean the world to her. She was getting the same vibe from these young warriors.

She briefly turned towards Mr. Ping. "And you...?"

"Po is a young adult free to make his own decisions. But one thing remains..he'll always be my baby panda. Regardless of our species difference, our bond is genuine and true." Mr. Ping said while lowering his hat slightly. "As long as he makes it back to me safe and sound, I'll always be there to support him along the way, no matter what it's for. My son is the world to me. Wherever he goes, I'll never be far behind." Mr. Ping put his hat back on and flapped his wings to reach Po's head. The panda easily grabbed his father in a hug and laughed as he kissed his cheek.

"D'awww...Dad~"

"You and your father kiss each other like that?" Wan asked curiously.

Po and Mr. Ping blinked while looking at one another. "Why is it that people find it so strange for a father and son to show much affection for one another? Does it always have to be restrained to mother and son or father and daughter?"

"I dunno, Dad. I'm sure there's plenty of people that do find it pretty normal." Po shrugged as he turned to the Sisters again. "Anyway, you girls eemed to really know Lian. Care to tell us how you guys met?"

Wan tilted her head. "Well, it's a long story-"

"Please! Leave Lu Kang alone!"

Tigress shot up up, as well as nearly everyone else. "We have to see what's going on. Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Po said seriously as he sets Mr. Ping down and runs out the door, with the others following behind hem aside from Tai Lung, Mr. Ping, and the Wu Sisters. They stayed behind for a little bit before deciding to follow. Out of all of them, Su was the most interested in seeing what would happen.

She wanted to see Po in action...while Wan was giggling at seeing the girls in action. Which resulted ina nother pained whimper when Wing smacked her again.

 **(Meanwhile...)**

"Listen guys, can't we just talk about this...?" Lu Kang asked nicely, despite the blood now dripping down his head. He was doing his best to placate the angry rhinos that were surounding him and his cousin Zan, whom he did his best to protect from them. The rhinos were from the Imperial Army, and they all looked incredibly angry at him.

"Lu Kang! Do you see where your reluctance and weakness has brought us now?!" One of the taller rhinos declared angrily, brandishing his sword. "Thanks to you, it's not only a matter of how many Kung Fu Masters might be gathering here, but not all of them will be honest and honorable! The entry also includes significantly less honorable Masters, some are even considered evil! All because of your absolute incompetence in the art of Kung Fu! Your weakness has put the entirety of China in immense danger, including the Emperor himself!"

"i'm sorry...how can I make it up to you? I have pickles! I'll share them with you!"

"Pickles... _pickles_?! China is at serious risk and you think that giving us **_pickles_** will fix everything?!"

"...They're pretty good pickles." There was the sound of a blade slicing against flesh, and Lu kang gasped as there was now a red slash across his chest. He fell to his knees, wincing at the pain, before looking up towards the guards weakly. "...Is...is that a no...?"

"You're pathetic, Lu Kang! You're a complete and utter failure to the family line! The Emperor has grown too soft on you! If he acted much sooner and much like an Emperor instead of a granfather, we wouldn't be in this mess! If this tournament goes awry, all the casualties wwill be YOUR fault!"

"I'm...I'm sorry.."

"That's not going to cut it. It's become clear to us that for the good of China, the Emperor can't afford any distractions, or anything to hold him back. So if we kill you...then there won't be any reason to hold this tournament, will there...?" The rhinos all all nodded in agreemnt while Lu Kang's eyes widen in horror and fear.

 _No way...they're really going to kill me...!_

"This is the end' you pathetic excuse for a prince! This will be your last day to live!" The lead rhino raised his sword above his head. Zan shook his head and stood in front of Lu Kang, spreading his wings outward. "Move out of the way kid! Your cousin's weakness needs to be extermination!"

"Please...weave my cousin awone...he's not bad...he's good..." Zan pleaded with them with tears leaving his eyes. Though the rhino was unsympathetic.

"FIne! If that's how you want it, then you'll die first!"

"NO! DON'T HURT ZAN! IT'S ME YOU'RE ANGRY WITH!" Lu Kang yelled, attempting to reach out and pull Zan out of the way, but it was too slow. The sword swung down on Zan, and the poor four-year-old closed his eyes, crying harder and whimpering fearfully, yet he refused to move from his cousin's side. He waited for the sword to cut him down.

...

...

...

...Zan didn't feel pain. He didn't feel the sword cut him. All he felt was a small breeze of wind, and something being grabbed tightly. He slowly opened his eyes to see what happened. His eyes then widened in surprise as he saw his savior.

"What the-?! Who are you?!" The lead rhino shouted in disbelief and surprise.

"...You want to know who I am...?"

"W-ARRRRRRGH!" There was a cry of agony as he felt his wrist easily being broken with enough pressure on it, and he pulled baclk quickly. He gasped as his hand now hung limpy from it's owner, uttely useless.

Tigress opened her eyes after she effortlessly broke the leader's wrist. Her eyes were slitted, and they burned with rage. " Someone who doesn't take kindly to grown adults pointing weapons at children. That's a really effective and quick way to make us angry."

"Us...?" The other rhinos were confused. There was then a large thud behind them, and most of them turned to see a blur of black and white standing before them. "Now who are you?!"

The panda slowly lifted his head as his hat shadowed his eyes. Before he locked eyes with them and his eyes were just as angry as Tigress's. "A _**very**_ Pissed Panda."

No sooner than he said that, the rest of the Five swooped in, as Crane kicked one rhino in the head, Viper slithered around one of their legs and swung them hard against the wall, cracking it heavily. Mantis and Monkey jumped in as they repeatedly kicked a few of them in the face. Monkey succeeded in punching one of them in the chest, knocking him back into an other rhino. One of them reached out to grab him, though he flipped backwards while wrapping his tail around his arm and pulling him back with him, then proceeded to slam him into the ground. Mantis shot forward as he kicked one of them right in the chest, and everyone swore that ribs were broken from the impact.

One of them reached for their axes, though he was immediately stopped by Lian and Peng kicking him in the back, forcefully knocking him across the ground like a ragdoll, until crashing into a pot of flowers. Peng winced and muttered a small apology to the owner of the flowers, before proceeding to catch a sword mid-swing, leading for Lian to jump and smash her knee into their chin, making them stumble back and fall to the ground, unconscious. A larger one panicked at his comrades being picked off so easily, and tried to run away from them. However, he tripped and fell on his face, groaning and cursing himself for rushing blindly. Before he could escape, he screamed as Song jabbed the end of her parasol into his hand...while the blade was out.

"Ah-ah-ah. You don't seriously think you can escape punishment, do ya?~" Song giggled, twisting the blade into his hand even deeper, prolonging his pain. She then frowned. "You all don't even blink at the prospect of cutting down a child. You call yourselves an Imperial Army? You call yourselves loyal guards of the Emperor? HUH?" She pulled the blade out and jabbed it even deeper into his hand, making the pain even worse.

"What a load of bullshit." Lian muttered angrily, punching one that tried to attack her from behind.

"Dishonorable." Peng muttered in disgust, grabbing one of their arms and throwing them oer his shoulder. he them punching them hard in the stomach, immediately knocking him out. "I would have thought that the Emperor's guard would have a higher sense of honor than this, but this is pathetic."

"You're all a bunch of jerks!" Viper hissed anrgily as she effortlessly lifted one of them by the ankle and smashed then into the ground, then tossed them hornfirst into another, drawing blood nbut fortunately not being a mortal wound. "Why would you try to hurt such an adorable child?! And from what I see, a friend of his?!"

"We were just-" One of them whimpered, but Po had long since punched him hard in the face, sending him flying across the ground and facefirst into a wall.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Po exclaimed angrily. "Ganging up on a guy and the kid accompanying him! Now I'm gotta kick your ass!" All the pretenses of him not wanting to cause trouble were thrown into the abyss, this was not an offense that the panda would allow himself to ignore.

Lu Kang hung onto Zan as he gazed at the mysterious group of warriors in awe. They shouldn't have gotten involved in this conflict, as the grudge was aimed at him. Yet they jumpedn in anyway, and seemingly without any hesitation on their part. It was close to inconceivable. He was used to the guards picking on him on his weakness, and he's told no one about it. And even if he did, they usually wouldn't help him. He was used to not getting help when he needed it. Though having it now seemed to be outrageous. Zan wasn't thinking as deeply as he was, however. He was completely focused on the pretty tiger lady that saved his life just a few moments ago. Tigress having smashed her palm into one of the rhino's face, completely shattering his horn into pieces, as well as cracking his skul slightly. Her scarf flowed elegantly with the breeze, showing how serious she was in this short battl, and letting the offenders know that their hostility shall not be tolerated.

The Wu Sisters watched from a rooftop again, watching the battle unfold. Mei Ling had immediately jabbed the end of her staff into one of the rhinos stomahcs, them quickly spun it upwards, slamming them in the chin and lifting them in the air slightly before landing on his back. Po then rushed forward and smashed his paw into one of their faces, them grabbed him and kicked him right into another guard, knocking them both down. Eventually Su began to nod. "Hm...they really are impressive."

"Look at those idiots squirm. What a joke of a guard system." Wing laughed heartily, holding her sides.

"They sure are strong..." Wan said with a large smile. her chin rested in her paw as she watched Tigress and her powerful yet graceful movement, her presence allowing the rhino's to fully sense that angering her was a very foolish crime to commit. Song, Mei Ling, and Viper were quite impressie too, and she was proud of Lian for showing the results of her training. She tilted her head. "They're so powerful, big sis. i might even fall in love with one of them!"

"Please don't." Wing deadpanned.

Amidst the chaos, Bian Zao yawned, patting his mouth and clicking his tongue. "This is such a drag..."

"You think we'd ignore you being with these punks, kid?!" One of the rhinos approached them from behind, attempting to grab him. He was NOT expecting for Bian Zao to simply hold his hand behind him and shoot a powerful burst of lightning from it, electrifying the rhino and making him crash into the ground, twtiching erratically and covered in suit. "U-Ugh..."

"Can't you see that I was minding my own business? You guys are so lame." Bian Zao yawned again, and returned to watching his friends fight.

The Wu Sister's eyes certainly didn't hide their shock from their eyes. That was the **Bian Tian Tempest!** How did that lazy warthog learn how to use it?! And so casually?!

After a while, all of the rhinos were defeated, writhing on the ground in agony. The leader groaned as he attempted to glare at Po defiantly. "H-How dare you DO you have any idea who you're messing with?! We're members of the Imperial Army!"

"Tell someone who gives a damn." Po replied calmly, glaring right back with his had overshadowing his eyes, which shocked all the rhinos to no end. "You're not gonna bother these two anymore. Get lost."

"You can't tell us to-!"

" _ **G**_ _ **RRRAAAAAAAAAWWWWWR!**_ " The infuriated roar from Tigress made the rhinos greatly reconsider their defiance-as well as making one of them wet themselves from the terror-and they all promptly folowed the order and left the area as quickly as they could. Tigress cleared her throat and sighed, glad that they were gone. She then blinked as she felt something grab her leg. She looked down to see Zan hugging her leg and looking up at her with glee and relief in his eyes.

"You saved my cousin and I! Thank you!" Zan exclaimed brightly, his eyes glistening with gratitude and tears, yet he chose to keep smiling.

Tigress felt her heart melt at the sight of him, enough that she didn't hesitate to bend down and hug him. "You're welcome, little one."

Lu Kang was baffled by this as well. Zan was not one to bond with anyone instantly. It was very difficult to introduce him to different people, despite how polite he was. Yet he only sees this tiger once and he's practically worshipping her. Well, that may be taking it a bit far, but still. it's like Zan and Tigress clicked instantly.

That's never happened before, at least outside their family.

"Hey dude. You okay?" Po said as he reached his paw out towards him, smiling. "You got hurt. We'd better get you somewhere to heal."

"R-Right..." Lu Kang mumbled as he took the offered paw, standing up and eventually over Po. "Thank you for saving us...we didn't think anyone would come."

"Don't worry about it."

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

Everyone turned around to see the Emperor himself, and some of the other masters approach the area, the loud commotion having drawn their attention outside. He gasped as he saw that his grandson was injured. His sister immediately ran to Zan as Tigress released him from the embrace, hugging him and concerned about his well-being. When he was confirmed to be uninjured, she hugged him tearfully. Relieved by this, the Emperor turned towards the group, who didn't flinch at his glare. "Who are you people? Did you do this to my grandson?"

"...No...it wasn't us." Po mumbled, his hat overshadowing his eyes as he walked towards the Emperor. "We just saved his life. A few members of your Imperial Army have tried to kill him."

"What?!" The Emperor was initially flustered at this. A few members of the army had turne against him and his family?! Why?! And why now?!

"They swung a sword down on that kid after they slashed your grandson in the chest. They were really intent on killing them both..." Po said quietly as he approached the Emperor, until he stopped right in front of him. The Emperor eyed the panda curiously, wondering what he has to say. After a few moments, Po raised his head and glared at the Emperor, right into the eyes. "What the hell kind of army are you keeping here?! A piece of the army breaks off and attempts to murder your grandon and nephew, and you don't know a thing about it until it was too late?! If we hadn't been here, he could have died! What the hell is their deal with him, and why don't you know about it?!"

Words would be useless to describe the amount of shock present on everyone's faces. Everyone except for Po's group. Shifu, Tai Lung, Mei Ling the Fox, Shen, Rhino, Croc, Ox, the Wu Sisters, EVERYONE that wasn't in Po's faction stood dumbly as if their minds refused to process that Po was angrily reprimanding the **supreme ruler of _China_** without so much as batting an eye or regretting his words. The only one who had a different reaction was Fenghuang, who didn''t even try to hide her amusement and simply laughed her ass off. Po's faction just glared at the Emperor as well. Shifu rubbed his temple with a very loud and worried sigh. He knew something bad would happen, but THIS was just taking it to an entirely new level.

 _It's official. The Panda is insane._ Shen mentally muttered, his beak wide open.

The Wu Sisters got over their shock just enough to say something.

"He's crazy!" Wing exclaimed.

"He's suicidal!" Wan panicked.

Su managed to get over her shock with the most calmness, and she slowly smirked as she gazed at the panda who has now by no uncertain terms, fully piqued her interest.

" _He's got guts..._ "


	67. The Bodacity Is REAL!

**Nothing to say here.**

 **Except yes. The Chapter Title is fully intentional. xD**

* * *

Po's outrageous outburst had everyone unbelievably stunned. The sheer audacity was far too much for most involved to even process. He simply stood there with that defiant and angry glare, daring the Emperor to claim that he was wrong with his accusations. It looked like most of his friends would be sharing his mindset, as they too were glaring defiantly at the Emperor. It was utterly baffling that someone could muster up so much defiance towards the Ruler of China and not show an inch of regret about it.

The Wu Sisters were stunned silly. Only Su's shock soon turned to amusement as she silently praised the nerve that the panda possessed. Fenghuang was still loaughing her ass off, slapping the ground while struggling to catch her breath. She even had to wipe some tears from her eyes. "Hahahaha! Oho! Oh my goodness, that was AMAZING! The panda just called you out and didn't give a shit! That's hysterical! And it souns like something I would do! So I'm both amused AND proud! AHAHAHA!~"

 _Huh. So this is how I die, then?_ Shen wondered in a state of total dissonance. _I die not because of my own creations...but because this bumbling baffoon thought that it would be a splendid idea to talk like that to the **Emperor**! _ To be perfectly honest, if Shen had been able to conquer China unchallenged, he would have probably done the same thing, with a smug smirk on his beak. but no one needed to know that, as it did not matter right now. What mattered was that the clearly insane panda had just talked badly about the Emperor, and he wondered just how severe he would lash out towards his aggressor.

The Emperor, however, didn't look mad. He was more shocked and confused than anything. before that, he took a good look at the pnda. A straw hat, a green vest, stiched pants, a red scarf with a golden dragon across it, and a straw hat overshadowing the panda's eyes. he could also see two other things that greatly caught his attention. His prosthetic arm, clearly confirming thnat he had lost his original somehow,, and his jade eyes. Jade eyes that were glaring right through him, greatly criticizing him for allowing his family to be placed in such great danger without even knowing about it. The panda was right. he was so focused on trying to put this whole event together and worrying about the results, that his mind escaped the present. His focus on his grandson's future resulted in him briefly forgetting that he was still very clearly in danger in the present. If he focused too much on future events, then the present will slip by him without his notice. Someone else had to look out for his grandson while he was pondering what to do next.

And judging by the look in Lu Kang's face, he didn't blame him at all for partially disregarding his safety in all of this, even from the Imperial Army, who might not be on board with this idea as much as the majority was. That only made him feel much worse about the ordeal, already knowing that Lu Kang won't hold this event against him. Though his aunt might, given how her nephew was also inadvertedly dragged into the crossfire. It wouldn't really end well for him once she sets off. Zan means a lot to the both of them as much as Lu Kang did. Losing them both would have left them both with heavily broken spirits. If these young warriors haven't been here...

There was no choice.

To everyone immense surprise the Emperor brought his hooves together...and proceeded to _bow before Po!_ "You...you are right. I was far too focused on the result of this tournament...I took my attention off of him for too long. If I don't properly keep him safe in the present, then there won't be a future for him. Panda...I...thank you for saving my grandson and nephew. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you..."

"You can start by looking out for your family a bit better than that." Po said a bit sternly with his arms folded. "Look, as pumped as I am for this tournament, it ultimately won't mean nothing for you if your grandson ends up dead in the crossfire. Sure, he's an adult. But he's at a very important stage of his life, and the pressure you're putting on him is gonna tear him apart faster than those rogue Imperial Army members could. Though I'd much rather avoid that happening too."

"We suggest that you be more careful in the future, Emperor. And that you probably need to hire an entirely new platoon of soldiers for the Imperial Army. it's quite clear that the one that we just disposed of is not worthy of serving you. You might want to lock them up before they can cause more trouble." Tigress suggested. She blinked twice and looked back to her leg. Zan had attached himself to it, hugging it tightly as he looked up towards Tigress with a bright smile. "Hm?"

"Tigwess!~" He chriped happily.

Viper's eyes sparkled. "Oh my goodness, he's so cute! So cute!"

"And he's gotten himself a new role model, apparently." Monkey snickered.

The Emperor's sister blinked softly before nodding in agreement. "That's rather surprising. It appears that my son Zan has taken an instant liking towards you. He's been saved from similar situations before, but he never clung to them like that with such positivity." She smiled softly and nodded. "He must know that you're a very incredible person. He has that kind of intuition."

"Is that so...?" Tigress wondered quietly, looking down at the beaming child. She smiled a little, patting his head. She had to concede to Viper, he was pretty cute.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING HERE?!" Ox otraged, shifting his gaze towards the Wu Sisters, who decided to stop hdiing and actual join in on the conversation.

Wan smirked and mockingly blew a kiss towards the Kung Fu Council."Hiya boys! Long time no see!~"

"I see you three were able to escape from your respective prisons..." Croc frowned a little, but was much more civil than Ox at the moment. "And by the looks of it, it was completely without our knowledge...we seemed to have underestimated you. How did you do it?"

"Why should we tell you, huh?" WIng grinned, cracking her knuckles. "This an excellent opportunity to exact some sweet delicious revenge. We're gonna kick your asses this time!"

"Just try it!" Ox growled, gearing for an aggressive charge. He was immediately stopped by Rhino, while Wing was smacked upside the head by Su.

"Forgive my sisters' impulsiveness. They're...eager." Su rolled her eyes.

"Likewise, I apologize for Ox's hostility. He hasn't changed too much when it came to his temper." Rhino nodded. "As much as our pasts are against it...hopefully we can get along a bit better this time...?"

Su shrugged, letting him know that he could do whatever he wished. She turned towards Po and the Emperor again, smirking with a paw on her hip. "I've never met anyone with the sheer gall to shout at the Emperor without flinching. Congrats, panda. You've officially won my interest for impressing me like that."

Po blinked cluelessly. "Um...I wasn't really trying to...but okay."

Shifu, after having fully recovered from the shock of Po\s actions, cleared his throat and stood up straight. However, everyone was well aware that he was shaken up by the ordeal. "Well...now that we've gotten ourselves situated, we can officially begin our introductions, as well as reintroductions, to the other Masters. It's...been such a long time since I've seen a majority of them. I think that this reunion might help a bit. Even though we might be competing against one another at some point in this tournament. I hope they do not act too hostile towards us..."

Fenghuang eventually stopped laughing, wiping her amused tears away with a sassy huff. "Tch, you're afraid of them acting hostile? Let them say a few words. Then I'll proceed to kick their faces into the ground and then laugh about it. Those fools don't get to criticize us for the choices we made, not this time. Especially since we actually decided to do some decent work while we're at it."

Crane sighed as he adjusted his hat slightly. "Well...we're going to be meeting a lot of the Kung Fu Masters. They're not going to be too welcoming of us, are they?"

"Hehe! I don't think so, Crane!" Mei Ling chuckled, placing her arms behind her neck. "We sure did cause a lot of ruckus wherever we go without really taking full note of the consequences." Crane turned to her with a deadpan look after she said this. She didn't notice. "Disregarding that, I'm actually really interested in seeing the Masters that showed up! Should make for a pretty interesting meeting before we can get on with the tournament."

"Still, they'd better not be jerks to us. I'll have a mind to beat them down!" Lian cracked her knuckles. Peng and Bian Zao sighed in slight exasperation, though didn't try to warn her about the consequences of that type of action. They've been dodging the consequences for a while now, so they might as well continue the trend. Besides, they were also pretty curious about what might be in store for them next.

The Emperor eyed everyone for a moment, both the more experienced Masters and the younger ones. Both of them had an intense fire in their eyes, but for different reasons. He wasn't able to understand what this meant, and he doubted that he would be able to. However, he did acknowledge that they did not harbor any sort of hostility towards him, though they did make a point to let him know that he needs to be more mindful of the situation he placed himself in. Now that this sort of event was taking place, he needed to be extra mindful of his family. Because as unnecessarily extrem as the guards' actions were, they did have a point. China is at great risk because of his rushed and somewhat selfish actions. However, he also acknowledged that turning back now will do even _worse_ damage to everyone involved. As much as he hesitated over it, he realized that he had to see his decision through.

With a brief clearing of his throat, he nodded and turned around. "Now then, I believe that we have a meeting to attend. Most of the other Masters are there already, and they're quite eager to get started. Though obviously not as much as you all are. You seemed very determined to prove something. Proving yourselves, perhaps?" He shook his head. "I should not assume. We should proceed."

"As you wish." Shifu nodded slightly. He sounded very sure, but instead he was still highly nervous. A pretty decent collection of Kung Fu Masters would be gathering, and there was a high chance that they knew very much of his decision a few months ago. This only filled him with even more anxiety, but he won't turn away. He had to be strong for the others, for Tai lung, for Fenghuang, Taotie, for Tigress.

...Even for Mei Ling. Especially for Tigress and Mei Ling. They were the two biggest reasons why he decided to discard his title. So he could protect him and not care about Kung Fu's 'honor' possibbly barring him from doing so. However, he won't actively seek to deconstruct it unless he absolutely has to.

...And he might just have to right here.

 **(Emperor's Palace)**

Po and Mr. Ping were in a bit of awe at how large the palace was, especially since it was mostly going upwards. And even before that, there was an incredibly large courtyard surounding it and even right before it, creating a large space between the palace itself, and the city. The others were mildly impressed as well, though not the elder Masters. They've been here quite a number of times. Shen found that the palace might need a bit more color, but he wasn't an expert on architecture, so he wouldn't judge too hrshly.

Now wasn't the time for that. Now was the time for the real interesting sight. Kung Fu Masters were gathered all around, seemingly prepared for whatever the Emperor might say. They've each reeived the invitation via Kung Fu Express, which they got in record time. There was no way they were going to miss the chance to show their skills and strength in honor of the Emperor, as well as being chosen to possibly teach his grandson Kung Fu. There were a few Masters that Shifu and fenghuang were able to recognize right away.

Obviously Master Yao was among them, waving energetically towards them, oblivious to the other Masters staring at him in shock and awe. Standing right beside him was Master Kwng, who was tossing a scroll up before catching it, and repeating the process. He nodded in acknowledgement towards Po and Tigress.

Another noticeable group of Masters were Masters Elephant, Snow Leopard, and Rooster. They saw that Shifu and Fenghuang came after all, which they didn't know whether to chalk it up to a relief, a joy, or concern. They were very worried about the reaction of the others. Shifu anf Fenghuang gave a quick nod of acknowledgement towards them. Fenghuang was even smiling a little bit.

Another noticeable Master that took him by surprise was Temutai. He was towering over a majority of the much smaller Masters with his arms folded with a strong huff in his step. Though Po was able to sense that he has become much more mellow than before...though not enough for is shouting to go away. Po wondered if he was really here for the Emperor's sake. it seemed to be a bit too far fetched to be something like that. nevertheless, a part of him was glad another friend was here. It also might even do the Emperor good that Royalty wanted to help him out, even if it was for his own gain.

He also saw a brown bear around, with a red belt and metal plates. Po inwardly cheered at the sight of another bear in sight, regardless of if he wasn't a panda. Next to him stood a chicken. Crane was briefly stupefied by the sight of him. Mantis silently told him to get over it. The sight of a proudly standing eagle also made him stand in awe.

However, there were also a few questionable Masters around them as well. And a few of them weren't very nice.

"Well well...look who we have here..."

Taotie, Mei Ling, and Shifu recognized that voice. They recognized it quite well, and wished that he wasn't talking to them. Unfrunately he was, as they reluctantly turned towards him. Like Mei Ling, he was a fox. His eyes were orange. His fur was a unique color combination of orange, black, yellow, brown, and white. He was wearing blue robes with red, orange, and yellow patches. His ears twitched arrogantly as closely took in the features of the three of them, as well as a sideways glance towards Fenghuang. His tail swished softly and his eyebrows raised with interest. Though they all knew that this interest wasn't positive by any means. Shifu was worried about what his intentions were.

"Shifu...my my. I never expected you and your friends to actually show your faces in a place like this. Sure, the invitation said that any available Master that is willing to participate is free to come. But still, I thought you would have gotten the hint and stayed away from this." He tilted his head tauntingly. "But no. You actually have the nerve to show up here in front of those that used to be your peers. You traded all of that away...and for what, exactly?"

"Junjie..." Shifu started quietly while gazing into his eyes. "I'm getting the impression that you were hoping not to see me here. Though I can't say that I blame you. If I had been much more like how I was in the past, then I wouldn't want me to participate in this event either. However...I've changed quie a bit. As much as I respect Kung Fu...I'm afraid I cannot abide by some of it's rules anymore. I have decided to forge my own path alongside my comrades and daughter. As well as reuniting with my son, and even more family that I was unaware that I had."

The fox frowned slightly as he stepped a few paces closer to Shifu, until he was in his face. "So that's it then, Shifu? You've just decided to abandon your old way of life just because you were inconvienced by it? The honor that has been handed to you as Master of the Jade Palace...you've decided to just discard it? Something so important and significant suddenly doesn't have enough meaning to you that you had to abandon it? No, instead you decide to align ourselves with fugitives, and those that saw Kung Fu as a useless. You've really lost your way, havem't you?"

"No. On the contrary. I've found my new way of life." Shifu replied calmly. "It's true. With the destruction of the Jade Palace and the death of the Valley of Peace, I really cannot consider myself worthy of being refered to as 'Master' Shifu anymore. As I made my way through my journey, reunited with some old friends, and watched my daughter and her own friends actions...I realized that I have placed far too much value in maintaining the honor of Kung Fu. As much as I genuinely did try to uphold it, it had provided me with much more losses than it did victories. Maqny loved ones have drifted away from me...while I have remained where I was. As much as I wanted to follow them, as much as I wished to travel alongside them...I forced myself to stay, and keep my outer appearance stern and unfeeling about the pain I caused them...I abandoned that part of me."

Mei Ling and Taotie each looked towards Shifu with surprise. Even though Shifu has made his new sentiments clear already, actually hearing him say it while the other Masters were clearly listening was what truly surprised them. Shifu gazed at Junjie, who was glaring back at him, clearly displeased by his reasoning.

"I've decided that the safety and care of my love ones takes a significantly higher priority than trying to preserve that honor. It has clearly been met with much criticism, but my decision has been made. I shall not rescind it for any reason."

Junjie narrowed his eyes as blue chi began to seep off of his body. "You are trampling over Oogway's wishes, as well as his legacy. You're a disappointment to him as you were supposed to be the future GrandMaster of the Jade Palace. You let something like this happen, and now you choose to roam China as you se fit? Do you really think you're allowed to make choices like that?"

Shifu's body was soon coated with green chi, as he too narrowed his eyes against Junjie. "I have had many failures more than victories, that much I will readily agree to. I wish I could do many things differently so that certain events could have played out differently. But I can't take those things back now, as I can onl strive to do better from here. I am bound to falter at a few given points, but that's why I have my loved ones with me. I believe that Oogway would want me to follow my own path rather than trying to stay in his shadow. Regardless of what choices I've made, I know that he loved all of his students regardless of their choices. And I've made my choice. I think he'll respect it."

"You place so much confidence in that claim..."

"Because I know that's it's true."

For a few of them, a couple of Masters have conceded to Shifu's claim and his belief. They also seemed to lower their heads slightly as they all remembered that Oogway was no longer with any of them. Though a few others still seemed to be entirely against the idea of Shifu making that kind of choice.

Po tilted his head as he noticed that a couple of them were staring at him. Some of the looks weren't very nice, while those like Temutai smirked. They gazed at the ones alike Po, Tigress, the rest of the new five, and most of the young ones. He rubbed his neck in wonder as he heard what some of them whispered.

 _"That's him, isn't it...?"_

 _"He's much chubbier than I expected..."_

 _"I thought they were joking when it was said that he was a panda..."_

 _"I feel a naive, friendly, yet VERY dangerous chi around him..."_

 _"What was he thinking, travleing alongside a bunch of fugitives?!"_

 _"When you think about it, a majority of them have been known to have questionable backgrounds...the nly one we can sy for sure that we know is Grand Master Viper's daughter."_

 _"Somebody actually quelled her hatred for those that walk on two feet? I thought it could never be done!_

 _"He's a serious wild card...he's far too uncontrolled. Wild. Unpredictable. And he has no regard for who believes that his actions might be wrong."_

 _"He's a chaotic one, eh?"_

Po casually shrugged off the comments. It didn't matter to much to him anyway. He wasn't here to impress anyone, he was just eager to participate, regardless if they like him or not.

 _"It's surprising that he was taught by a demon like Fenghuang..."_

 _"Does that make him a demon, too? It would explain a lot..."_

 _'A shame. Having to be uner the tuteluge of a witch like her."_

 _"What as he thinking, leaving Lord Shen alive, and not in prison?!"_

 _"He's out of his mind keeping company like those around..."_

A vein pulsed in Po's head. _THAT_ , however, was unacceptable.

" **HEY!** " Po shouted/roared towards the Masters, shocking them out of their whispers and silencing them briefly. He stomped the ground so hard that it cracked, and he gritted his teeth. "If you all have some sort of problem with me, then say it to my face! Go on, I'm listening!" He made himself loud and clear, while his comrades sighed. Except for Tigress, who seemed to have similar wishes in mind but stayed her tongue for now.

One of the citizens shook off his shock and cleared his throat. "Panda..."

"My name is Po."

"Right, Po...the reason that they're saying these things about you is the reputation that you've gained in the process of your escapades."

"Eh?"

"He's saying that the actions of you and your grup haven't been completely unnoticed." Master Rhino clarified for him. "Some of these Masters have caught wind of your exploits, Po. They know a majority of the actions that you took, the people that you fought, the authorities that you defied, and the lives that you saved."

Mr. Ping gasped a bit. "Oh dear! Of course they would hear things about us eventually, Po. It was sort of unavoidable, actually. We just chose not to focus on that at the time, is what I'm reckoning."

"I'm not sure that I totally get it..."

Mr. Ping took hold of Po's flesh paw and shook it slightly. "Think about it, son. Tigress and Fung helped you stand up to the Kung Fu Council for Fenghuang's sake when you were just seven years old. Years later, you began your recruiting. To recruit Monkey, you had to defy the will, as well as destroy the home of a noble. To recruit Crane and Mei Ling, you ahd to save their school from being ransacked. To recruit Mantis and Viper, you both had to save the latter, as well as her village and family, from the controlling fangs of Fu-Xi. Recruiting Bian Zao with his father had you chase off a group of bandits in a shady town. You also went out of your way to have you and your friends help an innocent man break out of the prison he was unjustly placed in, and saved his daughter. On yet another note, to preserve Peng's secret, you all broke into Kung Fu Express Headquarters to destroy the scroll that had that message. That allowed us to recruit both Peng and Lian." Kwneng snorted a bit at that. That ws honestly the most fun he's had in years.

Tigress folded her arms and joined in. "There was also the time you went on ahead to fight Temutai in order to give a Princess her freedom back." Temutai nodded. He had kept his promise, and didn't go after the Princess after his defeat, nor did he bother her own kingdom after that. And then we proceeded to ursurp Master Mugan's perfectionist rule over the Valley she should have been protecting. And what came next as we tried to hep the Ladies of the Shade and Song, was that battle we had with Master Ding in order to save the previous Furious Five, and in turn we managed to form the newest one. And then we took Master Yao under our protection, broke into and liberated Mount Penglai with Tai Lung's help."

"And now, most infamously by now...we fought Lord Shen, came out on top...and then we spared his life and asked him to join us." Tai Lung finished, smirking at the uneasy looks of the other masters. "My guess is, they're very uneasy about your presence. To put it simply, they really don't know whether to consider you a friend or an enemy."

Po took in most of their words as they recounted the adventures they had up to his point. Now knowing that he's amassed quite a reputation, he know had these Masters wondering about his motives and what he's really all about. Fenghuang simply stood by with her wings tucked wondering how they were all going to respond to this sudden attention.

Peng rubbed his neck, somewhat embarassed. "Alright...it looks like we amassed quite the reputation. And a majority of it seems to be focused on Po because he was msot responsbile for bringing us together."

"That's definitely not gonna bite us in the ass. I at least hoped that it didn't." Bian Zao sighed. "Welp, too late to worry about it now. We're already here."

Song swung her parasol over her shoulder with her head tilted. "Wow. I didn't think we';d attract so much attention. They must really think we're bad kids, huh?~"

"Regardless of what they think, we aren't enemies of theirs. We were just trying to do our own thing. Guess we underestimated just how much our actions could gather some outside attention." Mantis rmarked, standing atop Crane's hat with his forelegs lowered slightly. "They don't look particularly happy about it, though..."

Tigress folded her arms and stood alongside Po. "Just to get the idea across, all of our accomplishments and msot of our battles was of our own volition. We didn't feel like we were obligated to do so, it was simply a chice we made. And we choice to do these things. Not all of them were good deeds. Some might even be considered negative. However, this is how each of us chose to live our lives. And with this choice, we have always made a point to put each other first, and everything else follows. Me and Po have been through a lot together, regardless of how others might read the situation. I've always stood by him, and I shall continue to do so as I lend him and each of my comrades my strength."

 _She's SO into him._ The Wu Sisters thought simultaneously.

Po touched the top of his head as he made enough room for his jade eyes to be seen, yet still be shadowed slightly. "For all it'd worth, I think we've caused a lot of work and headaches for most of you. I can apologize for that at least." He lifted it up a bit more as his eyes hardened. "But if you believe that I'm gonna apologize for living my life the way I choose, then you've got another thing coming!" He declared strongly. "Our Masters made a choice and they're strong enough to stick to it, regardless of anyone thinking that they're disgraceful! Fenghaung and Shifu aren't failures! they have it rough for a while, but they're NOT failures! A lot of our progress would have been a lot tougher if it wasn't for them! Fenghuang hid from the world for a long time, but she chose to come out and save me. She didn't have to, and she knew she didn't. but she chose to do so anyway. I really wouldn't be here if it weren't for her. And as for Shen, he would be much better off continuing in his suffering, learning from it, and becoming a better person. he can't do that if he's imprisoned or dead. That's not potential that I'm willing to let him waste."

"And my growth wouldn't be as efficient and progressive without my father's teachings. Not only that, but he did his best to still be my father as well as my Master, even though he was still very damaged by his ordeal with Tai Lung. That takes a lot of strength." Tigress clenched her fists. "You know what else takes a lot of strength? Willing surrendering his right to be an official Kung Fu Master. That decision weighed heavily on his mind, but he doesn't regret it. Because without all of the limitations that it might place on him, he can now act muh more freely, especially when it comes to protecting the ones he cares for." Tigress lowered her head. "His comrades...his best friend...his lover...his son...all of these things he had to give up at some point of his life in order to maintain the honor of Kung Fu. Now he's given up that honor for the sake of getting those precious things back. If maintaining that honor has such a high cost, then you all can keep it! I don't want it! None of us do!"

"Honor at the cost of friends and family? I don't think so. You can take that kind of honor and _shove it_." Po glared. "That kind of honor shouldn't be preserved so readily. That's why Shifu and Fenghuang chose to shatter that illusion that it was actually worth it. Being that honor-bound will _never_ be worth that cost. Our loved one's well beings should always be the higher priority. The Emperor briefly forgot about that, and it got his family in danger when they don't have the ability to defend themselves. I can be reckless because I have the strength to back it up. But Lu Kang doesn't have that strength, so he needs someone to watch his back until he _does_ have that strength. That's what this whole thing is about, right? To find someone who can teach him to do something like that? Why didn none of you come to his aid when he might have been in trouble? You can't teach him if he's dead! That makes the tournament pretty pointless, doesn't it?!" Po wasn't entirely angry at them all. Some of them genuienly didn't know that Lu Kang and than were in danger. There are even a couple he already knew and liked, and others that he could potentially get to know and like. However, he was far too frustrated with the idea that the Prince and his cousin could ave been killed and _no one was watching them_.

The Emperor didn't miss Po's jab at him, and he winced slightly. Though he was ultimately still right. He was far too eager. he needed to slow down and set some things straight before he got too far ahead of himself. As a result, he vowed to be a bit more creful when it came to making these preparations for his grandson, and mke sure that he was safe.

Needless to say, the others were impressed with Po and Tigress's views, and how strongly they believe in them. Mei Ling was especially touched, as they have just reinforced the fact that Shifu really does care about her more than his sense of honor. Though the cost was heavy, he does not regret his choice. Many more positives would come from that decision, in due time. Taotie was having the same thoughts as Shifu had stood up for him and Mei Ling. There was no longer any doubt that Shifu was trying his best to patch things up between them fully, even if his Kung Fu comrades might not agree with him.

Junjie huffed as he stepped away from Shifu. "Is this what it's come to, Shifu? You and Fenghuang have been training a group of chaotic hooligans?"

"You're just touchy because my student called your ass out. HA!" Fenghuang cackled again, clapping her wings together with glee. "That was excellent, Po! Simply brilliant! Lookat how shocked they are, trying to process what just happened! They're shocked by the sheer audacity! I love it!"

"As do I..." Su folded her arms as she gazed at Po's defiant stance, glaring at all the Masters that were somewhat disgusted by his immense disrespect, though some brushed it off knwoing that he was trained by Fenghuang of all people. Su was finding him more impressive by the moment, her tail calmly swishing behind her. "He's proving to be quite an interesting being the longer I see him..."

Wing and Wan stared at each other for a moment, then back at Su. They both gasped. _No way! Big Sis couldn't possibly...?!_

"Since the final group has made...an _eccentric_ entrance, we can now proceed!" One of the advisors, Meng tao, nodded as he stepped upfront next to the Emperor. "The tournament rules has been discussed and decided. Shifu and the Kung Fu Council has graciously provided us the names of the newcomers, and was able to fit them in without too much hassle. The way the tournamnet goes is in challenge format. A Kung Fu Master is decided by the Emperor's advisors, which is myself and Fui Suan. Then that Kung Fu Master decides who they wish to do battle with. It can be a one on one, or a team battle on each side. For those battles, you choose who fights together. For you to win, you have to either incapacitate your opponent, or knock them out. Ring outs have proven to be...less exciting."

"Doubtful." Mantis rolled his eyes.

"Nevertheless, the first match has been decided and will take place in five hours. It will be Master Bear against the one known as Po!"

"Ah sweet, I get to go first!" Po thrusts his fists in the air cheerfully, his tense look vanishing instantly. "I can't wait to get started!"

With the first participants decided, the Kung Fu Masters dispersed to their seperate places of occupation where they would rest before matches start. From the Emperor's Palace, a cloaked siamese cat with a swishing tail and glowing blue eyes stared at Po. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion for a couple moments, before disappearing in a flash of blue light. She needed to keep close observation on him. Something about him... _really_ rubbed her the wrong way. he might prove to be a great danger to her plans.

With the tension mostly gone, Shen walked up to Po's side, watching him as if he were crazy. "Was that REALLY necessary?! All you've managed to accomplish was makiong yourself out to be a target! Is that what you wanted?!"

"We said what we wanted to say. Whether they agree with us or not is for them to decide." Po said simply.

"Indeed. We're not here to impress them. We came here to win Oogways treasures and make sure they'll be safe. And as an important bonus, we'll be helping out Lu Kang and Zan." Tigress said. She then folded her arms and tilted her head. "Still, this won't be easy. There's a high chance that some of those Masters will likely make us pay for our disrespect towards them through this tournament."

"Ya mean they're going to make us feel bad for living our lives the way we do, and expect us apologize for it?" Po chuckled at the thought. He then tilted his hat downwards just slightly, enough for his eyes to be shadowed. He was well aware that his way of life doesn't agree with the other Masters. Some might be friendly, others might not. The more distasteful ones might try to hurt him and his friends to make an example of those who use Kung Fu so freely, and knowing they were simply acting with no one to seriously discipline them. Junjie seemed especially against them, and has quietly made a vow to see them all crushed in the tournament. Some of them think that they'll be able to tame Po and his friends. He then sported a wide grin. His jade eyes...flashed gold for a split second.

 _Challenge Accepted!_


	68. New Thoughts On Po

**A guest reviewer has been reviewing my other stories, telling me to upate this one.**

 **I'm gonna have to ask you to stop that. Don't take up space in other stories review sections by telling me to review other stories. I didn't forget, I promise you. I'm gonna continue updating. So I have to kindly ask you not to do that anymore. It's getting on my nerves.**

 **Anyway, not much happens in this chapter...but it'll have important implications in the long run.**

* * *

"Haha! This is why I like those kids! They're full of pleasant surprises!" Master Yao was awfully quick to applaud Po for what has transpired recently. Though a majority of the other Masters didn't agree with them, it wasn't too hard to see that at least a select few are somewhat impressed with the panda's audacity. Something like this hasn't happened in a long time. And the last time the Emperor remembered this happening, Fenghuang was the one responsible. Now she was responsible for the next major rebel to their rules and customs. Her response to this was fairly simple, and straight to the point.

"Yeah. I've seen those kids grow for quite a while now. It's surprising that not much time has passed. Less time passed than I thought. Still, it's been quite a while since we all set out. They've developed very quickly, much to our pride." Fenghuang huffed, rubbing her beak with a wing. "I honestly don't see what the problem is, and I don't appreciate you pulling me out of my nap. I was having a dream about noodles, dumplings, hazelnut wafers and- _damn_ I must be hungry..."

"Will you pay attentionalready, you blasted woman!?" Ox slammed his feet on the floor, gritting his teeth at her nonchalance towards the subject. She casually ignored him, thinking about what Mr. Ping cooking up something later in the night for her to eat all for herself, not wanting her student to butt in and try to ask for a portion. Ox could see he was being ignored, and his anger at her grew expontentially as seconds went by. Once again, she could care less about his thoughts. "Anyway, I guess you all want to know for sure if those ventures the panda had are true...well they _are_ true, dumbasses. I wouldn't brag so much about my student if I weren't proud of his achievements. Hell, he's my favorite achievement."

"I agree! He's such a nice boy to be around! Being around him is always an amazing experience!" Master Yao clapped as he casually levitated in the air via **Wings of Light** , stroking his beard with a tilted head. "Though I suppose I can see why many of our colleagues may not agree with 're not a fan of things that aren't under their control. Nope! Not a fan at all!"

"You can hardly blame us, Master Yao. The Panda has made it quite clear that his actions aren't always thought out. He's a loose cannon." Shen scoffed in amusement, which made Junjie narrow his eyes. "Picking fights with other Kung Fu Masters. Resisting a King's customs. Letting the overlord responsible for his species' annihilation lvie despite all of his heinous crimes. He has the judgement of an infant! Not to mention that he spoke to all of us with as much disrespect as he could muster! And the **_Emperor_** was among those he disrespected! No doubt a _teaching_ passed down from his so-called _'Master'_ as well!"

Fenghuang casually shrugs ot off. "Yup. He's not gonna bow down to someone he doesn't know so easily, especially since the Emperor's grandson and nephew were in danger and he was not aware of it. He does not take kindly to those who don't pay close attention to their family. Our precious Emperor was so caught up in his own affairs that he didn't even think that his family would suffer from his decisions before the tournament would even start. That's poor judgement on the old man's part. At the very least, I commend him for sticking to his word, regardless of how he might be inconvenienced by it." She then yawned, patting her beak lazily. "Snow Leopard, Rooster, Elephant. What do you say? After today's first match of the tournament, do you wanna have a drink with me and Shifu? We didn't actually get a chance to really hang out last time. We were too busy...uh...trying to beat the shit out of each other. I wanna know what you've been up to."

"That's rather new of you, Fenghuang. You actually want us to gather up like old times?" Snow Leopard raised an eyebrow slightly intrigued. "Wow. Having that panda around really did change you somewhat, if you're actually making time for friendly meetings."

"I wanna celebrate my student's first win after kicking Master Bear's ass."

"You sound awfully confident in your student's victory." The bear himself raised an eyebrow. "You don't think that there's a chance that he might lose?"

"Of course there's chance he could lose. I'm just saying that the chances of him losing is awfully miniscule. He's going to wipe the floor with you."

Junjie narrowed his eyes. "Your arrogance continues to become a major part of you, even though Master Oogway has properly taught you the consequences of such a trait. Your precious panda is nothing but a pathetic joke that's been going on for too long."

Fenghuang smirked. "I could say the same thing about you. How is it that a conniving little shit like yu is still a Kung Fu Master? I've got my bad blood with Shifu still but I still like him much better than you. Your face just _sscreams_ bad news every time I look at it...oh that reminds me, Shifu is also better looking. A better Master, and overall just a better person. My respect towards him is significantly higher than my respect for you."

"Like I care about gaining the respect of an outlaw like you!"

"HA! Spoken like a sore loser!" Fenghuang guffawed, arching her head back as she began to leave the large room. "I gotta go. Have a few hours to prepare for Master Bear's defeat at my panda's paws. It's going to be a glorous showing of how his generation is beginning to catch up with us faster than we think."

Rhino lifted his head slightly and watched Fenghuang's back. "...Fenghuang. You have such a large impact on how Po speaks, thinks, and acts. Was any of those typs of teachings intenional? Did you know he would gain this sort of mindset?"

"...Not entirely. I gave him my thoughts on how our little world operates and why. I didn't have a lot of good things to say about it, but he didn't care much about that. To him, only a few things matter to him. He has a very simple way of thinking, as he leaves the complicated stuff to everyone else. What he sees is bad people to fight and good people to protect. And he's awfully protective of his family. This very large family of his. How far does it go? He won't hesitate to fight _anyone_ who openly threatens the innocent, or his loved ones. Due to the many different concepts of good and evil, he decides to discard those labels and chooses to be himself. He'll do _whatever it takes_ to protect his loved ones and to protect those who can't protect themselves. It won't matter what anyone else thinks of it. This is a man who won't hesitate to defy anyone who stands in the way of his goals. Even if that person is the Emperor...or China in it's entirety. He won't seek out that fight just for shits and giggles. but if he feels that's what he needs to do, then he'll do it without hesitation.:

Junjie clenched his fists. "His way of thinking is illogical. You're aware of this, right?"

"He listens to his heart more than his brain. He has never admitted to being smart. Besides, I agree with him. Morality does not rule my judgement. I compare it to flying...I fly wherever the hell I want, whenever I want. We do whatever we want regardless of what people like you think. Just like we chose to participate in this tournament just because we can." Fenghuang yawned, waving her wing and stepping out. "I'm out. Later losers."

Ox glared hard at her as she began to leave. "I continue to try and be patient with your utter disrespect, Fenghuang. The panda is at least somewhat excuseable, but you make it irritatingly difficult to do so!"

"Kiss my feathery ass, Oxy-Boy!~" Master Ox had to be restrained by both Rhino and Croc from outright charging her, knowing out that might turn out. She gracefully flapped her wings and flew out the door, never looking back.

"Farewell, my feathery friend! See you later today!' Master Yao waved cheerfully, his wings disappearing and causing him to fall to the ground. All the Masters gasped, though they see him effortlessly land on his feet as easily as breathing. He laughed. "Look at your faces! You look like you've seen a spirit! Relax a little!"

Shen watched her leave, seemingly coming to a realization from her interaction with the other Masters. _I can see how the panda might have gotten a few traits from her now. His way of thinking stems on free will to choose whatever path best suits his interest while also benefitting good people and woeing less than tasteful people. And he doesn't qualify himself as a hero, yet nothing about him can classify him as a villain. His way of thinking is without a doubt illogical, but he doesn't act out on logic. That...is an understatement._ Shen paused as he rubbed the black side of his face, closing his eyes. _...Perhaps I can continue to learn more from his actions, as his words aren't always understandable to me. And as for the owl...seeing how she's responsible for half of his mindset, with his father being the other...I do wonder._ Shen shook his head, a slight sweatdrop running down his head. _I wonder how a creaure as graceful as an owl can be so casually vulgar..._

 **(Meanwhile...)**

" _Zzzz...zzzz...zzzz..._ "

Po had chosen to take a bit of a nap before his fight with Master Bear. Twenty bowls were scattered around him as he lazily lied on a hammock with his hat placed right over his face, planning to snore the five hours away. Viper took the time to curl up on his belly and lie her head on it, feeling comfortable with being so close to her brother figure. Tigress reached out and gently poked his belly, causing it to make a bit of a squishy sound as it jiggled slightly. Slightly intrigued, she placed an entire paw upon it and gently rubs the side of it, feeling the softness of his fur and feeling how jiggly it was. After a few moments, Po slowly smiles and lightly giggles under his hat, followed by a wiggle of his feet.

"Hehehe..n-no...noodles aren't supposed to tickle me from the outside...that's totally backwards..."

"Hm..." Tigress smiled softly as she continues to rub the side of his belly, being careful of Viper, who was watching with amusement yet didn't say a thing. Tigress lowered her eyes with a soft smile. "You can be so unbelievable sometimes. While I definitely agreed with you and took your side, it's still reckless to just shout at the Emperor like that. Yet still, you didn't even hesitate. Hmph, you probably weren't even fully thinking it out. Just speaking from your heart...as always. You consider me your equal, and have fully admitted that I'm physically superior to you in nearly every way." She stopped rubbing his belly but kept her paw placed on it. She then had her other paw grab his paw and lightly squeezed it. "And yet despite that, i'm the one who's constantly admiring you the most. Hmph. Bet you're not even trying to impress me...you're just doing whatever you like. I think...that's one of the reasons why I admire you so much. You may have caught it from Fenghuang, but you've become such a free spirit in your own way, always following your own set of rules while keeping hold of your compassion...I don't think I can easily reach your level. Even I sometimes hesitate sometimes while you don't at all...I wonder how you'll surprise us next..."

"Ahhh...so _that's_ your type." Tigress's eyes widened as she let go of Po and turned around as a few of her friends entered the room. And The Wu Sisters, with Wing being the owner of the voice, smirked with her arms folded. "You're really into the rebellious types with a heart of gold, huh?"

"W-What?!" Tigress's eyes widened as a small blush began manifesting on her cheeks.

"Come on! 'Following your own set of rules while keeping hold of your compassion'? Pfffft hahahaha!" Wing laughed while holding her stomach, and Wan joined in, while Su simply smirked. Wing pointed at Tigress with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Admit it! That kind of guy is a turn-on for you!"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh come on, you've got a thing for this guy! There's no denying that!" Wing wiped a tear from her eyes from her heavy laughter. "I mean, I don't blame you. He seems like a strong, dependable guy who's capable of holding his own. He also refuses to let established rules keep him from following his hear and doing what he feels is right. This renders him one of the most dangerous men in China because he refuses to be fully controlled by ANYONE. Yet another turn-on for you! And apparently for someone else..." She shot a glare at Su, who casually rolled her eyes at the silent accusation. Wing continued. "Not only that, but he's a panda. A _panda!_ He's gonna be adorable no matter what he does or how he acts in some way or another, because pandas equal automatic cuteness!"

'Zzzzz...no way...dumplings can't fly...then again, neither can pandas...skadoosh~"

"See what I mean!? He's not even conscious and he's being cute!"

Tigress shook her head, paws raised. "Y-You've got it wrong! It's just that, he's been like this for a long time! Even when he was just a cub-"

"Oh, childhood friend! Another factor!"

Wan pouted with her paws folded. "Well damn. This tubby adorable panda has already went and claimed your heart...I was hoping I would at least have a fair chance, but I guess not." She sighed with a casual shrug. "Oh well, I suppose I can adjust to it. Is he interested in having a harem, by any chance?" The females-and Crane-sputtered and coughed at Wan's question. It baffled them that she was only _half_ -joking.

"Oooh, _that's_ a new one! I actually wanna see where that goes!~" Monkey said with an eager wag of his tail.

 _ **SMACK! SMACK!**_

Wan and Monkey were now lying facedown on the ground with comical bruises atop their heads, courtesy of Viper and Wing. Wing folded her arms and shook her head in exasperation. "Geez. You have your own pervert too? That's rather unfortunate."

"As long as they don't take measures to actually act out on those impulses, it's totally fine. Though if they do act out, then they'll be punished quite heavily." Su Wu folded her arms. She was serious about what she was saying. But Wan's suggestion did peak her curiousity, at least a little bit. But that wasn't her main interest right now. She turned towards Tigress and tilted her head. "Tigress. Are you sure you don't have feelings for this panda. I spoke with Shifu a little bit, he says that you were into stories surrounded about heroic rebels who do the right thing regardless of what people think about them. Are you sure that kind of man isn't your type?"

 _Why is my love life suddenly a topic of discussion...?_ Tigress sweatdropped as she lowered her head in wonder, her tail calmly swishing behind her. She gently reached up and tugged on her scarf. The precious scarf that's been given to her by Po all those years ago. Even now, she never goes any places without it. Now that she was being forced to discuss it...she really didn't know. _Does_ she have feelings for Po? Fenghuang did mentiont hat female tigers tend to get highly possessive over what they believe is theirs. But Po doesn't belong to her like that. Sure, they've spent a lot of time together, and her heart flutters a bit whenever he does something unexpected that borders on insane or worse. Seeing him in action is a rather strange, yet exciting experience for her. She won't ie and say that the panda has had quite a skill in surprising everyone. Not only that, he doesn't know how charismatic he really is...

Though something about him sparing Shen despite everything he's done _really_ reached out to her. Like she's mentioned, she didn't think she would be able to do the same. It wasn't that he was too weak to do it. But he was proven to be stronger by _not_ doing it. And he's been like this towards people he believes he can be friends with. Not only that, he just wants to protect whoever he can, whenever he can, no matter who or what stands in his way. Perhaps she admires this aspect of him as well?

Su shrugged. "Well, whatever. What advice I can give you: You have to be on the offensive. I can tell you're the dominant one in this friendship. If you really find your heart reaching towards him in thaat way, you'd better damn well make sure to let him know. Because I've seen a few people like him. They're really dense. You've got to crack that shell multiple times until it finally opens. And believe me, the payoff is worth it." With this, Su waves her paw and walks off with her sisters, leaving Tigress and Po in the room alone. Viper has slithered out of the room out of embarrassment, but smiled at the duo before fully going gazed at Po again in wonder. The first match would begin soon enough, so she would be here to wake him up when the time comes. She thought over the words and actions portayed to her, and she still couldn't help but feel confused.

 _I'm not sure I fully understand...but could it be true? Has this entire journey we've had together lead me to feeling something entirely different? I can feel my fondness for you has definitely grown...but is that really what it is?_ Tigress narrowed her eyes and shook her eyes. _No. That doesn't matter right now. I can worry about that fully when the tournament ends. Our priority has to stay focused on getting Oogway's artifacts back by those tournament rules...still...I wonder how Po might feel about this...?_

Glowing blue eyes under a cloak stared at the duo through the inn window from afar. With a small 'tch', they vanished...

* * *

 **Okay, you all waited long enough. Po vs. Master Bear begins in the next chapter, along with a few other matches decided through rather shady means. And don't worry. A lot of characters will have their time to shine, it won't always be just Po and Tigress.**

 **Anyway, summer vacation for me has begun, so unless I'm not being forced to do something, I'll be updating this more for sure! I keep saying that and yet it keeps slipping away from me...but not enough to make me quit, I assure you!**


	69. Bear Vs Bear

**Apparently in an official video regarding Kung Fu Panda 3, Po thinks highly of Master Bear and deeply admires him. Because...ya know, they're both bears.**

 **Perhaps I can build upon that. Who knows?**

* * *

Five hours have passed easily enough. Po's duel against Master Bear was bound to begin any moment now, and many were gathering for the first event of the tournament. Obviously there was plenty of doubt on if Po was capable of doing much to an experienced Master like Master Bear. Though his friends believed that he would provide an excellent performance win or lose...though Shifu would greatly prefer that the panda win. The Wu Sisters-Su especially-were quite curious to see the panda's skills for an extended period of time at another skilled martial artist, and not just a couple of incompetent goons out for Lu Kang's head. Yeah, the Emperor was putting extra eyes on his own guards to make sure they wouldn't try anything.

Su and Fenghuang agreed that was rather pathetic. The Royal Guard should be much better than that, yet it isn't.

So sad. So very sad.

Regardless of that, there was a schedule to keep, and they expected Po to be on time. Thing is, there was only ten minutes left until it officially begins. Tigress opened her eyes slowly as she turned toward the sleeping panda still snoring the day away. As cute as he was like this, he couldn't stay like this for long. Tigress sighed as she softly poked his belly.

"Po."

"Ngggh..."

"Poooo..."

"Mmmmh..."

" _Po_."

"Nuuuu..."

Tigress shook her head in slight irritation, and began shaking him a bit more roughly. "Po! We don't have time for this! Your match is about to begin soon!" She said a bit more forcefully. At first she thought she was making progress, as she heard him groan and yawn loudly, and his face scrunched up slightly. That was thrown out the window once Po pulled her into his arms and turned on his side, unconsciously placing her in a tight hug. Her eyes widened as she felt the hard prosthetic arm as well as his softer flesh and fur arm both holding her tight. Shocked by the turn of events, she tried to squirm her way out of his hold. That proved to be rather difficult, at least without hurting him. "Po! Wake Up!"

"Huaaah...I've already trained twelve hours straight without food or breaks, Master...please let me have this nap...just a wee wittle nap...?" Po mumbled sleepily, smacking his lips slightly. "Imma just rest up for a few hours and I'll get right back to it, promise..." Po unconsciously twirls around in the hammock, moving a lost Tigress along with him. She squirmed a little more, losing her composure rather quickly and went from demanding to begging.

"Pooo...you have to take this more seriously...and to take this more seriously, you _need_ to wake up! Can you wake up? _Please?_ " Still no progress, as another loud snore represented this rather well. Tigress was about to try again...only to feel Po lower his head and nuzzle her chest. She froze up completely, going completely stiff.

"Ngh...these fluffy clouds are much softer than usual...and they smell really nice..." Po smiled softly as he relaxed where he was, while Tigress was still very much frozen in place and unable to effectively comprehend the situation anymore.

 _Again...it happened again! I really don't understand this...why am I not angry about this?! Well...I can't really fault him for this, can I...? I mean...he's sleeping peacefully...and I don't really think he knows what he's doing...regardless, we can't remain like this! Someone might walk in on us and get the wrong idea!_ Tigress took a different approach. She slowly raised her paw and gently pets the top of his head. This caused him to smile in his sleep and laugh a little. She resisted the urge to smile at the reaction, staying focused. "Po, I know you're enjoying your nap...but you _really_ need to get up. if you don't, you're not going to be able to eat your breakfast. Fung, Monkey, Viper, and mantis are going to take it all for themselves. And you don't want that, do you...?"

Po's eyes widened as he instantly releases Tigress from his tight grasp. Not even batting an eye towards her, he swiftly picks up his hat and scarf and ran straight out the door. "SAVE SOME FOR ME! DON'T EAT EVERYTHING WITHOUT ME!"

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Monkey shouted back.

Tigress sighed softly, glad that particular ordeal is over. She sighed as she tightened her scarf around her neck, trying to deny that she was blushing from the close contact that left the panda's head close to her heart. Once again something like this occurs, almost completely out of her control. At the very least, she was able to get him to wake up before someone noticed. At least, she hoped no one noticed.

Shifu swfitly passed by, looking into her room. "Tigress! Is Po awake yet?!"

"U-Um...he just woke up and ran out. He's ready by now."

Shifu sighed with relief, smiling softly. "Ah...that's good. That's very good." Truthfully, he felt his 'Fatherly Senses' tingling, and swiftly went to Tigress to see if he needed to kick Po through a wall. Fortunately it didn't seem like anything happened, not something that he noticed. Tigress was glad that her orange fur prevented her from giving herself away. The awkward air diminished somewhat, as Shifu cleared his throat and nodded. "Well...if that will be all, it's best you catch up with the others. Po's duel will be starting any moment, so we need to, how you say...hustle."

'Right." Tigress nodded as she stood up and followed her father out the door. A major part of her focus was on the tournament at hand. But a minor stray though passed through her head that upset said focus just slightly.

 _He may have admitted it unconsciously...but he thinks I smell nice...I don't know how I should take that..._

 **(Fast Forward...)**

The sound of a Gong resounded throughout the chosen area, as many Kung Fu Masters, whether than were currently official or not, were gathered in one spot with enough space to hold them all. Some of the more questionable once kept to the shadows while everyone else stayed in the light. Perhaps this was intentional...perhaps not. Whatever the case may be, the main point was that everyone was gathered for the first few events to start, with as little distraction as possible. Well, with as little distractions that one can really afford. Because really, the distractions from earlier were more than unwanted, as said distraction was an attempted assassination.

So one could understand the Emperor's caution when he had one of the Masters accompany Lu Kang and Zan as a slight act of caution. As such, the Kung Fu Council was placed with that role. It was a bit awkward for the former, since he was still somewhat recovering from his wounds. He didn't feel like he was allowed to _not_ attend the beginning of the events, as they were very much centered around him, to an extent. He didn't want to sound like he was more important than anyone else, even though his title might decide otherwise. Plus, he did feel like he had to attend for another reason. Another personal reason that no one else currently knew.

He really wanted to see Po in action.

He didn't really know where that curiosity is originating, but it was definitely there. Something about Po managed to really bring that curiosity to the surface, though he didn't voice it out loud. Though it seemed that one person managed to already figure out the majority of his feelings of admiration for the panda. His aunt. If she were to also guess on his feelings, he seems to view Po as his hero, despite the latter insisting that he's nothing of the sort. Perhaps...that's exactly why he might admire the panda. While he might not see himself as a hero, he was completely sure of the path he was following, and it was a path in which he wouldn't let anything limit him from doing what he feels is right. Other Kung Fu Masters may see him as some sort of danger, others actually like him. Lu Kang was definitely a person who was growing to admire Po.

Zan? He really wanted to see the pretty tiger lady again. His mother was surprised that he grew such an intense attachment to her so quickly. To be fair, she did manage to save his life, and she was eternally grateful for that. Though it seemed that through said action, Zan has gained a new idol to look up to. It was amusing, and also cute. Maybe she can request for Tigress to play with Zan for a little while, not enough to deter her of course, but enough for Zan to be sufficiently happy. But for now, he would have to wait.

Anyway, the Masters, as well as many civilians, took up the seats of the rather large Kong Bai Stadium, a building with a single ring of windows and four flags on it's roof. It was thought to have been much farther from Imperial city instead of being decently close to it. Though no one really remembers how long it's been so close to the city, even though they really should have noticed by now. Strange that no one has any recollection of the stadium being so close...though since it was quite suiting of their needs, they weren't really complaining about it. It helped to have a stadium capable of holding everyone, anyway. It was enough to hold hundreds of people, and the Royal Family received special seats that would give them an accurate view of the arena. Not too close, but not too far either. just about average. They say this stadium is reserved only for special events...well this IS a special event, so Lu Kang could agree that it's being used quite effectively.

The Masters were gathered in a specific spot close to the Royal Family, but also gave them enough respectful space. They just wish to be prepared for anything. Fenghuang, Shifu, Mei Ling and Master Yao were gathered in a specific spot of their own, because three of them wanted to keep their distance from Junjie as much as they possibly could. Master Yao...he just wanted to pet Shifu for a bit while observing the stadium.

"I don't think I've been in a stadium this large before!" Master Yao commented brightly, taking in the surroundings and taking precious care to remember every detail. "There's a lot of people here, and they all look rather antsy! I wonder if it's because of our favorite panda?~"

"Hmph. Course they're here to see my student in action." Fenghuang huffed while folding her wings. "Master Bear won't know what hit him."

"Still, this will be the first time that Po faces off against someone a bit similar to him. I think they're both eager to see one another." Shifu commented with a curious nod of his own. Though he blushed, and his ears flattened against his head as he felt Mei Ling hug him gleefully as she was sitting on his lap. "Mei Ling...there are plenty of seats around..."

"Why would I take those shoddy seats when I have the best one right here?~" Mei Ling giggled while snuggling him, causing him to groan and blush brighter. At the very least, Junjie wasn't close enough to mock them for appearing so unprofessional. Though Taotie was nearby, at least a row above him, and was looking at Shifu with a questioning eyebrow. The look from Shifu was clear: _Don't you start too_.

At last, the event has begun and everyone's focus fell upon the stadium. Po slowly climbed up on the right, while Master Bear entered on the left. As they neared each other, Po could see how much the older bear towered over him, he did indeed look menacing. Yet Po wasn't intimidated in the slightest. instead, he just took in his appearance as a whole. A heavy brown and black fur coat, a braided goatee, a thick red belt attached to dangling metal plates, and dual axes sheathed on his back. It was quite simple to sum up how he looked.

"...You look so damn _cool_!" Po beamed brightly, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at Master Bear from side to side, jumping around him. "You're a bear, just like me! And you're lovably large, just like me! And you're really good at Kung Fu, just like me! WE HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON IT'S CRAZY!~"

"Yep. Saw that coming." Mantis remarked with a shake of his head, standing upon the edge of the seat next to Monkey.

"Can we blame him? This is Po's first time meeting another bear face-to-face. So of course he's going to get pretty excited over it." Viper giggled as she watched fawn over Master Bear for a full minute. She shook her head with a small smile. "Only Po could be so serious a few hours ago and be so casual right about now."

"Well, he did have a power nap." Fung sighed. "Sleep is one of the best ways to block out unwanted emotions and other irritating crap, so of course he simply slept most of that stress off... _after_ eating. Though to be fair, he was gonna eat either way."

Master Bear was feeling incredibly awkward, seeing how carefree his opponent was acting, a complete turn around from the serious demeanor he displayed mere hours ago. After a few moments, he cleared his throat as he tried to get the panda to pay attention. "You're an energetic one...I wouldn't have expected that from you." Po stopped i the middle of his comment, blinking curiously. "Remember, this ring is just a basis for our fight since ring-outs have been rather discouraged by the advisors. Either incapacitation or knockout will be acceptable. Surrender is also acceptable...but it won't be looked upon with kindness."

"Right, so we either have to fight until we can't fight anymore, or we get knocked out. That's easy to understand, quite easy!" Po nodded effectively as he folded his arms. "And let me take a guess and say that they're aren't too many restraints, such as weapons and chi attacks. The only serious rule t this is not to kill. I can manage that easily enough."

"I'm sure you can. What of your prosthetic?"

"You don't have to worry about that, I've adapted to it quicker than people expected me to. Plus it was made by a genius, so it's gonna be more enough to help me hold my own when it comes to fighting."

Taotie smiled a bit smugly at Po's indirect praise.

Meng Tao, temporarily serving as the referee, stepped away from the middle of the ring and waved his arm. "This is Master Bear Versus Po. You two can begin when ready!"

Po grinned slightly as Master Bear struck at him first. He could see the power behind the fist, and jumped back to avoid the harsh blow. Bear's fist smashed into the ground, cratering it heavily and causing cracks to extend across in a web-like manner. Po skidded back a few feet before stopping, his scarf flapping in the wind. He slowly stood up and adjusted his hat, placing it behind him while the string kept it from falling. Bear looked up in time to see Po swiftly moving towards him, kicking at his chest, pushing him back a couple feet before stopping, picking up a bit of dust. After taking a moment to catch his breath, Master Bear stood up and gazed upon Po.

"Just like me. You're quite, how you say, 'lovably large', yet you're much faster than one would."

"The same can be said for you. I alost didn't dodge that punch of yours. It really tore into the ground, there!" Po grinned cheekily as he rubbed his cheek. "Welp. That's introductions out of the way. How about we keep going. With a bit more force behind our blows this time?"

"I can accept that."

With the two large bears in agreement, they charged at one another, and they clashed fists. The blow was powerful enough to cause a brief shockwave that was felt by nearly everyone in the stadium, sweeping up more dust from the ground. Some that were much clsoer to the arena were greatly shaken by the shockwave, though the more experienced marial artists were barely fazed. Those like Tai Lung didn't flinch in the slightest. Instead, he smirked slightly as he watched Po slowly prove himself to be a match for Master Bear, if only slightly.

They immediately broke their punch parry, Bear striking first by swiftly returning the favor by kicking Po in the chest. The latter slid back slightly, though Bear was in pursuit, jumping forward and going for another kick. The kick struck Po hard in the stomach, making him double over slightly. Though Po smiled slyly as he brought his arms together, then he spread them while raised them high in the air, and Bear was bounced away from the panda. He landed on his feet as Po laughed a bit triumphantly, his belly shaking slightly.

"Ha ha ha! That's not gonna work!~"

"I see. You're much more skilled than I thought. Turning a supposed weakness into a reliable strength." Bear nodded. "Admirable. A fellow fighter of endurance." Po was showing amazing Kung Fu prowess, despite having a prosthetic arm he hasn't had for very long. It already felt somewhat natural with him. Bear thought about this as he watched Po laugh gleefully. _I'm dealing with a natural prodigy...I'm actually quite proud of him, given he's a bear like me._ Bear nodded as he regained his senses and blocked an incoming blow from Po which was a rather forceful axe kick fom above, which he didn't see until he saw a shadow looming over him. The ground beneath him cracked slightly as he firmly held his ground. Po slowly relinquished his attack, seemingly falling backwards. Bear was blindsided as it was actually a midair backflip, and Po completes it by a kick swinging upwards into Bear's chin, sending him up a few feet before regaining his stance. Po landed on his back, but immediately recovers by swinging around and juming to his feet, managing a stance of his own. Bear rubbed his chin as he smiled, completely removing any doubt that he was enjoing his time with Po.

Definitely a natrual prodigy.

"Alrighty then! We're both doing pretty well for ourselves, I think yu can agree on that, right?" Po grinned, cracking his neck slightly and elaxing through a few hops. "Hey. Rules say that weapons are allowed. You're not gonna use your axe-like blade thingies?"

"The rules say so, but I prefer not to. I don't wish to accidentally cause any critically serious injury."

"That so? You seem like a pretty decent guy!~"

"Hmph...I suppose I am quite decent, if you see me that way."

Their battle continues in earnest. Master Bear gathers his stamina and charges at Po. Po was prepared to attack in retaliation. Though he was unprepared for Bear to swiftly move past him, quickly turn on his heel, and slam his paw into Po's back. Po gasped slightly as he was sent tumbling across the ground before stopping facefirst, groaning in slight pain. He should have expected that, but he was sveral seconds too late to do anything to counter. Nonetheless, he gets back up and tries again. Bear once again rushes towards Po and attempts the same manuver again. Though Po wasn't having it this time, as he swiftly turns aroud and does a leg sweep to trip his fellow bear over. Though he also added a powerful palm strike to his chest while he was in the middle of falling, sending him across the arena in a heap. he recovered quickly enough, getting back to his feet quickly.

Po didn't provide any breathing room for long, moving quickly towards Bear with a grin on his face. Bear prepared to attack him in the process. When Po got close enough, Bear swiped at him with his fist. Po narrowly ducks under it as he gathers his paws together. Bear slams both fists down on Po, who manages to catch them both in his paws, having been cut off from finishing his attack but managing to keep Bear from completing his own. While they were standing staring each other down, Bear took a chance to look in to Po's eyes. He could see the power that they held, the intensity, the sheer determination...as well as the warmth, kindness, and purity that is rarely seen in anyone else's eyes. Very few have eyes with that special kind of purity, and Oogway was one of them. He is someone who is completely content with not knowing everything about the world or people in general, because it matters not when it comes to helping the helpless. He could tell he was not bound by the standard rules of Kung Fu, and he also understood why. A free spirit like Fenghuang persuades Po to protect who he wishes to protect regardless of what others thinks of the methods. The kind who simply cannot bound himself to the type of honor that forces one to abandon their loved ones in order to enforce tradition, something Shifu was unfortunately bound to.

And here Master Bear was,witnessing a similar purity of Oogway in someone else's eyes. Admittedly, Oogway was also not afraid to show his displeasures with some of the Emperor's decisions if he ever saw them. He could tell that Po wasn't someone who would actively try to defy law and tradition. But if he had to choose between what's right and what's lawful...it's not even a choice worth pondering over, not to him. He would choose right over law as many times as it ook, seeing how much suffering it's brought upon Shifu and other people when they stuck to it too strongly.

It was strange how much one can read a person, either by doing battle with them or reading their eyes. Master Bear was subjected to both simultaneously. Master Bear had these thoughts swirling in his head as managed an almost invisible nod of acknowledgement. The panda, despit one of his arms being prosthetic, had an admirably powerful grip on him, making it very unlikely for him to escape.

Po pulls back slightly as he sucks in his gut, keeping a tight hold on Bear's wrist. "Triple Belly Gong!"

Bear grunted from the harsh of Po's belly smashing into him two times, before he ultimately went flying from the final one, tumbling across the ground and off of the ring, falling onto the ground below. A harsh thud was heard, as the crowd could see him slightly, his impact making a crater as well. Master Bear groaned from the pain, seemingly unable to get up. But it was clear that he had no hard feelings about his loss. Which was made official by Meng Tao raising his arm up.

"Master Bear is unable to continue! Po is the victor!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! YEAH!" Fenghuang cheered as she flapped her wings and flew directly to the seat that Junjie was currently sitting at, pointing a feather at his nose with a smug smile. "Incompetent master. ME? Does THAT look like I've been an incompetent teacher? Huh?! That one is MINE! Did ya see him, ya masked loser?! How does it feel to be completely and utterly WRONG!? _HAH!~_ "

Junjie's eyes twitched at being openly mocked, as his eyes shifted down to the panda below...who surprisingly began looking towards him. Remembering how harshly he criticized he and his Master, he smiled as he turned towards the fox and blew a rather childish raspberry at him. Junjie gritted his teeth angrily. Now BOTH f them were mocking him. They would not easily get away with this.

Lu Kang observed the entire battle closely, watching Po perform quite well against Master Bear, and even achieved a victory. All he could manage, as the Emperor and his sister watched with curious eyes, was an awe-struck expression.

"Amazing, Po! That was truly amazing!" Viper squealed, her head swinging around with glee.

"Yeah! You showed the more stuck-up Masters an example! That we're not mere chumps!" Fung said with a pumped fist. Master Croc and Gahri heard this, and only managed a tired sigh from each.

"I was scared that Bear would actually use his axe-blades for a second...glad he didn't, or that could have gotten pretty ugly..." Crane sighed with relief. "Still, I wonder who's next...?"

"Well done, Po...well done." Tigress nodded softly from her own seat, glad he wasn't too badly hurt. SHe too worried that Master Bear would have used his blades. If he had seriously hurt Po with those, she would have jumped in withou thinking at all. She blinked and shook her head furiously, blushing. _I have to stop thinking like that! Po can handle himself, he's proven that multiple times!_ Fenghuang was right about one thing, she really needed to tone her protective side down.

The Wu Sisters watched from a much higher seating arrangement, and could still clearly see Po take down Master Bear. Wan huffed as she folded her arms. "Okay I admit it. He's impressive."

"You're telling me. It seems that the underdog's of Kung Fu are gonna get their time to shine in this tournament event." Wing yawned a bit lazily, her cheek resting in her paw. "I wonder when we'll get a shot at this thing...?"

"...Underdogs..." Su said slowly as she watched Po descend from the arena for a bit. She curiously rubbed her chin with a small smile. _Yes, indeed. With them having no official titles, and having been scorned by the world in some way or another...that means you really do represent the underdogs of Kung Fu. Isn't that right, Po...?_ She smiled wider and almost laughed. Honestly, watching Po aking a fool of the more shady members of the higher class and not giving a damn about it, it was proving to be great entertainment for Su. She was definitely beginning to see how the others could view Po as a highly annoying nuisance at best and a threat at worst. He occasionally did their jobs much better than they ever could, which was protect those who needed protecting. She's rarely seen his brand of chaos. Chaotic yet still having a moral ground. She's admittedly impressed. An idea struck her, and she smirked.

 _Tigress...I hope you don't mind. But after today's string of matches end, me and your panda are going to spend the night getting to know each other better..._ She really didn't have any plans to steal Po away from Tigress...but that certainly didn't mean she couldn't amuse herself a bit as well as indulge her fascination for the panda, now does it?

"Suuuuu..." Su blinked as she regained focus, as Wing and Wan were staring directly into her face. They both looked irritated. "That's you'e scheming face, Big Sis! What are you up to?!"

Su growled as a tick mark appeared on her head. She then smiled and gently patted her two younger siblings on their heads...then brutally smashed their heads together, briefly knocking them out. Their eyes turned to comical swirled lines as blood leaked from their foreheads. "Silence! I don't have to explain myself to you!"

A few civilians understandably moved to safer seats, away from the eldest Wu Sister...

Meanwhile, Master Bear was struggling to get up from his injuries. Though Po immediately jumped to his side, and wasted no time helping him up and assisting him in walking. He turned to him with a bit of amusement. "Hmph...knock me out of the stage, and now you're helping me recover. You keep getting stranger."

"Of course I'm helping you! Why wouldn't I?" Po looked up to him with a beaming smile. "Besides...you may not be a panda, but you're still a fellow bear. And bears have to have each other's backs, don't they? Of course they do!"

"I'm not completely sure that's how it works..."

"Even if it's not, can't hurt to give it a try!~"

Master Bear nodded softly as he let Po help him walk, still pondering about the panda's overall nature. It was not easily understood, and he didn't always act out of logic. But he couldn't deny that he was beginning to see why Po's group treasures him so highly.

 _You are a force that cannot be controlled. But that does not necessarily make you a major threat to China. Perhaps you can convince the other doubtful Masters to come to the same realization..._

* * *

 **There's more to come. Po represents the underdogs of Kung fu with the highest potential, and he's the first example of why underestimating them is not wise. Titles are not everything. Not everyone learns this-cough*Junjie*cough-, but Master Bear definitely made an attempt to understand Po through their battle. Perhaps this is a step towards friendship...?**

 **Wonder what Su's gonna do...? Oh wait, I know that already. Guess it's more about you guys finding out, huh?**

 **I'll definitely be undating more. Keep an eye out!**


	70. Peng The Prodigy

She watched the first battle with narrowed eyes and a heightened sense of caution. It turns out that the panda was much mor capable than she's led herself to believe, and didn't want ti entirely believe it until she saw for herself. But there was the proof, as she watched Po defeat Master Bear all on his own, and with one of his arms being a prosthetic. Seeing his skill first-hand as given her a vague idea of whether or not he is someone to be messed with so carelessly. It turns out that would not be the best of ideas at all, at least not now. And if a mere panda was capable of such things...she really shouldn't underestimate him so highly.

...Still, he wouldn't stand in her way. She would simply have to keep a close eye on the competition, that's all. As long as she kept them away from her area of practice, everything would be fine. Time is what she would need, and this entire event was going to buy her plenty, as well as keep unwanted attention off of her. She just had to stay focused, then things would work out in her favor. But even so, she'll have to take a least a bit of direct action to make sure that the attention doesn't wander it's way over to her.

As such, she lifted her head and turned as Meng Tao and Fai Suan entering the dark room she currently hid herself in. The former cleared his throat and called her out. "I assume you're already well aware that the panda has achieved the first victory. That was certainly...unexpected. What do you think of it?"

"He has the Royal Family's attention. The more attention off of me, the more better off I'll be. I'll be able to work better in solitude than have them possibly discover me. It's actually great that the panda has their attention, it will better work out in my favor." She stated as she turned to fave them, her blue eyes gazin g at them. Though she stepped back a bit from Fai Suan while wrinkling her nose. "You're still disgusting with that garlic breath of yours...filth."

"Don't be cold to be just to be cold!" Fai Suan complained, shaking his head irritably. "At least give us crediti for providing you cover while this entire thing is going on? That shouldn't be too hard for you to do, should it?"

"Probably not. But I would rather not. It just feels wrong to me when you don't even have a pleasant aroma that I can be comfortable around." She rolled her eyes as she turned to Meng Tao. "You just keep doing what you need to do, and I'll keep doing what I need to do. There's no other goal that's needed for us."

"I see...we'll just have to hope that things keep going into our favor...and not completely collapse on our heads." Meng Tao sighed. "Still...what are we going to do about Shifu? Despite Fenghuang's...chaotic influence on the panda, Shifu is just as much of a threat to us as the others are. Shifu is a fool of a very considerable margin. But if there's one thing that is most threatening about him...it's that he's determined. He's a very skilled martial artist, but his determination is a grave threat in of itself. After all his hardships, he's going to be a lot more of a pain than we all might have anticipated."

"Shifu hasn't come here to redeem himself...at least, not on the traditional terms..." She stated, placing a paw on her chin. Her ears flickered udner her hood as she heard something enter the room with the trio. She slowly raised her head as the other two swiftly turned around. To their slight annoyance, someone came into the room. "Oh...Duke Zhihui is here...that's a bit unpleasant."

"Meng Tao...? Fai Suan...? What are you doing here? And who is this woman...?" The chicken asked them with some semblance of confusion.

She sighed as she shook her head and walked up to Zhihui. "This was a very unfortunate time for you to walk in on your colleagues, Zhihui. Very unfortunate indeed." She raised her paw towards him, and it began to glow softly.

Zhihui took a slight step back in surprise. "What is the meaning o-"

" _ **You WILL obey...**_ "

Those three words were all she needed as Zhihui's eyes glowed for a few biref moments, before they slowly turned to normal. His expression softened and he nodded quietly to the three of them. Mneg Tao raised an eyebrow and turned towards his accomplice curiously. "You've submitted him just like that? How useful."

"Indeed. Besides, having him under our thumb will be useful for a time, especially when it comes to managing the tournament lineups. The three of you decide how these fights turn out...this way, I can get an accurate read on who's the most dangerous and who isn't, at least to some sort of degree. Regardless, I'll be deciding who cmes under my control and who will be easier to pick off. it wn't be an easy decision to make, since all of them seem pretty determined. But still, I think I can work something out if I take the time to do so."

"Whatever you say. It's not like we can try to dissuade you from doing what you want." Fai Suan sighed, causing her to cringe and step back a few feet.

"Your breath is utterly atrocious. Begone already, before I throw you out myself."

"You're being ridiculously cruel to me about something so miniscule!"

"It's not miniscule if it's a major detriment to our health."

Meng Tao and a crying Fai Suan soon left with the mind-altered Zhizui as she turned back around and sits back in the darkness, closing her glowing blue eyes with a sigh. She was fully confident in her abilities to succeed in her endeavors. There was no way that anyone could stop her.

...Still. It was better to be safe than sorry, and that means she had to keep eyes on the panda...

 **(Meanwhile...)**

"Alright then, that's the first match quickly out of the way!" Fenghuang beamed as she flapped her wings before closing them. "So which one of our brats is next, huh? LEt's hope that the next one turns out to be a good one like my Panda's performance!"

"A bit more patience on your part would be appreciated, Fenghuang. We really don't want anything going out of turn because we got a bit anxious." Shifu reprimanded her slightly, causing her to huff and fold her wings. "...But if you must know, the next one to go up is to be Peng. The others seem to be hiding their distaste for him rather barely, because they now know of his relation to Tai Lung. He may have a hard time..."

"Bah, you worry too much." Fenghuang waved his concern off. "The kid's tough enough to take whatever is thrown at him. We've seen it ourselves." She took on a more serious expression, her eyes darkening slightly. "And besides, those that try to judge him based on who they're related to...they'll be in for quite a shock once their expectations have been blown away. With that in mind, I really want Peng to kick some ass."

She wasn't the only one who thought so. Lian was the one who's encouraging Peng to hurry and get onto the arena. After sharing a few brief words of encouragement, as well as kiss to his cheek. Wan smirked mischievously at the scene, seeing how brightly he blushed at the gesture. _Such an innocent little kitten we have here...I do wonder what Lien has done to him behind closed doors..._

SMACK!

"OW! Wing, why did you hit me!?" Wan pouted as she rubbed her aching head. Wan and Wing were wearing bandages around their foreheads from when Su smacked them together.

"I just had a feeling." WIng shrugged. Su rolled her eyes at their banter, shaking her head and simply focusing on what Peng would be able to do.

Peng entered the arena and bowed before his current opponent. Said opponent was Master Ox. Tai Lung was watching Peng with more focus than anyone aside from Lian, as well as Tigress. Po...was busy eating multiple bowls of dumplings that Mr. Ping prepared after his match was completed. Master Bear had a couple bowls as well, though both of them were very much eating a great deal of them. It was rather humorous to see the two bears eating together in such a way.

Mr. Ping smiled softly towards them. He saw the look of glee on Po's eyes aside from his eating of food. It was also the fact that he was eating with a fellow bear. It felt...really nice for him, and Mr. Ping was glad he could experience it.

Master Ox gazed sternly upon the young feline, his arms folded. "Hmph. I will admit, that the strength you showed in Gongmen City was impressive. However...do you think you shall be able to control said strength? Do you have the self-discipline to not let that control slip from your paws...?" Peng raised his head, briefly confused by Ox's request. Though he immediately understood what he meant, and narrowed his eyes.

"My uncle has learned from his mistakes. He's learned self-control." Peng said strongly. "And so have I. I won't be falling to those same mistakes."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"I can understand your skepticism, but I won't let it hold me down. I will prove myself on my own terms, not yours." Peng said as he prepared himself to face Ox.

They were given the signal to begin.

Ox charged towards Peng, horns first. Peng held his paws out and caught Ox by the horns. He gritted his teeth as he was being pushed back to the edge of the arena. He nearly fell off due to the amount of force Ox was putting into his charge. Peng's eyes slitted and he planted his feet hard against the ground. Just like that, Ox was stopped in his tracks. Peng narrowed his eyes as he tightens his grip on the horns, pulls one of his fists back, and punches Ox away from him.

Ox landed a few feet away, his hooves creating tracks in the ground. When he eventually stopped, he glared towards Peng and charged him again. He stopped just before reaching him, and attempted to strike him from the slight feint of movement. Peng wasn't fooled by it for long, as he caught his fist in one of his paws. Though he was unfortunately stopped by Ox placing a well-placed kick to his side. It knocked him aside a few feet, though he manages to roll into a recovery, just barely managing to avoid falling out of the arena.

It was becoming quite difficult. As impulsive as Master Ox was, he was still a skilled Master with plenty of experience. He wasn't underestimating him at all, but he still felt like this was much more difficult than he was expecting. Maybe it was easier last time because he had the help of his friends. But on his own ,he was already able to see that Ox very well earned his place in the Kung Fu Council. Despite this, he didn't plan on losing so easily.

He decided not to let Ox go on the offensive again, jumping at him with numerous aerial kicks. Ox was relatively quick to defend against most of the blows, until Peng stopped mid-kick to force himself back to the ground and jump kick right into Ox's stomach. The force of the blow causes him to skid back again, though this time Peng follows up with another aerial kick before he could properly recover from the shock of the blow. Ox gritted his teeth and charges Peng again. However, Peng charged towards him in return. Though instead of clashing fists with him, he stops before Ox and jumped right over him, grabbed him by the horns mid-flip, and completed said flip by slamming him into the ground, bouncing him slightly off the ground.

Lian watched Peng's battle with hidden glee, pumping her fist outwards slightly. "Yeah, yeah! Get to it, Peng!"

"She seems awfully invested in this...I think she takes a bit of pleasure in seeing her boyfriend kick someone's ass, especially those who look down upon them." Wan noticed. "I guess it can be set up as pride in her beloved lover...hm..."

Ox slowly stands up from the slam, shaking himself off and wiping some blood away from his mouth. "You're more impressive than I thought...and you say that you were completely self-taught. I find that incredibly hard to believe...you don't have the skill of a mere beginner...you're far above that. Then again, I shouldn't expect any less from Tai Lung's nephew." Ox says with narrowed eyes.

"I'm regarded as a skilled prodigy among most beginning kung fu students. it still feels a bit strange for me to take such a thing at face-value. I really don't see myself as such an impressive force to be reckoned with. I really did have to work hard, even though most things came pretty easily to me." Peng shook his head. "Still, I already know that there's still so much for me to learn...though I do know how to do a few things that work rather well for me...something like this." Peng leaps towards Ox once again, as well as a repeated grab of his horns. Though this time instead of flipping over him like before, he bends forward slightly and then kicks into Ox's face with both feet, sending him flying straight across into the wall. Ox grumted before falling to the ground on his side. Meng tao could see him from over the arena edge, pullng back and gesturing towards Peng, declaring him the victor.

Rhino and Croc visibly winced when the kick made contact with Ox's face. The latter sighed as he got up from his own seat and began descending. "I'll go get him...I'm hoping he doesn't have some sort of concussion...though considering how hard-headed he is, I think he's somewhat fine."

"Whew...he made it out alright..." Tigress sighed softly, rubbing her forehead slightly.

"Course he ended up alright. I never doubted him for a moment." Tai Lung huffed.

"It's not that I was doubting him, but Ox was looking pretty fiercesome. I thought he was going to seriously hurt him..."

"Hmph. Spoken like a worried aunt."

BAM!

"Ngh!" Tai Lung doubled over from the fist buried in his gut. Tigress folded her arms as he sheepishly collapses next to her, breathing hard and laughing slightly. "yeah...I saw that one coming...gah..." Tigress huffed at him while turning away, leaving him to wallow in the pain. Monkey and Crane looked upon him and pitited the poor snow leopard.

Peng soon jumped up back to the seats, immediately hugged by Lian with a big kiss to his cheek. Bian Zao yawned loudly as he placed his arms behind his neck. "So, you've gotten yourself a win against one of the pros. It must be nice being a prodigy and all. A seriously tough prodigy capable of takin' on pros."

"Seriously, I don't think of myself as a seriously big deal...but since I'm related to Tai Lung, there's going to be those out there that WILL take that kind of information seirously..." Peng smiled as he wraps an arm around Lian. "Though...it won't hurt to prove that I'm a different person than Tai Lung...that I'm not trapped in his shadow. I don't want to be trapped within his shadow. And I think that he thinks the same way oof me. I think he wants me to grow up better than he is. Maybe not as a martial artist, but as a person in general."

"And you think that this is one of those opportunities to prove those intentions?"

"Probably not, but it would really help to get those more jerkish Kung Fu Masters off of our backs. Not ALL of them are jerks, after all." Lian pouted. "...Just most of them. Which is no doubt gonna make things hard for us, but we're gonna power through that negativity, no problem! Right, Bian Zao?!"

"...Meh."

"That's the Spirit, Lazy Ass!"

"Grrr...!"

The sun was beginning to set. With the night quickly approaching, it was decided that the events would end for the day. Citizens were being escorted out of the arena, after the Royal Family left first. The Kung Fu Masters were soon to follow, a limping Ox and a friendly Bear both leaving with defeat on their minds, though the latter was simply happy that he got to meet someone like Po.

Speaking of said panda, he and Mr. Ping were making their way away from the stadium, the former having a sufficiently filled belly and a good attitude from his victory. "Man...this was a prety good day for us, wasn't it? I'm feeling great about this!"

"Peng was amazing out there, wasn't he son? And there are those who don't believe in him because of Tai Lung's past sins...I hope that judgement goes away with time. Peng deserves more than that." Mr. Ping says with a nod, having a few empty bowls carried within his wings. "Perhaps tomorrow will be a fresher day, with fresher foods and fresher minds!"

"...That's a lot of fresh, Dad."

"So much fresh it's remarkable!"

"Hehehe, I guess so!" With this, they both regained their carefree grins and continued on their way with their friends in tow. But...

"Excuse me, Panda?" Po stopped and turned to see the Wu Sisters on the side, with Su obviously being the one to call him out. She smiled as she walked up to him with folded arms. Fung and Croc understandably tensed when she got close, while Po was simply wondering what they wanted. Su smiled up towards him. "You've done rather well today, Panda. I'd like to think that even without that prosthetic of yours, you would have been able to achieve victory."

"Yeah, well, it's best for me not to get too cocky. Things are just beginning, after all."

"I agree..." Su says as she walks near him. Wing and Wan listened intently to what she was saying next. "Say...you know how another major factor of this tournament is to decide who recieves Oogways grand treasures, right...?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, who's to say that someone won't try and snatch them in the middle of the night, hm? The Emperor was clearly aware of the dangers, and he expects the more respectable martial artists to cover for that hole." Su sighed as she shakes her head with a shrug. "It can't be helped, I suppose. Someone is bound to get their grubby paws all over those artifacts without earning them."

"...Hey, you're right! That's not gonna be great for anyone!" Po said firmly, narrowing his eyes.

Su's smile took a turn for the mischievous. "So..s wondering if you and I can form...a bit of a partnership of sorts. Nothing official. In fact, you're entirely inclined to say no to this request. Do help me protect those treasures from those that try to run off with them unfairly, and that might get us a bit of favor for the Emperor. And besides...you'd like to become friends, wouldn't you? You seem to the type who'd be thrilled for more companions~"

Po smiled. "Course I wanna be friends!" He blinked twice and folded his arms with a pout. "Waiiiit...you're not gonna steal anything behind my back, are you?"

"Heavens no! I wouldn't betray your trust like that! We Wu Sisters have our own sense of honor, you know!' Su declares with a huff. _Besides, I've found something infinitely more interesting than any treasure that I could steal._ Su slowly moves towards Po while standing on her toes, her eyes halfway open. "Does that mean you don't trust me?"

"...I dunno...you did do plenty of bad stuff in the past..." Po wondered, his eyes wandering towards the sky for a bit. After a few nods, he turns back towards Su and smiles again. "Alright, I guess I can help you protect Oogway's Artifacts. Shifu would get _**really**_ mad if they were to just up and disappear. Then again his ears are pretty good, so he might be able to hear it..."

"That's true! But it's better to be safe than sorry, isn't it? Helping me also means helping Shifu. And you really want to help Shifu through this, right?"

"Of course! I'll definitely do this if it means helping Shifu! But I'm serious about the 'behind my back' stuff. So...don't do that."

"You have my word. My Wu Word. It sounds silly, but what doesn't these days?" Su smirked as she brings her paw towards Po's cheek. "Hm...what chubby cheeks you have..." Po winced slightly as one of her claws cut his cheek slightly. Su then mock gasped. "Oops, silly me! These claws just have a mind of their own these days! Here, allow me to get that for you." Wing and Wan were outright shocked out of their minds as Su rather casually leans closer and licks the blood away, and even further by the slight purr that she emitted while doing so. She swiftly pulls back and licks her lips. Po blinked and tilted his head.

"You...licked the blood away? I'm no expert on blood, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't taste very good."

 _Such a strong-willed soul, yet so innocent...how cute._ "When you live like me, you get used to it." Su remarked mischeivously. "Well, I must be off for now. I'll see you in a few hours, we've got a night shift to attend." Su says as she turns around, intentionally raising her tail and letting it gently brush across his nose. He sneezed slightly from the gesture, and Su inwardly laughed. Even the way he sneezes is somewhat adorable.

Po sniffled slightly as he watches the one confident Wu Sister and her two baffled sisters leave the scene. He rubbed his nose while scratching the back of his head. "Huh. She seems to be really nice so far. Not at all evil like people say she is. What do you think Ti...gress...?" Po blinked as he could see Tigress was slowly walking away...with her claws out and scratching deeply into the wall of a house. "Tigress...? Are you okay?"

Tigress stopped in her tracks, sheathing her claws as she slowly turned towards him and smiled. "Why yes, Po. I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"Oh...so are you fine with this? I don't want to worry you more than I already do. Ya know, with this prosthetic and all."

"It's okay Po, really. Just make sure to stay safe while you're out there." Tigress reassured him as she turned and continued walking away from him, knowing that if she kept looking at him she would do something she would regret. Not to him, but to Su Wu. And judging by the playful look that the older feline shot her way while teasing the oblivious Po, it was obvious she was toying with her for her own amusement.

 _It's not his fault. It's **not** his fault. You don't fully trust her, but you DO fully trust Po! He can take care of himself! Show some restraint and leave them be! Don't let it show that she was getting to you!_

She had to recite this mental mantra multiple times as she summoned most of her willpower to not outright _order_ Po to stay in the inn with her so he could be far away from Su. Po watched in confusion as he watched his friend mentally seethe to herself, not knowing why or over what. He could only scratch his head slightly and tilt it to the side.

"Uh...did I do something to upset her?"

Fenghuang silently sighed at her poor student's obliviousness.


	71. This Is Our Way To Live

Po did something he rarely did often. He woke up early from a nap. He needed another power nap in order to be able to get through what he was intending to do tonight. He was doing something rather risky, but he was sure that everything would be fine. After all, Su said that she wasn't among the dirtiest of thieves. At least, not anymore she wasn't. This was yet to be see, but this was definitely one of those things that causes his friends to lament his naivety.

Tigress was especially frustrated by this newest decision of his. But knowing that's just the kind of person he was, she accepted it like the mature woman that she was. Though that didn't mean that she had to like it. She trusted Po, and he could take care of himself. Still, she was worried about the kind of trouble Po could get into with the likes of Su Wu...then remembered that he tended to get in trouble on his own regardless. She just left it as it is and slept off her frustration in silence.

The panda tied his scarf around his neck and placed his hat firmly on his head, and decided to meet up with Su Wu right away so they could begin their night patrol that they both decided to follow through on. He smiled as he pumped his fist. "Night patrol. Awesome!"

"Zzzzz..." Mr. Ping was nearby in a hammock, soundly asleep. "Zzzzz...ah...Po...my precious little baby...ah with your cute little paws and your jiggly belly..." He rolled over a bit, laughing softly. "Nah...I'm fine, son...I'll handle the kitchen for today...you just rest in bed and leave the work to Daddy..." He then laid on his back, looking quite peaceful. "It's okay, Po...Daddy will go anywhere you go...he'll never abandon you for anything..."

"Ah, Dad. You're mumbling in your sleep..." Po chuckled. He tiptoed over to him and lightly kissed his forehead. "I'll be back soon, Dad."

Po soon left his father to his own devices, and swiftly went to the recon area that Su has decided for them to meet up. It was a bit strange that they were meeting up just a few yards away from where the actual treasures were being stored, but he supposed that as the more experienced rogue, she knew what she was doing. After all, everything she said wasn't a lie so far. She seemed to be a pretty decent person, despite her incredibly questionable methods of doing things. After pondering about Su for a few moments, he eventually found the inn that the Wu Sisters were staying in. Being polite, he cleared his thoughts and knocked on the door.

A few minutes passed without any kind of indication that any of the sisters were awake. He placed his paws behind his back and rocked back and forth for a little bit, curiously gazing at the sky. He tilted his head and yawned a bit. He shook his head and tapped his cheeks. "No Po, You gotta stay awake! You've a duty to fulfill and you need to see it through! No falling asleep on the job!" His belly gave off a bit of a grumble. He paused and gently rubbed it, before sighing. "Aw man..." Soon afterwards, the door to the different inn eventually opens, and Su was revealed to be behind it, smiling slyly towards him. "Oh, hi Su! I met you here just like you said that we would!" He blinked softly, then pouted and folded his arms. "Heeeyyy...you didn't do anything sneaky or anything before I got here, did you?"

"What? _Nooooo!_ Of course not! I didn't cause any trouble!" Su mock gasped, placing a paw on her ample chest. Po remembered that Lien wasn't one who wore wraps often...he might have an idea on who influenced her on that habit of hers. She smiled as she lifted a bag behind her back, and handing it to Po. Po tilted his head and was about to question her...until he got a few whiffs of what was inside.

"Bean Buns?"

"Bean Buns. I had a feeling you'd be hungry when you got here." Su said sweetly as she walked past him and grabbed his paw. "Come come, we've got a bit of recon to do!~"

"Okay!" Po nodded as he already takes a bean bun and begins and eats it hurriedly. "So, um...what are we doing...on this recon? We're just gonna make sure that no one tries to steal the treasures right?"

"That's right! The best part is that you don't have to do much! You and I are just making sure that no one suspicious comes in or out!" Su was quickly deducing how Po thinks and how he acts. It's best that she keeps things simple and in easily understandable terms. Po was definitely in adult in body in mind. But his heart is that of a child, which trumps either of those things. A highly spirited and determined child, but a child nonetheless. And she has more experience with children than she has the pride to admit aloud.

"Ooooh! I can do that!" Po grinned. Su lets go of his paw for a moment and jumps high onto a roof around the Emperor's Palace. He follows her onto the roof and follows her to the edge of said roof. She relaxes herself and sits down right on the edge. Following her example, Po simply plops on his rear and continues eating the bean buns he was given. Su smiles as she turns to the large palace, her tail swishing side to side while her peripheral vision kept Po within her sights. Though she soon turns towards him, her eyes glowing slightly because of the dark.

"Po...do you mind if I ask you an honest question?" Su asked.

"Mhm!" Po nodded, his cheeks swelled with bean buns, which caused her to laugh at how ridiculous he looked for a bit.

She nodded as she lowered her eyes. "What is your view on women, Po? What do you think of us?~"

Po swallowed the bean buns in his mouth, and scratched his neck with his expression taking a turn for the confused. "What do I think of women...? That's a bit of a strange question to ask. Is there a reason why you're asking me that?"

"Call it Cat's Curiosity. I'm one of the tougher cats, so I can take it.~"

"Um...okay. I don't know exactly what you're asking me, but I can try to give you answer." Po shrugged while turning towards the sky and rubbing his neck. "I can't really say for every woman in the world because I don't know too much about it...but if I had to give an answer...I'd say that women can be really, _really_ strong."

"Is that so...?"

"Yeah!" Po nodded strongly. "I don't really understand some of those jerks that try to say that women can't be as powerful as men, and should just stick to where their status places them. There are plenty of women that I know that can kick some serious butt!"

"Oh really?"

"Are you kidding? Do I have to list off examples?" Po said as he placed a paw on his chin with smile. "There's plenty! I mean, you already know that my teacher is Fenghuang! The one who mastered all Seven Impossible Moves... _and created five more herself!_ It was from there that I learned the importance of creativity with Kung Fu. Creativity can also mean unpredictable, in the right paws, wings, anything really. Then there's my friends. Mei Ling's really good with a staff, and stood alongside Crane as one of the best students at Lee Da Academy. Then there's Viper, who totally wiped the floor with me and some of my other friends when we first met, but she was doing so while under a bad influence. Then there's Song, a skilled thief, really good at stealing like the Ladies of the Shade. And then there's Lien, who's rough and tough and really takes care of Peng and Bian Zao. And then there's the other Mei Ling, who's an even better thief than Song and just as skilled at Kung Fu as Master Shifu. And then there's Master Mugan...even though she was totally evil and stuff." Po shrugged. "And there are plenty of other women that prove that they can be just as powerful as us guys...sometimes even stronger. Heck, you Wu Sisters are another example! You butted heads with the Kung Fu Council and almost beat them!"

"I'm sure your crocodile friend filled in a few ore details about that, since he was trained by Master Croc."

"Yup...I don't think Fung likes you very much." Po noted.

Su smiled as she scooted closer to him, placing a paw on his. "And what of your friend Tigress? What do you think of her?"

Po blinked as he rubbed his chin with one paw while taking a few bean buns with his other paw. "Tigress...out of all of them, she's absolutely amazing at what she does. She's really strong, stronger than me. At least when it comes to the purely physical side of Kung Fu. Chi attacks have her stumped." Po quickly eats the bean buns in his grasp and patted his belly. "Yeah. Compared to me, I don't always hold a candle to her when it comes to her skills. She's much better at purely physical Kung Fu, she's a lot faster, smarter, and much stronger. Really, I didn't think I'd be able to close the gap between us. She's awesome on so many levels. So..."

"So...?"

"That's why Tigress is someone I can really depend on when I need her. That's why we take charge together instead of one or the other. I don't always know what to do at times, so she's the one who takes charge when she knows she can help. When I get myself in a jam, she's the first person who does her best to break me out of it. And when I'm kinda feeling down, she again does her best to cheer me up...even though she doesn't always know how to do so. She tries her best in everything she does, really. It makes it hard for her to relax sometimes. I think she gets it from Shifu, who also doesn't always know how to relax. That's where I come in and help her cheer her up and help her smile and laugh. She's the better fighter, but making friends is still well out of her reach. She's getting better, but she knows that she can leave that stuff to me."

Su folded her arms and tilted her head. "Obviously you two depend on each other greatly. Except that she's much more embarrassed to admit how much."

"Yeah. She's not really great at sharing her most private feelings. Though I can appreciate that she continues to at least try." Po smiled. "So yeah! I think many females can be super strong when they put their minds to it! That's one of the reasons why Dad told me to be nice to them. They can be nice back, and they can have your back when you need them and give them the respect they deserve."

"And you have no qualms with attacking women?"

"Fenghuang says that holding back against a genuinely competent female fighter is not only disrespectful, but it's a very fast way to get yourself killed. Which is why she's a bit annoyed by Shifu's heavy reluctance to attack Mei Ling."

"Yeah, I can see her getting pissed by that. Also, your Father is a smart man." Su rolled her eyes. "So you're surrounded by many powerful women, not giving you a chance for a possible false implication that we may be weak. Glad so see that you avoided that mindset entirely...unlike _some_ assholes I'd rather not mention."

Po nodded. "Yeah. Well...just because a woman is tough, doesn't mean that she won't ever need help. When they need it, I'll be there for them just the same as I would anyone else. Whether they need help with fighting...or just need a friend." Po adjusted his scarf slightly as he nodded. "Come to think of it, most girls I tend to help out give me a smile. I know that's to be expected, but it's a bit nicer to receive smiles from them. I don't really know why." Po smiled softly. "I still remember..."

Su blinked and leaned in, curious. "Remember what?"

"The day that I declared myself as Tigress's friend. I feel that her smile back then was very pretty. In fact...I think Tigress tops the other girls for having the prettiest smile ever. So...I've been doing my best to make sure she has many more reasons to smile. It...really makes me happy to know she's happy. I know how much she needs it." He rubbed her neck. "Not that I don't want the other girls to be happy and to smile a lot! I just...it's not even just about women at that point. I want to protect my friends from anything that might mean them harm."

Su tilted her head. "Even if the ones that wish them harm would be the entirety of China...or even the world? That's pretty insane of you, jsut like you having your tendency to help whoever you come across. I'm sure some people have already told you this."

"I don't let reason dictate who I protect or not. I don't _need_ a reason to protect or save someone." Po said strongly.

" _Really?_ So if I happen to be a person in trouble, and you know full well how bad I was in the past because you've been told about me and my sisters...would you still try to protect me? Protect us?"

"Yes." The lack of hesitation in Po's voice made Su's eyes widen. Po turned to her. "Sure, the choices I make might have future consequences later on, but those thoughts stay in the back of my head. Because to me, pondering about what happened in the past and worrying about what might happen in the future are NOT excuses for inaction in the present. So when there's someone in trouble that I need to save, I WILL save them, regardless of the consequences that might come afterwards. This may result in me making stupid decisions, but that's another reason why I appreciate my friends. They get me out of jams I willingly place myself into. And none of us will hesitate to do the same for one another, no matter how irritated we might be with one another. Regardless of what comes ur way, we stand up for each others. Because that's what true friends do. In fact...that's what true _family_ does. We want to see each other happy, and we'll do whatever it takes to protect one another."

Su's mouth was agape, further shocked by the fierce and yet simultaneously gentle passion Po exhibited while he told her this. "You...you really think that way?"

Po nodded. "I kind of get that from my Dad, too. He knew raising me might be tough because he was already poor as he is. And it was going to be even harder because the villagers didn't like me either. But he did it anyway. Because that was his choice to make. And to him, that was the right thing to do, and he did it without hesitation."

"And...you _still_ believe that those aren't the words of a hero?"

Po smiled. "Our lives don't revolve entirely around these things, of course. We're more than happy to kick back and relax once in a while. But when it comes down to it...this is our way to live. Would you really regard something as simple as that to be heroism?"

...Su didn't know what to say at that moment. So she chose not to say anything. Instead, she gently pushed the hat off of Po's head and cupped his cheeks, causing him to blink in confusion. The childish curiosity in his eyes, that which also held untapped wisdom, drew her in. She then pulled his face closer to hers, closing the distance as her eyes closed...and her lips gently touched the top of his forehead. Po seemed more surprised by this than anything else, wondering why this was her reaction. Su then wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head into her bosom. The poor panda was completely lost as he feels the fierce beating of her heart. Su reopened her eyes and gently petted the top of his head, lightly playing with the tuft of fur that stuck out just a bit. After the silence passed between them, Su spoke at last.

"I don't know if you're simply faking your innocence or if you're just that incredibly gifted. Either way, how you answered me so far was not what I expected of you at all. And...I'm almost glad for that. You're a kind of person that this dark world needs more of. But you didn't hear this from me, got it? I don't want to lose my standing with my sisters." Su says as she allowed him to lift his head a little to his eyes could meet hers. "Po...you have been rather effective at getting my interest. I am even more interested in what you'll be doing next."

"Cool, I guess!" Po exclaimed, his voice slightly muffled. With a sigh, Su reluctantly released him, allowing him to breathe a bit easier and reclaim his Bean Buns. Su sighed as she folded her arms under her chest. "So, are we gonna keep this recon up?"

"...Actually...you can go back to sleep. I can handle this on my own." Su said while waving. "Sorry to have disturbed you. You can keep the bean buns."

"Sweet! Thanks!" Po beamed as he began climbiing back down the building. "Are...are you sure you'll be alright here by yourself?"

"I lead the Wu Sisters, Po. I'm highly confident that I can handle myself." Conceding to her point, Po nodded and left her on her own. After she was sure he was gone, she released a pent-up breath as she placed a paw on her chest. Her self-control was astounding during those moments.

 _Good grief, Su! Is this how things are now?! You've been nothing but a stone cold killer for years with your sisters! But then you meet Lien and you've gone a bit soft! Then you meet this panda and now you feel like your heart is melting from a few passionate declarations! Most of what he said should be considered nonsense...but I felt no lies leave his tongue..._ Su blushed as she planted her face in her paws. _Still, did that really warrant you kissing him on his head and hugging him to your breasts?! Were you even **thinking**?! How in the world an ANYONE be so obliviously charismatic?! _ She sighed as she attempted to calm herself down a bit. _Well, I was at least able to confirm something. Tigress has nothing to worry about. Whether he is conscious of it or not, he is drawn to her. How...unfortunately fortune..._ She gasped as she cupped her cheeks, her tail freezing while sticking upwards. _Did I just think that?!_ No. No way. Her heart has been colder than ice for years, and warmed for no one but her sisters. What in the world can turn that on it's head so quickly?!

 _How about the part when he confirmed he would protect you and save you if you were in trouble, regardless of your background...?_

Su paused for a moment. Then her entire face turned red as she buried her face into her paws and tried, with _immense_ difficultly, not to groan in embarrassment.

Only in the dark will this legendary assassin allow herself to look adorably embarrassed out in the open.

* * *

 **A lot of things can happen in the dark, readers. Most of them diffeent places, We've gotten Po and Su out of the way. The next chapter will shift the focus to some other characters in different segments, and the chapter after that will do the same, then we get back to the tournamnent. Like I said, other characters will be getting some focus, and special things can happen. Some deep, some moving, some might even be sad. And others...might be hilarious. Just a bit.**

 **I guess you can refer to them as character episodes if it makes things easier. It isn't necessary to see it that way though. Just a method to take the spotlight off of Po and Tigress for a bit to explore the others, as they do a bit of exploring themselves. The tournament will be back when this night ends, obviously.**

 **Another thing to note, some of these events happen simultaneously. So while Po and Su were off talking here, others might be talking elsehwere, and someone else...might be fighting someone else. Just a heads up for that as well.**

 **See ya!**


	72. Old Flames Reignite

**My update time from the last chapter was later than expected. So, you guys get another one as a slight compensation!**

 **How's that?!**

 **...AH, whatever whatev's. Let's see what's going on.**

* * *

 **(Meanwhile...)**

Shifu has had plenty of headaches over his surprisingly long life. But this one was proving to be one of the most irritable. He kept a rather sound mindset during the intros, but the deepest part of his mind was filled with nothing but distress. He honestly cannot figure out how Po and Fenghuang _still_ can be incredibly laid-back about this whole thing. Even being incredibly crazy or incredibly stupid cannot possibly count as excuses anymore. He wished he could relax like them. Or like Master Yao. Master Yao is probably one of the most relaxed Kung Fu Masters of all time.

Though that's due to him having been detached from reality for most of his life. He seems pretty chill about it, though. Shifu wished he could think like him, but he honestly couldn't. And it isn't by lack of trying.

He pretty much lost it on the inside when it became quite apparent that Po was happily working alongside _**Su Wu**_ in order to protect Oogway's precious treasures. It's official. The world's gone mad, and he's been traveling with the causes. No, scratch that, because he's one of those causes! These thoughts run through his head as he makes his way to his inn room.

 _I know the path I've chosen. I'm not intending on abandoning it. But still, I didn't think that things would get so out of control so quickly! I really don't want to jinx it...but can things get any more unexpected...?_

He slowly opens his inn room door.

Mei Ling the Fox was laying on his futon, with two bowls of dumplings on her left, and two cups of green tea on her right. She gently pats the spot in front of her with a suggestive smile, which matched her just as suggestive tail swishing. Shifu pondered the pros and cons of this, before shaking his head and deciding to just roll with it at this point. He sits in front of her, crossing his legs and picking up one of the cups of green tea.

"I still remember that green tea is your favorite." Mei Ling said with a soft smile.

"You knew that I needed it, didn't you?"

"I know how it calms you."

Shifu sighed, not disagreeing as he takes a small sip of the green tea in his paws, before setting it back down. "Things have been rather difficult, Mei Ling. I know the path I walk now is of my own choice. I don't plan on backing down in the slightest. But still...I'm not sure how I can keep up with everyone else. Fenghuang and Po are so sure of what they're doing, even though half the time the latter doesn't even know how what he's doing is going to turn out!"

Mei Ling takes her pair of chopstick and casually eats a few dumplings. Shifu was baffled by how she can make something as simple as eating a few dumplings look almost graceful. "Fenghuang and Po don't think like you do, Fufie. You heard them, and seen them in action. They're people of action first and thinking later. It's just that Po thinks less than Fenghuang, and it takes a load of luck for those actions to work out for him."

"How does these kinds of things spur Po on?"

"Anyone who's willing to continue adventuring after losing their arm has to have some pure resolve on them. Po is one of those people." Mei Ling stated after eating half of her dumplings and setting her chopsticks down. "And Fenghuang is a pretty determined person herself. She's just much smarter about her actions than he is. Either that or she doesn't really care much for it. Though that's a sound reason why they're Master and Student. He's still learning...as are you."

Shifu blinked as he finishes his tea, setting it down next to him. "I am?!

"It's understandable that you're still adjusting to this new way of life, because you've spend a majority of your life doing almost the opposite. The honor that you've been following most of your life has isolated you from your loved ones. Eventually you decided that type of sacrifice wasn't worth it. It may have caused you a lot more trouble, but your heart seems to be a lot more balanced than it used to be." She says while drawing a circle in the floor with her claw. "You're slowly building your connections, and you have a new kind of honor now. One that will leave you much happier. And I'm sure that Oogway would want you to be happy as well."

Shifu nodded. "Indeed...I suppose that he would want that." He says as he takes his chopsticks and begins eating dumplings. In a couple of seconds, all of the dumplings in his bowl have vanished. Mei Ling giggled as she saw how silly he looked with his swelled cheeks before chewing swiftly and swallowing. He seemed a bit happy at her giggling, and laughed a bit himself.

"Hmhm! Your stomach always proved to be bigger than your actual size. All at once, huh?"

"I don't take too much pride in it...after all, I think Po's eating habits have been rubbing off on my daughter. She's been eating much more ever since she met Po."

"And she still manages to keep her amazingly fit figure. One she's very intent on hiding. She's so adorably shy..." Mei Ling slowly shifted her eyes towards Shifu with a sly smile. "Just like her Daddy~"

Shifu folded his arms, almost offended. "You can't be serious. Why in the world would I be shy?" Mei Ling decided a demonstration better suited this situation than simply explaining it to him. Both an explanation...combined with a demonstration. She slowly stood up on her own two feet. Shifu sensed danger ,and he slowly stood up with her. "...Mei Ling...? What are you doing...?" Mei Ling slowly walked up towards him, gently swaying her hips, which matching the swaying of her tail. He blushed as she was getting a bit too close for comfort. "M-Mei Ling...?"

"You see, Fufie...Fenghuang and Po have been a rather effective influence on me...they take action. They know what they want So I've been...inspired, by them. And I'm quite done waiting on you." Mei Ling said seriously with halfway closed eyes. "I don't know why I haven't just done what I've always done."

"A-And w-what...would that b-be...?" Shifu stuttered, blushing slightly as she soon upon him. He tended to forget that she was taller than him, just by a tiny bit.

"You see, Shifu...it's one of those times I see a very alluring treasure. I see it...and I want it...so I take it. Simple as that." Mei Ling shook her head and lowered it, as she slowly placed her paw on Shifu's chest, right above his heart. "And this...this Fufie...is one of the greatest treasures I've ever had the privilege to experience. No other treasure I've seen, even the brightest and most valuable, even comes close. I've always wanted it, and I still do want it." She continued as she raised her head to meet his blue eyes. "Now I won't say that I didn't try. I tried to do things nicely. I tried to be a 'good girl' and hope that would get your attention. But _nope_! Something else snatches it away from me before it fully sinks in! So _now_...I'm going to have to take action and shift back to bad girl for a little bit. I wanted your attention, so I took it. I want your some private time between us, so I arranged it. And most importantly, I want your heart...but it got away from me once. So if you don't mind... _I'll be stealing it back._ "

Shifu tried backing up more, but there was nowhere else for him to go except against the wall. No one to distract him from this,no one to bail him out. Shifu blushed fiercely as he tried to see a way out of this. Anything at all. "W-Wait, Mei Ling! Can we not discuss this further first?! You're being rather forw-" Mei Ling gently placed a finger on his lips, silencing him.

"That there is one of your biggest flaws, Fufie. It's something that always held you back, but I could still understand and grow to accept as a part of you. _You think FAR too much_."

With this, she removed her finger and fully took his lips into a kiss. Shifu's eyes widened significantly. Her presence was strong and imposing. And even if he did want to resist, he also did not want to hurt her. This was proven strongly back with Master DIng. Even when brainwashed, he still couldn't bring himself to hurt her. Thinking about this, and thinking about how they were traveling together for so long and feelings have begun to resurface. Though every time, he tried to run away from it because he has no idea how to proceed, and had no idea what to do. His hesitation always got in the way. However, this time she was giving him no time to think, she was simply acting upon her heart's desire...something Fenghuang and Po have always done.

At this point, Shifu eventually surrenders to the emotions.

Mei Ling is pleased with Shifu's response as he embraces her and returns her kiss. She eases her grip on him and simply lays her paws on his chest. The emotions within their hearts were shared through each other in this moment. And Mei Ling was right after all. After all this time, he missed her as much as she missed him. The years apart has taken their toll on the both of them. And Mei Ling still wished that it wouldn't have taken Shifu losing nearly everything in order for a chance like this to present itself. Shifu deserved better treatment than that. She'll be sure to make certain that she was worth it, at least a little bit.

Mei Ling slowly pulls away from him, taking more satisfaction at the dreamy look on his face. She snickered as he swiftly snaps himself out of it, coughing into his fist and shown to grow yet another faint blush on his cheeks. "Well...um...that was certainly...something."

"Something, hm?~" She rolled her eyes at this.

"Yes...something amazing."

"That's better." With this, they pulled each other into a hug, nuzzling each others cheeks. "I missed you so much..I missed _us_ , like _this_ , so much. I just wish it didn't take the heartbreak and hardship you wet through to bring it back..."

"I missed you too, Mei Ling. And I missed us." Shifu replied with a soft nod. They soon relaxed with one another, petting each other's ears while looking directly into each other's eyes. "Are you sure this is what you really want..?"

"I never wanted anything more than this, ever since we broke up."

"We're not as young as we used to be..."

"That youth still lies within our hearts. It just needs a rousing, that's all."

"How are we ever going to explain this to the others...?"

"They'll take it however they take it. It won't change the fact that it's true."

"Well, that's a fair point. But..."

"Shhh..." Mei Ling silenced him with her paw, smiling softly. "Fufie...please. Just for this one night...don't think so hard. Thinking too much has made you lose many chances that can only be taken at the heat of the moment. That is what Po and Fenghuang are becoming better at doing. So please. We can sort all of this out later, when there's light outside. But for now...just enjoy this moment as it is. Okay?" She removed her paw as Shifu was left standing in awe at her confidence. But then again, that was one of the things that closely drew him to her. She knows exactly what she wants, while he's still trying to figure that out. But he did now. At least for the most part.

"Well then, it's good to see that you two have made up for real, this time!"

Shifu and Mei Ling's eyes widened as they heard someone slide the door oopen and close it behind them. It was Taotie, carrying his own cup of tea with him as he took a seat befoe the two of them. He turned towards Shifu with an annoyed, deadpan expression. "And as I valculated would happen, she had to take the initiative before you could actually go for it yourself. You really are hopeless sometimes, Shifu."

"How...how much did you hear...?"

"Enough." Was the simple reply. "She's right about one thing. It's definitely not bad to think abgout certain things, Shifu. But in your case, you think FAR too much. It's caused you to either made cold decisions or lose your chance to take action. And look hw many friends that has caused you, and how a member of your family turned against you when you thought too long." Shifu's ears flattened against his head. Taotie landed a hand on his shoulder. "I will admit, some of these outcomes were out of your control whether you thought on them or not. But at least, you've become to try and take matters into your own paws instead of thinking too long on something." Taotie sighed as he removed his hand and sipped some of his tea. "Leave the super heavy thinking to me, Shifu. Because when you do it too often, chances are lost. And people like Mei Ling have to fulfill something for you. Are you going to keep letting that happen?"

Shifu thoughton what Taotie said, and nodded softly when he gazed towards Mei Ling. She too smiled in turn. "You're right, Taotie. I hesitate quite a lot on certain things that I wish that I could act quicker upon."

"Like he said, leave the super heavy thinking about certain situations to him." Mei Ling smiled as she placed a paw atop Shifu's, smiling sweetly. "You an't focus on everysingle thing all by yourself, Fufie. That's why you have to let your loved ones step in once in a while. We're more than happy to help you when you need it."

"There are some things that you can do that I can't, and vice versa." Taotie said. "Maybe you've somewhat lost touch with that after all the misfortune you had experienced ever since this large journey started. You need someone who has your back when you need the support. And the same thing goes for us. For everyone, really."

Mei Ling gently squeezed Shifu's paw while her other paw rubbed her chin. "I believe I can see quite a bit of us within six others. Po, Tigress, and Fung. As well as Peng, Lian, and Bian Zao. There's someone who always takes action. Then there's someone who has a far balance of thinking AND taking action. And there's the other who's thinking borders on worrying too much. Well, except Bian Zao. He's simply to lazy to worry about the future or ponder about the past. All he wants to do is sleep."

Taotie glared at her. "That is NOT true! My son doesn't wat to do JUST sleeping! He...uh...likes to drink tea, too! it's not always about pure laziness with him! He just can't bother to gather up the energy to use his sharp mind sometimes! That's what Lian does, he kicks him out of a trance whether he likes it or not, especially when things need to be done, and done quickly."

Shifu stroked his thin beard, chuckling softly. "Yes. It turns out that Lian is the one who is most reckless within that trio, while Peng and Bian Zao have to keep her in check. I will admit, I did not see something like that coming."

"You're telling me. Not only that, but she has the both of them at her beck and call." Mei Ling said with a giiggle. "She genuinely loves those two boys. One is her boyfriend and the other is her best friend. And yet despite this, she has them both completely whipped. Just like Tigres does with Po and Fung...I'm so proud of them!" Taotie and Shifu looked at her with slightly deadpan expressions, which soon turned to lsight worry as they then looked at one another. "Oh relax, you two! A girl likes to have her fun in many ways! Some are more...risque than others."

Shifu blushed, this time understanding what she may be implying. "Mei Ling, I hope you're not thinking what I believe your thinking..."

"What do you mean?~" Mei Ling smiled sweetly, feigning innocence as she began petting Shifu's fluffy, bushy tail. "I'm simply saying that once we've grown accustomed to our restored relaionship, I would like to partake in...creative activities in our private time~"

"Like I said before, we aren't as young as we used to be! I don't even know if we can do things like that even if I wanted to!"

Mei Ling leans in and kissed his cheek, letting go of his paw and patting his chest while her other paw continued petting his tail. "Fufie, Fufie, Fufie. You're going to think too deeply on this. I'm saying you don't have to think too much in that regard..because _I'll_ be the one taking control."

Taotie blinked and seemed genuinely curious at Shifu's heavy blushing. "Huh. She's the one who had to initiate you both getting back together, and now she's thinking really far ahead, while you sit there nodding. You're embarrassed, but accepting at the prospect. Are you a submissive, Shifu? Is that what you're into?" It was an analysis, not an attempt at teasing. An yet soehow, that's what it sounded like.

"...Why must you two pick on me so much..." Shifu mumbled uneasily, as Taotie and Mei Ling began laughing again. They calmed down as Shifu finally managed to get most of the blush off of his face. He then smiles and nods gently to the both of them. "Taotie...Mei Ling. Once again I must say...I missed you. Both of you. We may have had our differences, but I should have never let go of our relationships so easily." He says as he takes each of them by a paw. "I promise you both...I will never leave either of you behind again." They both smiled widely at this, and shared an embrace altogether.

It took a long while. But his bonds with Taotie and Mei Ling are fully beginning to reform. Like the latter said before, he wouldn't think too much about what happened yesterday, or what might happen tomorrow. Right now, he would simply enjoy the fact that his best friend and his girlfriend respectively were fully coming back into his life afte a painfully long time apart from them.

 _Yesterday is history...Tomorrow is a mystery...but today, is a gift. That is why it's called the 'Present'~_

Once upon a time, Oogway told him these words and he didn't understand how they could be applied. Though now that he's experienced a moment like this, as well as a silent realization to a big motivation behind the actions of Po and Fenghuang...he was finally getting an idea of it.

And as a result, his respect for the two of them grew.

* * *

 **Mei Ling was done waiting. Knowing that she had lost Shifu's heart lon ago, she wasted no time stealing it back. And for the first time in a long time, Shifu's glad she did steal something. The holes in his heart are slowly being filled by the bonds of his loved ones. This it yet another stage in which Shifu will become a much happier person.**

 **Of course, for making her wait so long, now she wants to do... risque things with him. Things that should probably stay private. Shifu's scared...yet intrigued. Taotie finds a bit of amusement within this, and doesn't bother helping him out of it. Shifu is not amused.**

 **...Wan would get a kick out of this. Ha.**

 **See ya later, until the next chapter!**


	73. Why Do Birds Fly?

"Sheesh..." Crane sighed as he was staring out on the roof into the night sky, having been thinking over the events of the last few days. "Things are actually going rather well...more than expected, really. I mean...nothing seriously bad happened...yet my hopes aren't so high that I don't expect anything to go wrong."

"Oh relax, Crane! We're all having a good time so far, aren't we? Let's focus on that, for now!" Mei Ling beamed while sitting next to him, kicking her feet out. "There's no need to be so tense, Crane. You realize that's only going to impede you when the time eventually comes for us to fight as well. You don't see Po worrying too much, do you?"

"No. But he's just too laid-back to be more cautious than he already is." Crane sighed while rubbing his head. "But then again, it does go to show that we follow behind him and Tigress for good reason, no matter how crazy they are."

"Really? Compared to Po, Tigress seems pretty well adjusted. Guess we can chalk this up to being taught by someone chaotic and someone disciplined respectively."

"And that's why everyone else tends to see us as one huge dysfunction of a group. Though I guess it beats the alternative. We at least confirmed to them that we're not the bad guys. Though we also said that we're not the good guys either. I guess I can understand why they'd be irritated by that. As well as confused. We don't really understand ourselves either."

"Well it isn't always fun if we understand every single thing. Even if it's about ourselves." Mei Ling shrugged. "Discoveries tend to be fun. Just like how you discovered your hidden potential. Hm?~"

Crane laughed awkwardly, rubbing his long neck and shaking his head. "Haha...nah. That...that was just luck. Pure luck on my part..."

"Luck had nothing to do with it. You worked your way up to being tough as you are now. Besides, even if it did have something to do with it, who says that one can't be lucky _and_ work hard? It's just like how I was 'naturally gifted' and yet I still worked hard for my skills. Same goes for Peng. In fact...most of us fits that just fine, in one sense or another. We all just have different approaches, that's all."

"I guess. Still...it's really getting chaotic around us again. And yet, while I'm definitely anxious...I'm not really as irritated as I thought I would be. Am I getting used to how things turn out?"

"Maybe~" Mei Ling shrugged again as she sits closer to Crane. She rested her paw around Crane's wing without really thinking about it. Crane's eyes widened and he blushed slightly from the contact. "Hey...do you think your Mom's doing okay without her baby bird to keep her company?"

"I'm sure she's fine. I miss her just as much as she misses me...but this is the path that I've chosen. The path I wanted to take for a pretty long time." Crane sighed as he turned towards her. "I already knew it was going to be rough. But only now am I begging to understand that I didn't really know _how_ it was going to get rough. Especially with the kind of friends I'm hanging out with that I didn't expect to make."

"Nice to know what you think of my company..." Mei Ling pouted playfully.

"Y-You don't count! You're a childhood friend, so I'm used to how you act by now!" Crane blushed again.

"Are you really?" She smirked, hugging his wing slightly. "You still get quite flustered when I offer to bathe with you...I don't see why. It's how we used to relax together."

"You're still up for mixed bathing?!"

"I don't see why not."

"Mei Ling, you can't just..." Crane paused. Mei Ling nodded with a solemn expression. He then turned around with a mild sigh. "Shen...is there something you want?"

The peacock was standing right behind them, with his sleeves hiding his wings. While Fenghuang's wings were tucked in and observing the scene before her. She shrugged.

"I don't know about Shen, but I'm just here to hear this fascinating story." Fenghuang smirked. "Mixed bathing. I remember how casual she was about that when she first mentioned it. What's wrong, Crane? It was somewhat fine when you were both young children. But now that she's a full grown woman-"

"That's exactly why we can't be doing things like that anymore! It's incredibly awkward!"

"Long-Legs. Trust me. Out of everyone in our little posse, it's you who's the most awkward."

"But...but...!"

Mei Ling pouted, folding her arms. "While I don't entirely disagree, what really makes him is that he doesn't allow that to stop him from doing what he needs to do, does it?"

"Nope. And I gotta say, that's a quality I can really get behind. A lot of people find themselves lacking in action due to feeling incredibly unpleasant or embarrassed." Fenghuang lowered her eyes. "You're a good bird, Long-Legs. Good boy. Just how Mommy raised you, hm?"

"...More or less. Losing a dad tends to do that to the widow when it comes to their children. Not all the time, though."

"This all sounds rather fascinating...but I have accompanied Fenghuang due to a slightly growing issue that I've taken note of." Shen said while shaking his head in aggravation. "Due to this tournament gathering many other martial artists around China, it's gotten rather difficult to tell which ones are trustworthy and which ones aren't. And it further becomes complicated when we take note of the fact that some of these Masters have personal grudges with some of us. And the most likely targets are myself, Fenghuang, Shifu, Tai Lung, and Po. We're high on that specific list."

"Tch. Big deal." Fenghuang yawned while casually preening her feathers. "Those guys have something to say to us, we'll be waiting for them. It's not like it's going to change our way of life. A few complaints is not going to deter us from our path, not by a long shot."

Shen folded his wings. "You seem fairly confident in your words. So why is it that you've chosen to hide away in the Northern Mountains for so long? What convinced you to return to the Valley of Peace even though Oogway was still there and alive?" He then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "...Don't tell me it was the panda."

"Will you be upset if I said yes?"

"A little bit."

"Then yes."

"...Saw that one comin'." Crane mumbled, in which Mei Ling giggled as they both continued to watch the exchange between the two avians.

"I've heard stories of you, Fenghuang. A past member of the Furious Five who was capable of matching up with the likes of Master Oogway. You did not defeat him, but it was a close battle. You were ruthless, cunning, conniving, and evil in many senses of the word." Shen began, slowly walking around her. The owl simply watches him with a nonchalant stare, and it wasn't that hard to keep track since she can twist her head ninety degrees in either direction. "So...how is it that you were easily swayed from years of solitude by the likes of a panda...?"

Fenghuang sighed as she gently rubbed her beak. "Okay. This isn't gonna be easy for me to admit. But in all honesty...I was a lonely owl."

"Loneliness? _That's_ what you based your change on?"

"Let me finish, dammit!" Fenghuang glared before stepping back slightly. "I was lonely, and I was very stubborn about acknowledging it. I wanted company but refused seek it out. I wanted to make contact with someone but my pride will only chase them away. I'm not gonna make any excuses, I brought that solitude on myself. How ironic that a free bird like me constructed her own frozen cage because she thought she could take on the creator of Kung Fu and _win_. And then I was too afraid to leave that cage in fear of him coming to finish the job. Only do I realize that he wouldn't do such a thing. Not if I still had a chance of rehabilitation."

Fenghuang paused a bit, and Shen waiting with quiet anticipation for her to continue. He didn't want to admit that he was intrigued by this tale, but he was. Crane and Mei Ling eventually relaxed as well, as Fenghuang closed her wings.

"By pure chance, dumb poachers hired by someone after rare pandas passed by. The panda cub within didn't like his cage. He hated it. So with all of his strength, he busted himself out, but fell into the ice and snow as well. It was then that I chased off his kidnappers and rescued him."

"That peril was not your own to deal with. Why would you help him?"

"Because that's what I wanted to do. There was no ulterior motive, no thoughtful morality behind he decision. I did it because I wanted to. There's no other reason...okay, I wasn't so evil as to leave a defenseless cub outside to freeze in the snow." Fenghuang admitted with a pout. "He wakes up, and sees me...he has no idea who I am. Loves Kung Fu yet hasn't heard of me. Though to be fair, his father didn't really know me either."

"Big surprise..." Shen rolled his eyes.

"I told him who I was...and he didn't seem to mind. No. As in, he didn't mind at all. He knew that I was proficient at Kung Fu only after I told him that I was a Master. And even then, he didn't know me specifically. And even after _that_ , he spoke to me as if nothing was wrong. He was more interested in Kung Fu and even the cave I was in than actually the kind of person I was in the past. Then after he told me about seeing Tigress for the first time, as well as his belly rumbling from hunger, I took him back to Mr. Ping. Who immediately showers him with affection from sheer worry of his absence. Gotta be honest, such affection from a Father and Son duo is extremely rare to see."

Shen raised an eyebrow slightly while Crane and Mei Ling calmly listened. They must have heard this recollection many times.

"It was from there that I learned that the panda has a very different way of thinking and acting. He befriends Tigress and Fung because none of them had any of their own. And then when the Kung Fu Council spotted me during the Winter Feast, he stood up to them without flinching...and they backed off." Fenghuang chuckled, still somewhat amused by how those events folded, and grateful that it resulted in keeping her freedom. "And years later, you'll see that he hasn't changed much aside from putting on some pounds. Not that it's slowed him down much, mind you."

"He's pretty cute alright." Mei Ling chuckled, and Crane pouted just slightly at how pleased she sounded by the statement.

Shen shook his head and rubbed his temples, taking deep breaths. "Okay, so you and his father have been a big influence on him, but he's also mostly still himself, a person who challenges people that are his superior by title, many times. And then he gives mercy to someone like me, even though I surely do not deserve it...I just can't understand that panda no matter how hard I try. And the same goes for you and everyone else here. You all insist that you're not heroes, yet the things that you do, while not always approved of by others, are clearly heroic. So why continue to act in such a manner?"

Fenghuang passed, taking a moment to ponder his question. She turned away from him to gaze at the moon, and a gentle breeze passes by all of them. She then whispered, and Crane was briefly taken aback by how peaceful she sounded. "Shen...why do you think birds fly?'

Shen was taken aback, beak agape. "What...? What kind of question is that?!"

"Do you not have an answer?"

Shen narrowed his eyes as he tried to understand the meaning behind such a question. Though once he came up empty, he figured he might as well answer her. "We avians...we fly because that is what we must do. Why else do we have our wings if not to fly? Thus we fly because that is what we are meant to do, it is our purpose."

"...Just like how you thought you knew what your purpose was?"

"What do you mean by that?"

Fenghuang turned towards Shen with a despondent frown. "Shen. No matter how you slice it, nothing you have done in the past will ever be justified. You were terrible. I was pretty bad, but you were so much worse."

"How do you figure...?"

"What kind of person believes that genocide is the better option to simply stepping away from the dark path you were on? You honestly believed that a oath of death was better than admitting that you were wrong about your ambitions. Of course no one was going to be on your side after that. Or maybe...that's exactly why." Fenghuang said slowly. "The only way you could keep going as you were back then was to constantly tell yourself that what you're doing wasn't wrong, even though you knew that it was deep down. Only when people you did and didn't know approached you and told you outright that your actions were evil, did you begin to crumble. Especially since one of those people was Po and Tai Lung. You allowed your ambition to cage you. It turned you into something darker than you could have become." Fenghuang slowly moved to the side. "Speaking of which, Tai Lung had the same issue."

"Issue...?"

"Everything he did in his life back then...which meant that he was living purely for Shifu's approval and not truly for himself. Living purely for his father's approval only for him to be denied that approval from a higher authority is what caused him to snap. Granted, Shifu was responsible as well for not helping him overcome that pride, which allowed darkness to fester within him as well. To be completely blunt, the two of you did what you did purely to please the ones you loved. You didn't take what felt to you was rejection-when they dearly loved you instead-very well. Living purely for someone else's sake and not for yourself as well, is a very fast way to fall into darkness once that connection is damaged, or severed completely."

Crane sighed slightly as he turned towards Mei Ling. "Is there a reason why she's doing this? She should know that Shen isn't really one for patience when it comes to these things. Does she really know what she's doing?"

"I'd like to believe that she is. They haven't started fighting yet, so that's gotta be good news!" Mei Ling offered with a smile, while Crane simply sighed.

Shen shook his head, slightly groaning to further illustrate his frustration. "So what do you suggest I do?"

"You need to let it go."

"What?" Shen said in such a dull tone that it surprised him. He was just surprised that Fenghuang just outright told him to move on from his past as if nothing mattered. He was even more surprised that she was completely serious.

"You're heading for a path of self-destruction once again if no one intervenes and sets you straight. I'm being straight and serious with you Shen, because you give me the impression that you won't listen to anything else." Fenghuang stated with narrowed eyes. "You need to let it go."

"...Are you serious?"

"Does it look like I'm joking?"

"You expect me to just _forget_ everything that's happened to me? Everything I've been through?! You believe it's so easy to just sweep everything aside and just continue on without looking back?" Shen glared. "You're crazy!"

"Of course I'm crazy. Did I ever give the impression that I'm sane?" Fenghuang casually remarked.

"This is-OOF!" Shen grunter as he was swiftly kicked in the chest, tumbling into the ground. Crane and Mei Ling gasped in response as he coughed from the force of the blow, and the owl approached him with a serious glint in her eyes. "Wh-What was that for?!"

"Get it through your head, albino. No one here gives a damn that you're nobility. That's just another detail in your life. Other than that, they treat you exactly how they treat each other. They only get hostile with you because you're hostile with them. Nothing will change if you never get off your imaginary high-horse." Fenghuang glared. "Never did I say that you should _forget_ about your past. You did terrible things that you can't ever take back. You've lost those you held dear, who you also cannot get back. But wallowing in self-pity and lashing out at everyone is not productive. Your constant obsession with your past has become your cage. And in order to free yourself, you need to let it go and continue living your life. That's what Soothsayer wanted for you."

Shen felt powerless under her gaze, it bore down him like weights placed on his mind. He lowered his head and stared at his wings, imagining them covered with blood. The blood of pandas,and the blood of anyone else that crossed him. Only now is he fully realizing the implications of how far his obsession took him. It almost claimed his life. Ironically, the one that was supposed to end his life ends up saving him instead. It made no sense. "...How can I-"

"Stop making excuses." Fenghuang cut him off. "The only things holding you back is your hesitation and your arrogance. Put those things aside for a moment and think about what you can do right now instead of what you _could_ have done. You feel guilty. Don't waste time wallowing in the past. Do something about it."

"...Is that what he did...?"

"He was satisfied with knowing the truth, however painful it may be. It has not stopped him from continuing to live his life, nor will he ever allow it to. He will not allow the past to cage him. There is no going backwards, no matter how much you think about it. The only direction you can go is forward. So the panda goes forward not because that's the only path he has, but because that's what he wants for himself."

"...Fenghuang. Why do _you_ think birds fly...?"

Fenghuang paused for a moment. Then she straightened herself out and stood tall. "Why do birds fly, you ask? You wish for my input to gain understanding. That is fair. Birds fly...because that is what they want to do."

"What...?"

"Birds don't **need** a reason to fly, Shen. Even of their wings are weak and they might fall, they will push on. They don't allow something like this to restrain them. They don't do it for anyone else's benefit, nor do they feel like they should do so out of some false sense of obligation. We don't pet something like past grudges or rules that wish to keep us grounded." She says while she swipes her wing aside. "We fly because we want to fly, and for no other reason!"

Crane dropped his beak while thinking over her words, and what they mean to him personally. He remembered how his father sacrificed himself for his loved ones. No matter how fragile and weak he was, he still insisted on flying. That was what he wished, and it granted it by his own power. In the meantime, Shen pondered over the words the owl said to him, and how passionate she was about them.

"...Do you truly think that birds fly because that is their wish?"

"I feel free when I fly. So, I shall continue to fly, because that is when I feel most free. Nothing to weigh me down, no one can tell me what to do, and the past cannot force me to land when I do not want to. I follow this path because I wish to. Not because I have to. That is my way to live." Fenghuang turned around and spreads her wings. "Though just because we choose to live this way, doesn't mean we wish to be alone, either. Sometimes it's much more fulfilling to fly in a flock. It's not too late to join the flock, Shen. Po is more than happy to be your friend."

"But the others...they don't trust me as much as he does."

"That's because they're much smarter. But that doesn't mean he's wrong. And besides, this is a necessary obstacle. Their trust is something you have to earn. Succeed in that, you'll gain loyalty out of love instead of fear. It carries much more meaning."

"How can you be so sure...?"

"Because the panda saved your life. He is without a doubt a supreme idiot, but his heart has never failed him before in judgements like these. It has not pet us down before, and I doubt it'll start now. You still have your life, Shen. Instead of constantly wallowing in self-pity, waiting for someone to cut you a break...do something about it. Make Po's judgement a correct one. Because if you stay in the past...nothing will change." With this, Fenghuang flapped her wings, and soared into the night.

Crane sighed as he rubbed his beak nervously. "Sheesh...for a second I thought they were going to fight. Glad that isn't the case, but still. That's how she truly views flying, huh..."

Mei Ling smiled. "Honestly, you didn't act too different from that when you were younger. No matter how fragile and clumsy you looked, and no matter how much your mother tried to keep you grounded out of worry, you still wished to fly. You were quiet about it, but you were definitely passionate about flying free through the skies and proving the others wrong."

"I know...but I was only able to do so because you were the only on who fully believed in me."

"And that's why she said it's more fulfilling to fly in a flock. There's always going to be someone waiting to back you up." Mei Ling then kisses Crane on the cheek, greatly surprising him as he lets out a startled caw. She chuckled as she stands up and stretched. "Welp, the wise owl said her piece. Time for bed. Got a lot of work ahead of us."

"Y-Yeah. Okay..." Crane nodded nervously as he followed Mei Ling back to the inn rooms. They left Shen to ponder, as he looks after the shadow of Fenghuang flying into the night, without a care in the world. She seemed like a free spirit to him at the moment, and it was obvious that her words struck true in some ways. He shook his head, fighting the blush growing on his face.

 _She flies because she wants to fly...can she be any more preposterous?_

Shen found that mindset to be too simple for such a complex question...and yet it worked for her. Perhaps...that 'flying' to her meant 'living' for everyone else? Shen frowned a bit as he realized that his arrogance might have blinded him more than he thought. He thought he could order them around if he was harsh enough, but they only dismissed that as a spoiled prince throwing a tantrum because he didn't get rewarded for something he did that was wrong.

They don't need nor want permission from authority figures on how to live their lives. Nor do they seek to impress anyone. If people are impressed, that's their decision. But it's clearly not what they're going for. He had no idea that something as simple a 'free will' could be so infectious and valuable.

It was on that night, that Shen's curiosity for Fenghuang grew. But through this conversation, he also learned that something needs to be done if he wants to break out of the psychological cage he placed around himself. He needed to take action.

And the first thing he would do while on some breaks through the tournament, is speak with the Emperor's grandson Lu Kang, personally.

 _"If you stay in the past, nothing will change._ "

Shen sighed. What he would do tomorrow would be outright ridiculous on the risk scale...but this was a risk he was pumping himself up to take.

 _Fine. I concede to your so called 'Way of Life' for now, Owl and Panda. Tomorrow, I'll take a chance of doing things your way._

* * *

 **Shen's finally deciding to take a chance to stop imprisoning himself in the past so he act in the present, and have an impact on the future. All he needed was an owl to set him straight and tell him outright to stop making excuses, and just act.**

 **Crane has always wanted to live the way Fenghuang lived. He just needed the confidence to follow through with it by his own terms. Now he has friends he'll never trade for anything.**

 **Tournament starts back up next chapter!**


	74. The Smug Onyx Masters

**(The Next Day)**

Su Wu was left under the disapproving stares of WIng and Wan Wu. In all honesty she really couldn't care less about what they thought about her decision, as it was her own to make and not theirs. Still, they were being rather embarrassing about it since it seemed to be the only major thing on their minds. Seriously, they were on either side of her just asking question after question about why she seemed so insistent on meeting with the panda that night, and how she returned to the inn a blushing mess. needless to say, she didn't feel obligated to answer any of the questions, so she didn't answer a single one of them. Of course that wasn't going to stop them.

 _It's going to be a long day for me with these two constantly on my back about this...especially with what's currently on my mind._ Su frowned with her arms folded, a mild blush on her face as she thought about what she did yesterday. _I can't believe I kissed him yesterday. I mean, sure it was just on the forehead, but still! No one has ever gotten me to lower my guard to such a major degree. And the things he said...did they really get to me that much...? Damn it, how did I let a panda get to me so much without him actually trying?!_

"NNNNNEEEEEEXT ROUND!" Po grinned while throwing his arms out with a grin. "Finally, the next day has come and the next round has started! I can't wait to fight again!"

"Hold up, Po! You've had your chance yesterday! Give everyone else a shot, will ya?" Monkey said as he moved alongside the panda. All of them were making their way back to the arena. He then turned to the side as he sees Shifu and Mei Ling holding paws and their tails being intertwined. Monkey raised his eyebrows and gently nudged Po's arm. "Hey. I doubt that you noticed...but don't Shifu and Mei Ling look a lot more relaxed than before? They seem almost...relieved to an extent. Ya think they had some sort of breakthrough?"

"...I dunno. Probably." Po shrugged, not really knowing for sure since he wasn't there. Though he was happy about the overall fact that Shifu and Mei Ling were happier today, and he was always for his loved ones being happy. He then rubbed his neck a bit and turned towards Monkey. "I had a bit of a weird experience last night."

"Yeah?"

"Su asked me to do a bit of a stakeout so no one would try and take the treasures while they were mostly unguarded. But then we started talking about what was driving me and all that, and what I thought of women. And after all of that, she just kissed me on the forehead and then told me to go back to bed with a bag of bean buns. She seemed a bit confused when she did some of those things, but she did look happy that I kept her company, so I guess it wasn't a bad experience."

Monkey paused for a bit, then swiftly turned around and jumped onto Po, hanging onto him by his shoulders. "WAAAAIIIIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT! Hold up, hold on a minute! Are you seriously saying that Su Wu, the oldest, the most vicious, and the most _**dangerous**_ of the Wu Sisters...kissed _you?_ Doesn't matter where it was placed, but SHE KISSED YOU!" He then cupped his cheeks and shook him multiple times. "Dude! Seriously! _How_ do you keep drawing beautiful women towards you!?And I know you well enough by now to know that you're not even trying!"

"...Eh?" Po blinked curiously, his cheeks being squished together as Monkey held his head. "I dunno what you mean by that. I was just acting the same way I always did."

"You make it sound so SIMPLE!" Monkey groaned in frustration as he releases Po and lands on the ground, slapping his forehead. To be clear, he already knew this about Po. What brought Monkey to the breaking point however, was that he was able to woo the eldest Wu Sister without even trying. It was becoming tiresome how much better Po was with women than he was. He wouldn't complain about it too much since they were in the middle of a tournament, but he was still going to be quite frustrated about it for times to come. So would Mantis and Fung, but they would ultimately be a bit more relaxed about it once they get over the initial anger.

Fung watched as the crowd fills up the arena once again. He knows there's plenty of space for everyone, yet he also feels just a bit cramped. The amount of citizens and participants here gave him the illusion that there wasn't enough space for himself, and that he should just leave room for those like Master Croc. It was a silly feeling, but he honestly couldn't help it. It looks like he needed a day to fully confirm that this was really happening if he didn't accept it already. Fung looked towards the likes of Song, who was watching on eagerly to see how things would measure up this time and which one of them would be selected. Lian, Peng, and Bian Zao were still bunched together, with Lian being the one to intentionally keep them together. It was a nice thing to see, as he was also keeping himself close to Po and Tigress. The latter seem even more focused on what might possibly happen next.

Whatever it was, he was sure he could handle it. Somehow. Maybe. At least he hoped so.

Lu Kang could once again be seen at the foot of the arena with his family. His eyes gazed upon Po, who was speaking casually with his father Mr. Ping, seeing how close and open they seemed to be one another. Sometimes he wished he had that kind of relationship with his Grandfather, at least more often than they usually do.

The next competitors have already been decided, and they were handpicked by Junjie Master Chao looked on curiously as the both of them watched the Onyx Masters, which were really just five geese who seemed far too smug for their own good. It's the kind of smugness that can only be learned from someone like Junjie. Their skills must have been pretty noteworthy if they were trained by the likes of Junjie and Master Chao. However, for those like Tai Lung and Fenghuang, they only scoff at the five geese who thought they were all that. And while they had these thoughts going through their minds, Meng Tao was the one who decided the rules of this specific round have changed.

Multiple participants, up to five, were allowed to participate at the time. The Onyx Masters were the ones who would go up first. And as such, the others would have to choose five members of their own in order to participate.

"Alright then, let's do this!" To Peng's surprise and Bian Zao's grave annoyance, Lian pounced right into the arena, standing up and clenching her paws excitedly. What really annoyed Bian Zao was that she pulled him down with her without even bothering to warn him. To back up the young duo, Song and Fung entered the fray as well, looking rather confident with themselves, more on Song's side than Fung's. After a few moments of indecisiveness within the group, Mei Ling the Golden Cat eventually landed on her feet beside them, twirling her staff for a bit before sheathing it on her back. She was fairly confident she wouldn't need it in this case. Crane noticed that she wasn't suited next to hm anymore, and immediately grew worried for her, just a little. But he also knew thst he was going to be fine.

Shifu was stroking his beard as he was holding Mei Ling's hand, who's tail was still intertwined with his. "Odd. I wonder why the Emperor's Council was so approving of this alteration of the regulations? It seems so out of place."

"Perhaps they're just betting men." Mei Ling shrugged. "Maybe they're simply trying to try something new. Who knows? Then again, I'm not really worried about it when I probably should be. The young ones have this handled, so I'm not too worried." She says while leaning on Shifu's shoulder. "You already know that they'll be fine, don't you Fufie?~"

"I suppose you're right."

"Speak for yourselves!" Taotie shouted, gesturing to the arena with wide eyes. "Did she really have to bring my son into this?!"

In the meantime, the others were discussing their current participation in this current match, while Bian Zao was busy trying not to fall asleep. Because he knew that the result would be Lian immediately smacking him upside the head, really hard. He yawned as he tried focusing on the objective at hand, which was the five geese standing right in front of him. He couldn't have been more disinterested than he was right now, but Lian wasn't giving him a choice in the matter. So the best thing he could do was try to help the others end this as soon as possible. He thinks this as small charges of lightning exchange between his hooves, before slowly closing them and rubbing them together for a bit.

 _Alright...let's get this over with._

"Alright. the Onyx Masters will be battling against these chosen five from the rogue faction. Begin when ready!" Meng Tao declared, stepping back and allowing whatever happens to happen.

The five geese looked incredibly smug towards the five warriors, yet they didn't say a word towards any of them. Their condescending gazes swiftlycaused Lian to narrow her eyes deeply. She clenched her fists, slightly cracking them. "You all think you're so high above us that you don't even have to talk to us? Because we know you're not mute. Fine. We'll kick your ass while you remain totally silent. I have no problem with that." She frowned while punching her palm. "Bian Zao! You'd better be ready!"

"Whatever." Bian Zao sighed as he knew he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He wondered if this was usually how most relationships worked. But for his own personal health, he wouldn't bring it up while he was around Lian or Peng, lest he would suffer severe consequences.

The first gosose charge towards Fung with the intent to bring him down first. Fung didn't watse any time and blocked a swift kick to his head by raising his arm. he clenched the fist of his other arm and punched at the geese, who swiftly avoids the punch and kicks at his head while he was still charging, causing him to fall to the ground. Fung groaned as he rubbed his head while standing back up. "Grrgh...cheeky little jerk...think that's gonna be enough to keep me down...?" He grumbled as he punched towards the goose as he once again dodges out of the way. Fung foresaw it this time, as he swiftly spun and slapped him into the ground with his tail. The goose growled as he leaped at Fung for another kick. Fung grinned, and opened his jaws wide. His opponent gasped as he tried stopping his momentum, just barely stopping himself as Fung loudly snapped his jaws shut. Said geese soon fled from the arena, his feathers going white from fright, leaving his comrades fending for themselves. He folded his arms and snickered cheekily to himself, marveling at how cowardly the goose was.

Song snickered, quietly praising Fung's use of intimidation. She then turned to the goose in front of her, who was swiftly approaching her with a decent timed punched. She opened her parasol and he bounced off of it, landed on the ground. She had the blade to the umbrella removed because that was likely not allowed. Though they never said anything about her umbrella itself, therefore it was decently fair game. While her parasol was still open, she swung towards the goose while he was still trying to recover, catching him with it as he fell. She then jumped forward and swung her parasol towards the ground, throwing the goose against it. And while he was still recovering, she then fell stowards him feet first and stomped on his back, causing him to quack out painfully. Song soon steps off him and twirles her parasol and it rests on her shoulder. She then leaned down with her eyes narrowed. He noticed that her piercing gaze was leaving him frozen. "If you want to keep yourself conscious and unbroken... _ **I suggest you step out of the arena.**_ " At that, yet another goose flies off of the arena due to fear.

Mei Ling folded her arms as she was dodging multiple swift attacks from the goose in front of her, her eye brow raised. "You guys are the Onyx Masters? I've heard about you guys before, and I heard about how needlessly rude you tend to be. And pretty smug. I guess that kind of thing tends to happen when you have a Master like Junjie." The fox in question glared at her as she said this, though it didn't seem to register with her. She briefly wielded her staff and smacked him in the head from above and kicked him in his beak from below, casuong him to fly backwards, shocked from the blunt force of it. Seeing that he was winded by that blunt attack, she continued with the assault, hitting him multiple times in both his sides and then swiftly jabbing him in the ribs. And after another swift twirl, she gained enough momentum to swing harder. And since he was so small, she was able to whack the goose away, sending him flying out of the arena and crashing agaisnt the wall at first. it was strong enough for the wall to crack, falling unconscious.

Bian Zao yawned a bit as he was nonchalantly staring at the goose in front of him. Even the goose was exasperated by how disinterested Bian Zao was in much of this, to the point where he almost asked him why he was here when he didn't want to be. But that didn't really matter, since he was the opponent. After a moment of contemplation, Bian Zao slowly raised his arms. Everyone soon leaned in closer, wondering what he would do.

"...I give up."

Everyone promptly fell over, even more exasperated by the real reason for his static position. Though no one was more annoyanced than Lian and Taotie, with the former shouting 'YOU'LL DO NO SUCH THING!' with razor sharp teeth, while the former groaned, not even surprised by that action.

He wasn't scared in the slightest...he was just really damn lazy and didn't want to be here. Lian should have guessed that he'd be difficult about this. When he saw her glare deeply towards her, he sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright...fine." Lightning soon generated from his hooves, and shot directly at the goose, immediately singing his feathers and sending him flying off the arena. He yawned slightly. " **Bian Tian's Tempest**. There, did it. Am I done here yet?"

 _Lazy Asshole..._ Lian muttered as she focused on the last goose, who seemed highly unsure of his chances now that his comrades have been defeated so easily. She smirked, satisfied that his smug attitude was crushed. She soon leaps at him, which he narrowly avoided by flying to the side. Though she adjsuted herself as she leaps again, stirking him with a kick to his stomach. He tumbled across the ground for a moment before doing his best to recover. Lian was relentless with her pursuit, however, not alloing him too much time to recover. In an effort to by himself time, he attempted to spin kick at her head, but she dodged by sliding under the blow, them swiftly kicking him in the back, launching him away once again. Now sure of her high chances, she charged at him on all forms, seeing how disoriented he was due to the amount of blows he took. While he was only partially focused, she jumped at him and spin kicked at his head once again. This one sent him flying far off the edge of the arena, and onto the ground, unconscious.

The winners were declared rather easily, and Junjie was left fuming at their failure. Master Chao simply looked on with slight curiosity, not really that offended by the loss. Though as for the other side, especially Peng, tey were rather proud of their success. Lian soon returned to the stands as she gleefully placed herself in Peng's arms, as he held her happily while giving Bian Zao a friendly pat on his shoulder.

'Thank goodness you're alright!" Crane sighed as Mei Ling landed next to him, briefly punching his shoulder.

"Did you expect anything less?~" Mei Ling smiled.

Bian Zao rolled his eyes as Taotie briefly hugged him. "Son! Are you alright! They just dragged you into that without your consent! That's really forceful of them!"

"Meh. Whatever, we at least got something done." Bian Zao yawned. "I think I'm gonna step out a bit and drink some tea..." Taotie groaned at his nonchalant attitude, but was overall glad he was alrigh.

As they all adusted themselves, preparing for the next match, Lu Kang was drawn to the sight of Shen gesturing for him to follow him. He looked towards his grandfather, who was busy speaking with some of the other Masters on who was going next, he slowly slipped from his seat an followed the peacock.

Said peacock rolled his eyes as he was leading the water buffalo away. He was likely to get into a lot of trouble because of this, but this was something he needed to do...though it would definitely be a pain in his train if he ever gets caught.


	75. The Five Elements: Part One

"What are we doing...?"

"Hush now, child. I really don't want either of us getting in more trouble for this than necessary."

Shen muttered to Lu Kang as the two of them were taking a step out of the arena area for a moment, mostly out of hearing range. He was already able to tell that Lu Kang wasn't very bright, and that was already beginning to frustrate him. Though he realized that it didn't really matter too much, this was something he could easily block out at certain points, because all that mattered is that he discussed something important with the young prince. Being a fellow Prince himself, he might actually learn a thing or two himself, though the chances were highly unlikely. This is brought into consideration when he remembers that unlike Lu Kang, Shen can be considered a bad person overall, and was going through rehabilitation.

Against his will, might he add. But then again, it's for the pure state of...why not?

Once he was sure that they traveled a far enough distance from the arena, which was closer to the courtyard itself, they both stopped right around the center. Shen nodded as he turned and looked up towards Lu Kang. "Alright, child. We've got something to discuss, and we needed to do it out of prying eyes and judging minds."

"Huh...?"

"Yeah, we've got things to talk about, you and me." Shen muttered with a brief roll of his eyes. "I shall be quite blunt an hones with you...you are a moron. I don't even need to go into too much detail to tell you why, I'm just able to tell from how you speak, and how you look."

Lu Kang blinked. "Whaddya mean...?"

"Apparently the kind and compassionate ones are the moronic ones. They'll do whatever they believe they must in the means of good. Bloody fools really know how to make things difficult just by being kind to everyone they bloody meet..I honestly cannot stand it sometimes. I understand it. But it's rather infuriating that I cannot immediately grasp it, even though it's been surrounding me for a while now." He shook his head and rubbed his forehead with a slight groan. "I'm getting off track. Look, Lu Kang. Like I said before, I'm going to be blunt and honest. I have to say, I find this entire tournament to be rather foolish."

"You do...?"

"Quite so. I mean, I'm all for watching those buffoons beat the stuffing out of each other, but the reasoning behind it seems rather desperate. Your grandfather has absolutely no idea who to choose as your teacher, so he's set up this entire thing in order to decide it for you. Complicated, isn't it? Though I guess he wasn't the one who was organizing the entire thing, was he? No, he's got too much to worry about. Someone else planned this, did they?" Shen asked, narrowing his eyes a bit. Lu Kang was quick to nod in confirmation. "Yes, indeed. Going through all this headache just to pick someone to teach you? I don't believe that's very practical use of time and resources...but then again, I'm a failed tyrant. My ideas of practical might not be accepted by nearly everyone here."

"How so?"

"I would have had them fight to the death instead of just knocking each other out of the ring." Shen deadpanned as Lu kang blinked in shock. The Peacock didn't really blame him, he was slightly disturbed by how casually he said this. He has a pretty sinking feeling that he's been very sadistic for far, _far_ too long if he can say such things so easily. He had to stay focused, though. This wasn't about him. "Anyway, it's just an interest idea behind a moronic reason. Does he not realize how easy it might be to simply choose a teacher without all of this hussle? But even more importantly for me to bring up, is the matter of choice."

"Huh?"

"It's quite simple, really. Your Grandfather says how imperative it is for you to learn Kung Fu in order for you to be considered the very next Emperor. Is it truly necessary for you to know Kung Fu to become the next Emperor?" Shen shrugged. "I personally don't care either way, it just seems to be rather desperate of him in order have his successor come forth as soon as possible. Does he not fully believe in his ability to maintain his position as Emperor? When even you, a young and naive grandson, might prove to be a much better ruler than he is? His confidence must be dwindling quite rapidly." Shen continued as he rubbed his beak slightly while gazing towards the sky. "He seems to be too much in a hurry to do so, in my opinion. Far too hasty and desperate. I'm beginning to think that there's something deeper going on here that we're not seeing. you especially won't see it. You're far too close to him to call him out on it."

"I am...?" Lu Kang pouted a bit while he tilted his head a bit. Though he didn't wonder over it too much as his mind shifted somewhere else. "Do you think that Po might know what's going on with him?"

"What? How can the panda possibly even grasp what might be going on with the Emperor?"

"Because out of everyone, he was the most hostile towards him. He doesn't have any qualms with calling out how dangerous this idea is and how dangerous it might be. But then again, he's also has no qualms with participating anyway. He might know in his heart that something was amiss...but his mind isn't really focused on it too much."

"Yes, I suppose he does act like that a majority of the time...the moron." Shen rolled his eyes. Though he did agree that he needed to be vigilant for any strange happenings, stranger than usual. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard someone shuffling behind him. He narrowed his eyes as he prepared his throwing knives, briefly confusing Lu Kang. Shen snarled at the presence. "Who's there...?" He demanded. Soon, the goat known as Fai Suan appeared seemingly out of nowhere, as well as another figure he didn't recognize. There were glowing blue eyes under said cloak. "Who are you...?"

"...The eclispe will be starting soon..." The cloaked one stated ominously. "I must say, thank you for separating Lu Kang from the others, Shen. You've made my job much easier. Snatching him away from the attention would have proven difficult."

"What...?"

"China will need a new Emperor soon...I wholeheartedly agree with him." She declared with a strong voice. "China needs a new master... ** _and it will be ME._** "

The last thing Shen remembered before being knocked unconscious was a double blast of mystic purple flames from Fai Suan and blue mystic lightning from the cloaked woman...

 **(Meanwhile...)**

"It appears that your friends are up next again." Master Bear commented as he was sharing noodles with Po within the audience. Indeed, the new incarnation of the Furious Five was currently making their way onto the arena, with Tigress up front and adjusting her scarf, which the others instinctively copied as best as they could. Up across from them, who would soon be their opponents for the current round. "I do wonder what might happen when it comes to these new opponents. l...much different than the others. Not too much, but certainly enough to matter."

"Hmmm...yeah. I do sense something odd about them." Po mumbled as he munches on a few bean buns, his cheeks being briefly filled with them before swallowing. "I definitely sense something about them...wonder what they know? Wonder how the others will fare...and I wonder if Dad has more bean buns..." Mr. Ping immediately placed another bowl of bean buns on Po's belly, in which he gleefully picks it up and begins helping himself once again.

Tigress and the rest of the new generation Five stepped up to the arena so they could see their apparent competition. Needless to say, they were a bit surprised. They could see a tigard, a flamingo, a crocodile-something Fung silently took note of-a tarantula, and a gorilla. Considering the kind of group setup they themselves have, they knew they were in absolutely no position to judge them for it. Still, their interest was piqued for the entire time they stared at them. Though they also had a feeling from the looks on their faces...they weren't necessarily pleasant people. To know for sure, they would have to proceed on with their battle, which Meng Tao loudly proclaimed has finally started.

 _So...these are our opponents..._ Tigress noted quietly, adjusting her wrist a little, narrowing her eyes. _Listening to my instincts...there's definitely something off about them...we'll have to keep cautious so we can keep the surprises to a minimum._ "So. What do the rest of you think of them? Any of you getting a strange feeling? Like something isn't as it seems?"

"Now that you mention it...there might be something going on with those guys. I can't put my finger on it, though." Monkey shrugged.

"It's making me feel quite uneasy. not in the 'I feel threatened' kind of way, either. More like...we can't trust these guys." Crane muttered, tilting his hat. "I hope this doesn't mean that they'll be a serious trouble...but I've learned by now that trouble follows us regardless of what I hope for."

"That's the spirit, Crane!" Mei Ling cheered from the audience, which caused Crane to blush slightly, hiding his face.

"Though I still reserve my right to complain about it..."

"Never thought that snarking would become a right for someone to have." Mantis rolled his eyes.

"Careful, guys. here they come." Viper said with slight anxiousness as the five mentioned opponents approached them, meeting them up to the center. The tigard seemed to be gazing at Tigress with curiosity and a hint of smugness. Tigress was completely unimpressed with him, folding her arms and narrowing her eyes. Viper blinked a little. The uneasy feeling just rose a little, making her a bit more anxious.

"Ah. What do we have here? A fellow feline?" The tigard smirked as he leaned downward to meet Tigress face to face. She barely moved an inch. "What was your name again? Tigress? Seems like a pretty boring name, doesn't it?"

"I really don't think you're in any position to criticize my name. What's _yours_?" Tigress said with a raised eyebrow. "And if you're not going to attack, I suggest you not stand so close to me. Doesn't really end well for my opponents."

"Really? I sincerely doubt that."

"Your doubts matter less to me than Monkey's puns...which are painfully stale to begin with."

"Hey! The opponent is over THERE! Why are you taking shots at _me_?!" Monkey shouted with a comically irritated glare.

The tigard chuckled while folding his arms. "Well then, we can get on with introductions. I am Earth. My simian comrade is Metal. The flamingo is Fire. The tarantula is Wood. and the crocodile is Water. With these specific names in mind, we are known as the 'Five Elements'!" He stated proudly, then elaned closer to Tigress again with a smirk. "And you...you lead the new Furious Five, don't you? And those are supposed to be them...? You could do better."

"Uh...can we just fight?" Mantis offered sheepishly. He was worried about the tigard known as Earth...he was getting far too close to Tigress, deliberately breaking her personal space when the match clearly started and he's not attacking yet.

"What's that supposed to mean...?" Tigress asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm simply saying that you could have had more fierce allies to form the Five. And yet you chose a tiny mantis, a skinny crane, a fangless viper, and an unimpressive monkey?" Earth scoffed, not noticing each of their faces darken and their hesitation quickly vanishing. Then he made his biggest mistake: He pushed himself against Tigress and cupped her chin with one paw and an arm around her hip with the other, lowering his eyes. "I think you're potential would be further explored if you were in more... _capable_ paws~"

 _ **BAM!**_

Earth gasped as he felt intense pain in the center of his chest, causing him to step back and drop to his knees. The other Elements were shocked as they saw Tigress with her fist outstretched, and not looking like she cared at all for that interaction. She simply pulled her fist back and smirked. "Oops. Sorry. I was just _SO_ interested in your offer, that I forgot we were in the middle of a fight...my paw must have slipped trying to get me to refocus~" She lost her smirk and growled. "I suggest you not insult my family again, if you wish to lose with some sort of dignity intact. And by the way, I also suggest you never touch me like that again, unless you wish for me to shatter your ribcage."

There was only one person who was allowed to do such a thing...but he didn't know what that was, because despite his wisdom he his cheerfully innocent and dense. And hogging most of the bean buns.

And given how Tai Lung and Shifu were watching, their restraint was definitely tested at that moment; murder in the Imperial City while right in front of the Emperor wouldn't really help anyone. Though unlike Shifu, Tai Lung might actually enjoy it, consequences or no.

"Tch...you filthy little...!"

Crane waved his wing in a fit of anger. "Tried to be civil about this, just needed to be a simple five-on-five battle. But NO! You had to make it about supremacy, and then got creepy about it! Forget the pleasantries for this one, we're going to kick your ass!"

"Oh! Crane did a swear! He's pissed!" Monkey snickered.

"Can you blame me? I was confronted by that attitude during my entire stay at Lee Da Academy, and even away from it, I can't fully escape it. Though spreading that disrespect to my friends is a different matter entirely!"

"Entirely good points, Crane! We'll show them what for!"

"Your funeral." Fire muttered as he immediately flapped his wings towards Crane. The avians eyes widened as a wave of flames accompanied the clapping wings, and he immediately jumps high in order to avoid it. Though his talon was slightly burned in the process.

" _What the?!_ "

"Surprised you that much? We really shouldn't have. HAH!" Metal roared as his fist coated itself in metal and slammed it down towards Monkey. he swiftly backflips, briefly seeing the deep crater it made in the arena, before skidding backwards on free of his limbs. He sweatdropped slightly while rubbing his neck.

"Well...at least now we sorta know where they got their names..."

"Why else would we have our names?" Metal scoffed. Said alloy slowly shifted around his arm and shapes itself into a sword, and slashes it downwards upon Monkey. Monkey was quick to avoid the attack, then bounce back up and quickly kick him across the face, making him stumble backwards.

"I'll admit that you're big and your tough. But I'm faster and more evasive. It's just a matter of wearing you down effectively." Monkey grinned with a mischievous wag of his tail. "And if there's something I tend to be really good at, is wearing people down!"

"Through a terrible taste in jokes?" Crane added in.

"...And to think I tried defending you!"

"I think his jokes are worthy of a chuckle or two." Mantis supported as he swiftly moved through the splinters of wood that Wood sent his way. "I wouldn't really feel great about fighting you, ya know?We insects have to stick together, ya know?~"

The other insect simply scoffed at Mantis. "Hmph. You're much smaller than the usual mantis, aren't you?"

"...I'm going to break your face." Mantis irritably resolved himself as he shoots through the storm of splinters and kicks the tarantula right in the face, sending him skidding back. "Nope. No sounds of face breaking. I'll have to try a bit harder."

Viper was slithering fast around the croc known as Water. It was becoming quickly apparent that this specific match-up wasn't what he was expecting; trying to blast her with waves of water only made her adjust herself so she could slither more gracefully and swiftly, going with the flow. As soon as she found a proper flow, she shot out with speed enhanced from water flows and struck Water across the face, making him stumble back in aggravation and pain. She was swift to slither around his legs and wrapped them tightly in her tail, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry...not entirely, though." She half-apologized before she lifted him up with zero effort and swung him around, slamming him into Fire, making them both skid away across the hard ground. They were still in-bounds, though. It didn't help them much, as Crane blew them away with a powerful wing clap that made them stumble across the stage ground despite their resistance. Mantis and Monkey attempted to join in on the onslaught, but were cut off by a large block of wood, as well as Metal's sword. The teams would be split for a while.

Earth roared as he admittedly handled his strength pretty well, always attempting to strike Tigress hard enough to knock her immediately off the stage. Though she was both strong and vigilant, going for a swift counter to divert his blows and then jabbing him in his arm, chest, sides, and cheeks. He was gravely aggravated as he stumbled back a few times, already littered with bruises while Tigress hasn't gained so much as a scratch yet. Though Tigress wasn't going to let that go to her head.

"So? How are you doing this, since it's been confirmed that any ability goes." Tigress said while staying focused on him.

Earth glared at her. "We're definitely special ones...we've released our latent abilities a long time ago. And it was brought out of us by a certain someone...someone who holds a particular hate for your Master Shifu." Tigress narrowed her eyes, but didn't interrupt. A lot of people around here didn't particularly like Shifu, so this wouldn't be too surprising if some of them lent a hand in their growth of elemental ability. "Tried to be nice with you, but you're forcing me to-" He was cut off from his sentence as he was punched in the nose, and a swift legsweep left him lying on his back.

"A bit more focus on the battle instead of running your mouth would do you some good." Tigress remarked.

Earth growled as he slowly stands up, his aura glowing yellow with anger. "You...you have no idea who you're dealing with!"

Tigress cracked her knuckles a bit and tightly clenched them, smiling a bit. "It''s more of a case of me not caring. But please, feel free to attempt humoring me anyway."


	76. The Five Elements: Part Two

**I'm back again!**

 **...Really, are we surprised at this point? I'm certainly not. because...ya know. I get a little bit lazy with this one.**

 **But I'm still going strong and somewhat competently! How much? See it here in this chapter!**

* * *

Their brief conversation has caught Shifu's attention the moment they spoke of it. It seemed all too familiar once he was actually granted time to process the words. The Elements...where and when has he heard about them before? He was very certain he had heard of them, but the recollection was a bit sketchy at best. Still, it was worth the attempt, at the very least.

 _The Elements...hm..now if I recall correctly, it is said that the physical manifestations of Earth, Metal, Water, Fire, and Wood would appear and come to the world's defense in a time of darkness. They would then assume their roles as the world's protectors, usurping the ones they deem unworthy of that role._ Shifu thought while stroking his beard, eying each of the Elements with narrowed eyes. _There's no doubt that the power they're showing is very much real...but I do wonder if they are who they say they are. It's highly likely that they aren't._

"You see it too, don't you?" Mei Ling said as her arm was around Shifu's, staring at the arena, which was becoming more devastated by the moment with the current battle going on. "Their powers may be real, but that doesn't mean they aren't frauds, does it?~" She said with a knowing huff. She's b een quite adep a tellin a fraud from the real thing, even from the most subtle of differences that would otherwise make it impossible to tell the difference. "Still, I do admit that I'm a bit concerned for those kids. Their enemies are powerful, fake or not."

"Po doesn't seem too concerned about them." Shifu sighed while gazing towards the panda in question, who was casually eating with Master Bear still, and could easily tell by the bears eyes that he wasn't worried about his friends at all. The confidence in them was very clear, so he doesn't bother cheering. That, and he has a lot of food in his mouth, so he wouldn't be able to speak clearly anyway. Fenghuang was simply observing the new Five, which was shared by the other members of the original Five. Shifu nodded silently as he turned back towards the arena to observe them.

Tigress was gazing across in view of Earth, who was snarling quite angrily at how nonchalant she was about his very presence, despite who he was and who he was leading. She didn't seem to view him as anything worth mentioning at all. She was seeing him like a really bad joke. Monkey's terrible puns were more amusing than he was. That's how lowly she thought of him, because she wasn't fooled by him or the others for a second, and neither were the others. It was quite hard for them to take them seriously aside from their very real power over their namesakes. Anything else was simply not worth their ackowledgement.

This was an outright insult towards Earth, and he didn't tolerate it.

"Don't you look at me with that condescending look...don't think that you have the right to look down on me!"

"I would have to actually acknowledge you to look down on you. And I don't really acknowledge you at all." Tigress deadpanned. "I know what kind of person you are. You think that because you have some kind of big title that I have to respect you no matter what, despite how much of a scumbag you are." She emphasized while getting into stance and clenching her fist. "No thanks. We prefer to act upon character than title. And you guys are really not worth our respect."

"Why you-"

"DISRESPECT IS REAL!" Monkey yipped as he leaps forward and kicks Earth in the head, lightly knocking him over, and then Mantis swiftly moves forward and kicks him in the knee, which fully knocks him over, resulting in crashing on his face. "

"Haha! Chump!" Mantis beamed while landing on Monkey's head while grinning madly.

"What the hell..." Earth grumbled while standing up, nursing his aching head. "Why...you interrupted us?! She's my target right now, not you!"

"The amount of damns we give about that might as well be none!" Monkey beamed again as he leaps forward again and kicks upwards to his chin, making him land on his back. "You're supposed to be the manifestation of five elements to protect the world, right? Like we care about something like that!"

"The world doesn't need protectors with overblown egos!" Viper shouted as well, slithering past Earth and using her tail to grab his leg. She then swung him around in an arc, smashing him against Metal, knocking them both to the ground. "You think that just because you have such big names relating to the elements, that you're free to reign over people?!"

"I bet you're not even actual protectors!" Crane cawed as he flapped his wings, while Fire does the same from a wide distance. The clashing of wind and flames caused a raher spectacular combination of the two, swirling around each other before ending in a grand explosion of the two chi's. It created a smokescreen that briefly impaired their vision, but that didn't stop Crane in the slightest; he zooms forward, spiralling around before turning and landing a heavy kick to Fire's chest. The attacked knocked some air out of the fellow avian, who shook his head as his wing covered itself in flames and slashed at Crane's chest. He briefly flew back, barely avoiding being burned.

"Can the same be said for you?! You're supposed to be the 'New Furious Five' the ones who shall take up the mantle! Yet you're speaking and acting selfishly!" Fire ranted while he gathered his wings together, a flaming ball of chi gathering within, before he shouted aloud and throwing it towards Crane. He swifly dodges it, but Fire moves quicker and smashes his wing into Crane's face, then a flaming kick to his head sends him flying back, until he readjusted himself and stayed airborne.

"We've already stated our aversion to being called heroes. Of course we're selfish!" Crane shouted back whille flapping his wings. They were both airborne, but they made sure to stay within bounds. They would still have to hit the ground in order to be considered out. "But we're not bullies. And given the way you guys are acting, you guys are very likely to be bullies. We don't take kindly to bullies, you know! No one should lord their titles over others the way you five are!"

"Your disrespect towards the Masters is unexcusable!" Fire shouted almost incoherently as he flapped his wings, sending yet another wave of flames towards Crane. The latter narrowed his eyes as he swiftly spins around, the wind catching the flames without damaging him, surprising Fire for a few moments. He then stops spinning and throws the wave of flames back towards Fire, who narrowed his own eyes and went on to dissipate them. He was about to tell Crane off for that tactic not being effective, until Crane swiftly flew towards him and kicked him hard in the abdomen, briefly taking even more air out of him.

"Tell it to someone who cares, jerk!" Crane shouts as he swiftly spins aagain and kicks him again, sending him flying. Crane wasn't done; he flys even faster and appears right behind Fire and once again kicks him, this time sending him straight down into the ground, right through the edge of the arena and taking off a major piece of it causing some debris to fly outwards. The crowd was in a bit of an uproar from from how hard he crashed, and Fenghuang in particular nodded in approval of Crane's ruthlessness.

"Tch...!" Earth gritted his teeth at the disqualification of his teammate. He focused on Tigress, who had quite swiftly parried another one of his strikes, in which Mantis leaps high from over her head and kicked him in the cheek, and then was tripped up by Viper who was waiting behind him, before she slithers off to help deal with Water. "You all are unbearable!"

"You're incredibly whiny. Have you lorded your superiority over others because you're stronger than them? And now you're whining because we're working together." Mantis deadpanned. The angry glare on Earth's face confirmed this, and rolled his eyes. "Yyyeeeaaaaah...you're a _prick_."

"WHAT?!"

"Yup. You're _suuuuuuch_ an annoying piece of work." Mantis shrugged. "Oh look at me, I'm the supposed 'manifestation' of an-" He cut himself off as Monkey leaped and kicked Earth in the nose again, causing him to be pushed back. "Whoops! Monkey interrupted me! Our bad!"

"But not really!~" Monkey snickered, landing on his feet, and he slipped up and fell on his back, groaning in slight pain. "Okay, ow! What the heck was that?!"

"Pathetic! You keep yammering on and on to confuse us and leave us wide-open! That won't work forever!" Water shouted as a wave of water was thrown against the others.

Crane narrowed his eyes as he seperated his wings and flapped them powerfully, briefly stopping the water in it's tracks. Though his eyes widened as he noticed Metal pierce through the water...sword-first. His armor shifted some metal into a sword and was intent on stabbing through Crane. Tigress interrupted immediately, parrying the sword strike, and Monkey leaps forward and kicks Metal in the face. Viper once again follows up, with extra agility granted by the water on the ground, and swiftly trips up Metal, and he falls on his back. She then slithers towards Water, briefly leaping up and tail-slapping him across the cheek.

"Pay attention, now!~" Viper shouted as she swiftly dodged multiple wooden spikes sent towards her by Wood.

Mantis was quick to deflect most of them to keep them from impaling Viper, and he deflected most of the wooden spikes with a glare. They were getting far too intense with their attacks, so it was becoming necessary to remain completely on guard in order to keep them from doing anything fatal. Mantis then swiftly turned and noticed Earth stomping the ground, the earth rising below him and sending him flying into the air for a few moments, nearly sending him out of bounds. A gust of wind caught Mantis before he could fully fall, and he was pushed back onto the platform. He sighed with relief, briefly nodding in acknowledgement of his assist.

Wood tried almost furiously to impale Viper with wood spikes from below. Viper slithers around each of the large wooden spikes, causing larger holes in the platform. Viper, unlike her opponent, was staying calm and focused on him. Numerous jumps over certain logs, and large stumps relating to actual trees growing from said platformn, but she wasn't disillusioned at all. Viper then spun quickly and whipped him in the face, knocking him to the ground. He almost gets back up from this, until Viper begins looming over him. He wanted to glare back at her in defiance...but Viper's was proving to be more powerful. Falling prey to her glare, most of his defiance disappearing quickly.

"Now...you wouldn't happen to be trying to kill me...would you?" Viper hissed menacingly.

"U-Uuhhh..."

"That isn't very polite. We're in the middle of a public tournament...there are _children_ watching us. You wouldn't be trying to expose them to something that wouldn't be too much for them...right?" Viper hissed again...her eyes grew a bit darker at the prospect.

"O-Of course not...I m-mean if I-"

"That's not a good thing, you know. That's not good at all." Viper hissed quietly, her eyes turning into furious stars. "I'll have to remove you from the premises mysellf so you can't do such a thing..." Viper soon leans in closer and whispered quietly. " _Here's what's going to happen...you're going to drop yourself out right this instant. If you delay...afterwards... **I'll eat you. And you won't be able to do a thing about it~**_ "

Wood blinked a bit as he nervously chuckled. "H-Haha..there's no way. I know you're the daughter of Grand Master Viper...you wouldn't do such a thing!"

"Yes. Fortunately for me, Grand Master Viper is my father, so I managed to stay kind. Unfortunately for _you_ , I was mostly trained by Fu-Xi. And he's quite ruthless with disposing annoying threats." Seeing the look in his eyes to signify that he still didn't believe she would do it. That was, until Viper slowly opened her maw and prepared to launch at him...

...

... ** _NOPE_**.

Wood immediately leaped off the stage, frantically shouting 'DON'T EAT ME!' on the way down. Viper huffed and soon slithered away, feeling quite pleased with herself. Earth promptly facepalms at this, while the others didn't seem to mind too much.

From the stands, with dumplings in his mouth, acknowledged Viper's method of intimidation. _Ah. She's done something like this before. With those rat guys...bandits...huh. I wonder what would happen if she just began doing that for real...? She'd probably complain because she wouldn't be able to eat food from Dad and me._ He either ignored the more disturbing implications of Viper eating her enemies to make sure they don't bother her again...he didn't care...or he didn't really know about it. It was most likely the third. Certainly the third. But it also wasn't too hard to acknowledge that he might not have a problem with it.

Fenghuang certainly didn't. She actually laughed at Wood crying for mercy.

Water watched with disbelief as Wood disqualified himself purely out of fear. "Wood?! What the heck are you thinking?!"

" _Hey...ya forgettin' something?~_ " Monkey whispered quietly from behind him. Water's eyes widened and swiftly turned towards hm, only for Monkey to kick him upwards, and Mantis top assisted by leaping upwards and kicking the reptile out of bounds, crashing against the wall.

Metal and Earth stood side by side, being the only ones left in the group. Earth clenched his fists as he stomped again, waves of earth moving towards the Five. They all jumped upwards to avoid the wave, and most of the earth debris from earlier begins to launch towards them. Mantis was quick to zip to multiple forms of debris and smash them into pieces. Metal roared as he gripped his metal sword and leapt up towards them, attempting to cut them apart again...Viper promptly avoids it and smacks Metal in the face. Tigress them grabs Monkey and threw him towards the larger simian, who then kicked him in the face as well, since it was the only part of him that was seriously exposed. The kick connects once again, sending the larger simian crashing downwards into the ground, cracking the arena. He was lying on the edge, unconscious...before falling off the edge and out of bounds.

Only Earth was left. He wasn't happy about it.

"You...you...YOU..."

"You mad, bro?" Monkey taunted sticking his tongue at him.

"What did you expect? We're clearly the better coordinated team." Crane added in with a smile.

"While your own team is only interested in it's own self-benefit. Not caring for other. No compassion." Viper said with a glare.

"We can be selfish, but we're also not pretentious assholes." Mantis also added.

"All that potential, and you can only use it for your own benefit and to lord your "Superiority' over others...what a complete waste." Tigress stated with folded arms and closed eyes...then she has the gall to _turn her back on him._ "Don't embarrass yourself further. Drop yourself out."

Earth clenched his fists, began growling erratically, and bared his fangs at Tigress's disrespect. While Tai Lung, in the background, was laughing his tail off in a moment of amusement and pride for his sister's attitude. Earth was much less amused and his own pride has been very much torn apart.

"GGRRAAAGH!" Earth launched towards Tigress with his claws outstretched. Tigress simply sidestepped and the back of her fist collided with his face.

"I gave you an out. You didn't take it. I'll do it myself then" Tigress decided, turning around and kicking Earth in the side of his head, dizzying him and destroying his sense of concentration even further than it already was. Then she strikes him hard in the chest with a double-palm strike, sending him flying... _through_ the stands. The spectators casually moved aside and watched him crash hard, losing all consciousness. With the last member of the Five Elements defeated, Tigress huffed as she readjusted her scarf and lead her team to the stands.

Meng Tao smiled as he raised his arm. "The winners are the new Furious Five! Their potential has clearly been displayed today, and they're very impressive indeed!" It was very subtle, but he first gazed towards the sky, in which the moon was slowly moving towards the sun. He nodded wickledly towards the stands, in which two people accepted the acknowledgement. Another cloaked figure, and...Junjie. Master Chao was a bit confused by Junjie's sudden gesture, but ignored it for the most part.

"Great job, Aunt Tigress! And Viper, and Mantis, and Monkey, and Crane! You all were amazing!" Peng said with beaming eyes and swishing tail.

"You kicked their asses, that's for sure!" Lian smirked widely.

"Your friends are certainly impressive, they've certainly proved their worth today." Master Bear nodded towards Po, who smiled gleefully.

"Of course they proved their worth! They're my friends!~" Po replied with a simple and knowing smile.

Meng Tao smiled slowly towards the Emperor, who raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. He then closed his eyes. _Everyone is clueless, and they still don't realize what's about to happen in a few moments..._

 _Very good. My telepathic link is still intact and woking properly. I had to deal with a slight...problem, in regards to the peacock prince, but he is of no threat. The eclipse will be starting soon. I sense how some of those youth have powerful free will, so the spell might not work on them...so we'll have to simply make them easier to kill._

 _Agreed. Are you ready, Fai Suan?_

 _Yup! Are YOU ready, Junjie?_

 _Certainly. And what about you, our leader of this little operation? Pang Bing?_

 _Of course I am. Now it is up to you..._

Amongst the crowd, the same cloaked figure smirked evilly as he lightly strokes his thick white mustache, his expression expressing sadistic glee in what would surely be his greatest work yet. _Right...so, Shifu. Let's see how your students fare against a technique used creatively from the older, bigger leagues!_ With this, he clapped his hands together.

Shifu raised an eyebrow as he noticed something odd...paw marks. White paw marks began appearing all over the inside of the stadium, numbering in at least the hundreds, and they were glowing a very bright white, which blinded almost everyone. Po in partcular was having a hard time seeing, while Mr. Ping tried waving around for an explanation. "Hey, hey! What's going on!?

"This chi feels familiar...what the hell?!" Fenghuang growled while trying to search for the culprit. But Shifu recognized this technique all too well. It was known as the **Five-Fingered Blast Punch**. And the only person he knew could possibly use such a dangerous technique was the one who had attempted to assassinate the Emperor many years ago.

Shifu then looked straight ahead of him, across to the other side of the stadium, where he could see him. A white mustache, a blue hat under the cloak, gray and white fur. And the amber eyes. Those insane, chaotic, amber eyes...Shifu's own blue eyes widened, both at his realization, and the fact that this person was able to delay a technique that should go off in a couple seconds, for an entire _**DAY**_ , while everyone who could be a possible threat was gathered in one place. His mind frantically shouted out:

 _ **PAI MEI!**_

The resulting explosion was large, it was white, it was surging with chi, engulfing almost the entire stadium, and it could be seen from miles away atop a mountain if one observed.

No time was given to fully escape the powerful blast...


	77. Emperor's Rule: Part One

Po found being blown up to be particularly painful. So it came as no surprise that when he eventually woke up with every side of him feeling some various degrees of pain, it wasn't really going to lead to a good time for him. No, not a good time for him at all. Though first, he had to do something about this heavy ringing in his ears, which he tried to remedy by holding his head with his paw...he blinked slightly as he checked his right arm...his prosthetic arm has been blown into pieces, leaving simply his flash stump.

 _Aw man! Shen and Taotie spent such a long time working hard on that too. They're gonna be PISSED when they see and hear about this!_ He then blinked as the ringing began to die down for a little bit, and he raised his head. "Though I think that's the least of my worries right now. Guys! Are you alright...?" Po asked as he surveyed the area around him for his friends.

The arena has been completely decimated. Chunks of debris, both big and small, were scattered around littering the area, which was accompanied by large clouds of dust. For a moment, he could see the sky, and saw that the moon was becoming very close to covering the sun. He blinked again and tilted his head. "The moon is movin' ain front of the sun...I could have sworn there was a name for that...what was it again..." He blinked and shook his head, slapping it a few times. "Focus, Po! Find friends first, worry about sky phenomenon later!"

"Po!"

The panda turned to see that Mr. Ping was relatively unharmed. Though he needed to readjust his hat a little bit back into it's proper place. He then picked up Po's hat and scarf, handing them both to the panda before wrapping him in a fatherly hug. "Oh my baby! Your prosthetic was destroyed! You JUST got that contraption, too!"

"I was JUST thinking that, too! Man, this seriously sucks." Po frowned as his father helped him wrap his scarf around his neck and placed his hat on his head. "But we don't have time to worry about that right now. We have to find the others, that takes a bit of priority." He says while looking around. None of his friends seemed to be nearby...but something was definitely coming...and it wasn't exactly friendly. Before he knew it, Po grabbed Mr. Ping with his one arm and jumped backwards. Immediately afterwards, something crashed right through the debris right under them...it was Master Ox and Temutai, simultaneously. Po landed on his feet while gazing at them and setting Mr. Ping to the side. "Hey, uh, guys? Now's not the time for you to be crashing through things! It's a bit distracting!"

They didn't answer him. They slowly turned from their charge and glared at Po with their eyes being completely white. Mr. Ping blinked a bit and lightly nudged Po. "Um...I don't think they're in their right minds, son..."

"Whaddya mean? Is it because their pupils are kinda gone...?" Po wondered. He didn't have time to ponder it though, as they charged him again. Mr. Ping quacked in surprise and immediately flies out of the way, while Po stood his ground; he managed to grab Ox by the horn, swiftly spin him around, and smash him into Temutai, sending the both of then crashing a few feet away. "Hey guys! I prosthetic kinda got wrecked so I'm at a bit of a handicap! Can you two give me a bit of a break?"

They didn't respond to him, they immediately recovered from their collapse and immediate began chasing him down again. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he once again avoided another charge from Ox, watching him crash right through more debris. He turned to see Temutai charging at him from the side, and he himself was sent flying from the amount of momentum behind said charge, sent a few feet back while landing on his face. Po groaned as he began hoisting himself back up while rubbing his cheek.

"Kinda forgot what it feels like to fight with only one arm...this is a bit tough." Po sighed. Temutai leaps up high and comes down for a shockwave stomp that Po completely jumped over. Po grabbed Temutai by the horn and swiftly slammed him down into the ground, smashing him and cratering the ground. Though knowing he wasn't easily stopped by this, he jumped away from the water buffalo before he eventually rises back up with steam blowing from his nostrils. "Hey dude, it's time to snap out of it! I'm really busy at the moment, so can you try not to impale me with your horns? I would really appreciate it." Po asked politely. Of course he was ignored as Temutai gets up once again and charges towards Po horn-first. Before he could think of a counter, he was swiftly smacked aside by a swift and powerful Ox, proceeding to roll across the ground and hit his back against a bit of rubble. "Agh..."

"Oh no, Po!" Mr. Ping gasped while hiding behind other pieces of debris.

Po eventually recovers, standing up and shaking his head, before glaring at the both of them in agitation. "I seriously don't have time for this. These two have to go down quickly." With this declaration, Po gently closed his eyes and calmed his nerves for the moment. Everything seemed to be silent aside from the movements from both Temutai and Ox. They both charged at him simultaneously and attempted to strike him together. The moment Po opened his eyes, they seemed to move much slower. In this instance, he was able to parry Ox's charge with relative ease, gently pushing him to the side, and right into Temutai, knowing he had an incredibly durable hide. Ox was sent crashing into him and they both briefly collapsed onto one another.

Mr. Ping watched on with gentle worried eyes as Po seemed to regain the advantage. _Inner Peace, Po...how much focus will that take up. I know you're trying to preserve yourself, but please don't push it too far._

Temutai once again stands up and makes the attempt to attack Po again, swiftly attacking Po with multiple strikes; each of them passes by Po as if he were casually dodging them, as his eyes remained focused on the raging water buffalo. In one instance, said water buffalo attempted to strike Po with much more force than before. Po sidesteps the punch and watches his head slowly descend to his level. Po's eyes narrowed as he pulled his paw back.

 _There!_

Po struck Temutai hard in the head with a paw-sized version of the **Mystic Spiral** , and sent him flying even further away, causing some bits of debris to spread in two different places. The smoke cloud that resulted from the attack could be seen from above. Po sighed as he panted a bit from his use of chi. That should keep him down for a little while, but he can't go wasting time like this, he really needed to find his friends as soon as he possibly could. Which caused a groan of agitation when he senses Ox getting up once again, preparing to charge at him.

Though what he _didn_ _'t_ expect, was Wan Wu swiftly appearing in front of Ox and kicking him in the abdomen, causing him to skid away fr a bit. "What the...Wan?"

"Hey there, I'm here to lend a paw. You seem like you're n a bit of a bind." Wan said as she keeps her narrowed gaze on Ox, who was slowly beginning to rise from the rubble once again. "Luckily for us, you tok care of the bigger guy first. Now I'll be able to focus solely on Ox."

"Wait, are you sure...?"

"Pretty positive. Now, you'd better hurry on ahead. I've a feeling that something big is goin' down at the Emperor's Palace. Head there quickly."

"Um...alright then. C'mon, Dad!"

Wan nodded as Mr. Ping latched onto Po's back and the panda began sprinting towards the Palace, as she turns towards Master Ox. "Oh dear, oh my. Master Ox, you don't seem to be yourself...my oh my, that's good for me. I've wanted a reason to pay you back for what you, Croc, and Rhino did to me and my sisters. Hehehe...oh, don't worry. I'm not so petty as to just outright try to kill you." She closed her eyes, and then reopened them...they were completely white, and her predatory intent rose drastically.

 **"All I want you to do...is _scream_ for me!~" **

* * *

Shifu and Fenghuang were among the least damaged in the blast, alongside both Mei Ling's, mostly Shifu's. Speaking of which, he was incredibly impressed with the feat that Master Yao was able to pull off so easily. Because the reason why they were among the least damaged was because he used quite a useful ability in order to survive as they did. He was semi-meditating as everything around him glowed golden; in fact, it didn't really look like he was trying very hard to do what he was doing. What he was doing was levitating most of the debris aorund him so that it couldn't hit most of the innocents that would have gotten hurt from the fallen debris, as well as from the blast itself. And to really top it all off...he didn't look that bothered by this turn of events at all.

Instead, he looked...elated.

"Woooooh! I didn't expect this to happen in the middle of a tournament, this is such an amazing twist! I like it!~" Master Yao beamed happily while clapping and spinning around a bit, as he gently lets everything down. Debris, innocents, and fellow Masters alike. "This is so exciting! I do wonder what might happen next!~"

"I think we should worry less about how entertained you are, and more about how we're gonna stop he ones responsible for this, and we're pretty fully aware of who's responsible for this, aren't we." Fenghuanf said after eventually landed on her feet, tucking in her wings. "Alright. Where's that jackass Pai Mei? He's the one who tried to blow us to kingdom come."

"Pai Mei..." Shifu narrowed his eyes as he swiftly moved hout, his ears adjusting a few times with the sounds he was hearing in the distance. Pai Mei was on the move, and he was clearly moving in with the strong intent to kill. He needed to go on and stop Pai Mei at all costs before he does some more serious damage to anyone else, and possibly finish the job he began before...the Emperor and his family. The thought only made him go even faster, there was no doubt he was here to settle old scores, and to help the agenda of someone who's really, truly behind this. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that Pai Mei had planned this on his own, he was far too insane and bloodthirsty to carefully plan that kind of manuver. It had to be someone else. But who...?

He wasn't given much time to answer, as he suddenly jumped back to avoid the crushing blow of a swift yet heavy hammer. He landed on his feet and looked up to see Master Rhino. His eyes were completely blank white, and his expression was completely dull. He raised an eyebrow while cautiously standing up. "Rhino...what are you...?" He wasn't given time to answer, smashing his hammer down onto him, dodging it readily and flipping backwards before landing on his feet. _He's attacking me...why are you...no...wait...something's wrong...!_

"That guy isn't in his right mind, Shifu!" Fenghuang shouted as she flew in and kicked Rhino in the chest, sending him skidding back a few feet in the process. She landed on her feet, landing next to Shifu while narrowing her eyes. "Something's gotten into their heads. They're not in control of themselves." Before Shifu could ask why she said 'they', they both saw Master Chao slowly reveal himself. Fenghuang huffed as Master Chao slowly got into stance. His eyes were completely blank as well. "Yup. They're both not in their right minds at all. That definitely looks much like mind-control. Just like what Master Dao used on you and the others.

"Except that this one seems much more refined...more disciplined. What's going on here...?" Shifu narrowed his eyes as well. Though Master Chao didn't give him time to properly process said information, as the lizard charged at him and struck first with a vicious palm strike; Shifu parried the blow with a swift kick. Though he winced, having used his weaker leg to do both jumped away from each other and landed a few feet. Shifu got back into stance while his ears twtiched slightly. Master Chao would not be easy to get past at this rate. He was not someone to be trifled with. He truly didn't have time to waste on Master Chao though, he needed to track Pai Mei down right away.

"You both need to get out of our way, right now." Fenghuang narrowed here eyes as she launches a fierce **Thundering Wind Hammer** towards Rhino, blasting him back; though he slowed his overall momentum by planting his feet as well as his hammer. "But, I can see you're not gonna make it asy on us despite asking. Can't help but try, but it's still quite annoying of them. Well, I suppose beating them down a bit can be of some amusement. What do you say, Shifu? Mayve we should try a bit harder than what we're usually doing, right?"

"I don't wish to hurt them too much...but it does not seem that they're willing to move aside based on our words." Shifu admitted hesitantly as he glared at the duo, managing his distnce while thinking over the whole situation. He needed to get past them, and chase down Pai Mei immediately. But how was he going to do such a thing with Rhino and Chao in the way? Hopefully Fenghuang would help move them aside or at least distract them long enough for him to get past. Hold on a moment...she can, can't she...? "Fenghuang. Do you mind...?"

"No need to say it. I know." Fenghuang focused her eyes as she raised her wings, and then mightily flaps them. Rhino and Chao were blown away by the powerful wind gale, and they both ended up crashing right through several other bits of debris. "Alright, that should keep them down for the moment Go and chase down the others!"

"Understood!" Shifu nodded readily as he moves forward with the opening. He narrows his eyes as he pushes through the remaining wind pushing against his face, his cloak rippling along with it. _Pai Mei...I don't know what you're up to, but I'll be sure to put a stop to it...!_

Fenghuang nodded in approval, before she turned towards Rhino and Chao, the both of them recovering faster than she expected. It did look like they were going far past what their bodies were capable of taking. Definitely for Chao, but Rhino was much more durable than he was, so it was going to be rather tough for her to actually put Rhino away and knock him unconscious before he can do too much damage. As much as she tends to look down on them, Rhino was still a part of the Kung Fu Council, and they were not something to be easily underestimated. She'd have to be careful.

That is, she thought she had to be careful. Until...

 _ **SMASH!**_

Fenghuang blinked in astonishment as Su suddenly comes crashing down atop Master Rhino, briefly knocking Master Chao away due to the shockwave that resulted from such a blow. Sure grinned as she stared down at Rhino with his head beneath her foot, and began driving it further into the dirt with a sly smile.

"Awww...look at that. Looks like Master Rhino's will isn't nearly as strong as it used to be. It looks like I'll have to 'reluctantly' beat it out of you so that you can return to normal. It isn't like I'm using this opportunity as payback for humiliating me and my sisters years ago. I'm not that petty, certainly not." She then turned towards Fenghuang. "I think I have this one covered. You may want to keep moving if you hope to make any sort of significant progress."

"What about Chao-" Fenghuang asked, turning towards his direction, before nticing that he disappeared. She narrowed her eyes. "Dammit, he ran off. Ah well. Someone else can handle him."

"I'll look for him! Weeee!~" Master Yao voluntareed as he flies off with his green **Wings of Light** , and began his search. Fenghuang rolled her eyes as she flapped her wings and sared to another part of the ruined battlefield, leaving Su alone with Master Rhino. She grinned evilly down towards Rhino.

"Hear that, big guy? You're _alllll_ mine. And mind-controlled or not, I'm gonna make you _**BLEED**_." She says this while extending her claws towards his throat...

Then, a brief look of Po's cheerful face flashed before her eyes. She stopped her advance, and sighed.

 _Fine...I'll hold back just a little..._

* * *

"Bian Zao. Bian Zao. C'mon, get it together." Lian asked while lightly tapping his cheek. She, Bian Zao, the new Five, and Tai Lung were all very injured by the enlarged blast. Lian was currently trying to wake her friend. She kept gently tapping his cheek, while Taotie was looking over him with worry, and the Five were looking out for possible attackers, especially Tigress. She was definitely the most cautious, given how she notices that the smell in the air has grown a bit more sinster.

 _I'm definitely not liking the feeling of this...not at all..._

"Aunt Tigress. I'm sure you can smell it too...we're definitely in serious trouble." Peng said while looking around.

"Indeed. Keep on your guard." Tigress said while adjusting her scarf. "Whatever is going on, it's affecting nearly everyone. We might have gotten ourselves caught in a consipacy. A coup of sorts."

"A coup? Awww...dammit. This is definitely not the time for us to be getting ourselves mixed up in something like that. Definitely not." Monkey shook his head while looking around. Destruction was aid all around them, and many innocents were injured from the blast. It was a bit of a miracle that was the worst that's happened to them from an immense blast like that.

"I wonder if the others are okay...whatever they're up to, I hope they're safe." Viper sighed a bit as she looked around for herself. "Nt many Masters around...they must be helping gather most of the innocents and helping them escape this blast zone."

Bian Zao eventually woke up, to the great and immense relief of Peng and Lian. He looked towards the both of them and their relieved faces, and then pays attention to the devastation that surrounded him and his friends. After a brief observation, he sighed and shook his head in slight mental exhaustion. "Man...this is not the day for this...I was actually looking forward to a good sleep tday."

"That'll have to wait until later, friend. We've got much more important things to worry about, which is finding our friends and taking a look to see whoever is repsonsible for this mess." Peng insisted towards him while helping him up, making sure he was stable enough to stand on his own. "Though I guess being blown up and actually surviving would make you want to prefer staying unconscious. Reduces the chance of them attempting to blow you up again."

"Nah. That wouldn't relaly work for the long run. If they were smart, they'd blow up the corpses just o be absolutely sure that their enemy is dead. Lucky for us, whoever our enemy is, they're confident enough to believe that the explosion was enough to incapacitate or kill nearly all of us. If we can take advantage of that, we can get ut of this as unscathed as we possibly can...or at the very least, we can assure that we won't die." Bian Za shrugged. "Either way is fine by me, so long as we survive whatever else is being thrown towards us in all this confusion."

"I managed to clear away most of the dust, at the very least. Does that matter a bit?" Crane asked, tucking in his wings while looking around for himself, making sure his hat was nie and secure. "Though even with that, we can't really see much because of all the debris, and I don't want to risk blowing them away hard enough to hit possible civilians around us."

"That definitely would have sucked for everyone in the blast zone. SO yeah, let's be a good sport and avoid that, shall we?" Mantis said while atop his hat, sighing. "Honestly, I wonder what else can go wrong today."

"... _Please_ tell me you didn't just say that." Bian Zao sighed, lightly rubbing his face.

As Tai Lung was observing all of them, his eyes widened briefly as he felt something impacting his mind. He looks upwards to see a siamese cat floating right above him. Though a moment of self-clarification allowe him to confirm that it was just a mental projection to her true self. _You...what do you want?_

 _I can't really allow those five to live, you see. The New Furious Five. And guess what... **you'll** be the one who ultimately kills them._

 _You're clearly crazy. Why would I do something like that?!_

 _Because. I may not be able to control you, but your case is special: I don't HAVE to control you...I just have to break your mental leash._ She says while lowering her projection down to him, and lifting a finger. _Let us release the monster that once devastated the Valley of Peace with his bare paws..._ She says menacingly as she touched his forehead.

 _Wait! What are yo-!_

 **Snap.**

Tai Lung growled a little at first, as he painfully grasped his head, stepping back a bit while his tail waved around in aggravation, and his fur bristled. His teeth bared and he felt his bloodlust rise to dangerous levels. The restraints on his more feral side have suddenly shattered, and he lost the fight to hold it back.

 _ **"GrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"**_

The others lightly jumped at the sudden roar that seems to have echoed throughout the city, and Tigress especially could see Tai-Lung hunched over, his claws and fangs extending and his eyes turning into slits. The bloodlust that he wa scurrently generating suffocated the others aside from her. She glared at him while she stood her ground. While Bian Zao groaned and facepalmed in the background.

"See? This. _**THIS**_ is why you don't say those things out loud."

A bit father away, Wing blinked as she raised her head, sitting on the unconscious form of a controlled Master Croc. She then chuckled sarcastically.

 _Well then...today just became significantly tougher to survive..._


	78. Emperor's Rule: Part Two

Tigress covered her eyes with her arms as she noticed that Tai Lung have immediately began to become feral. She could feel it through her own fur, and it even passed through a bit of her whiskers, and her heart rate grew in response to the amount of danger she was sensing from his. The others response was just as noticable, mixed amount of fear, curiosity, wonder, and outright annoyance as a whole. But really showed up on most of those expressions was fear; there was no denying that most of them are feeling very afraid of Tai Lung right now, and were wondering what to do about it.

 _Whoever must be behind this must be the one responsible...yet still..._ Tigress thought with narrowed eyes as the intensity of Tai Lung's aura began to die down, yet there wasn't the single bit of decrease on the overall threat he posed while like this. She didn't relax for a moment, because she was fully aware that what would happen next would surely be a cause of serious pain for all of them, and they had to bear it for the time being. They must of realized this, because as much as they were surely afraid right now, they didn't back down for a moment.

Tigress didn't know what to think. Because for all intents and purposes, Tai Lung had them all grossly outclassed in more ways than one. She didn't really high hopes for victory, knowing that her brother would inevitably attack them on sight from the amount of killing intent being released from him. And yet they were going to face him anyway. She honestly didn't know weather or not they were brave or foolish. She considered that they were both; they've done stupid things before regardless of their intelligence.

Tai Lung sighed as he lowered his arms, opening his eyes which were perpetually slits now. He smiled as his claws extended from his paws. **"Haaaah...haven't felt like this in a long time...never thought have thought that being off my mental leashes would feel so rewarding..."** He soon turns towards Tigress, a savage smirk growing on his muzzle. **"Hm...Tigress. Why the hostile look? I've simply had my mental restraints...released for the time being...all of this worry and all of this concern...completely gone...now that my mind is clear of doubts, I figured out what my problem was."** Tigress didn't respond to him all, simply keeping her trained eyes on him, not willing to abandon her guard for even a moment. **"It turns out, it's rather simple. You and Shifu are the biggest emotional roadblocks in my life...the only ones holding me down. So if I simply go ahead and kill the two of you right here and now, then I won't have anymore limitations. I'll be able to ascend my strength to my heart's content."**

Tigress immediately noticed that the magic-sensing the unnatural force surrounding him-was not only making him feral, it was also bringing out his darkest emotions, and twisting them into ways that would benefit the one responsible. This is going to be rather problematic for everyone, as she knew that as much as she preferred it, Tai Lung was not joking. That was fine, humor was something Tigress doubted she would ever master. She'd leave that to Monkey. Speaking of Monkey:

"Welp...I see pain and suffering if we try fighting him..." Monkey muttered with a dark laugh while getting into a stance. "And running away isn't really going to help matters, either..."

"He'd probably just hunt us all down and make it even worse..." Crane also muttered while spreading his wings.

"Probably...though that still doesn't make things easier for us...not even a little bit..." Viper narrowed her eyes while hissing slightly.

"Right guys! So here's our current objective...try to stay alive! That's easy enough, right?~" Mantis laughed uneasily while standing atop Crane's hat.

Tigress chuckled to herself. They had no delusions about actually winning this encounter either, yet they were going to try anyway. Supposed she and Po rubbed off on them a little bit.

Tai Lung chuckled as he spreads his arms a little bit. **"Hmm...suppose you all won't let me have some heart-to-heart with my dear nephew?~"**

"Peng. I need you to stay back." Tigress ordered almost _immediately_. Peng blinked a bit. While he did consider fighting Tai Lung alongside his Aunt, the intense wave of concern he felt from her gave him several moments to reconsider.

 **"Come now, sister. Peng's a growing boy...he should be able to make his own decisions.~"** That was the only warning Tigress received as Tai Lung appeared right in front of her with a feral grin with his arms swaying a bit. **"You oughta quit coddling him.~"**

Tigress cross her arms, not fooled by his nonchalant tone of voice in the slightest; she threw a punch that made contact with her crossed arms, but she was sent dragging backwards while making skid marks in the ground. She might not have felt the pain in her arms, but the shock of the blow definitely resonated through her body. She figured as much; though she still needed a few moments to catch her breath, time that her friends graciously provided.

Monkey and Mantis both dashed towards Tai Lung from opposite sides, intending on attacking him simultaneously. Tai Lung chuckled at the effort of the two as the swiftly went up to try and attack him. Effort be praised and graded highly. Success, however...that was dictated as a fail, the moment Tai lung swifty dodges both of their admirably swift kicks; he then responded with one of his own. A swift spin kick while they were both still airborne, striking the, both and sending them flying in two different directions.

Monkey landed painfully on his side, coughing slightly as he tried getting up while wiping slight blood from his mouth. _Yup...I hate being right about things like this. Pain and suffering...one kick and I feel like my arm's gonna snap in half...oooohhhhh this is gonna be fun, oooohhh joy..._

 _Alright...can the world stop spinning for a few seconds, that'd be great..._ Mantis lamented having thought that, but that's exactly how it felt. All the wind being knocked out of him and left him struggling to breathe.

Viper slithered swiftly up to Tai Lung, who just began noticing her. He was quick to jump upwards and come back down for a heavy axe kick to crush her head. She just barely manages to dodge it by swerving her head to the side, before she makes her way around is leg and across his chest, quickly wrapping up his arm while see also coiled around his neck, and began constricting him. His eyes widened briefly in surprise as the pressure around it was more than he expected.

"You need to calm down, Tai Lung! I don't want to do this to you!" Viper pleaded, but she didn't let up on her grip.

The snow leopard gave her credit. Fu Xi had certainly taught her well. Once the prey is caught, never let up until they're unconscious or dead. She definitely has the iron coil for it, as he was in serious danger of suffocating.

 _However..._

It was simple enough to do the uncoiling himself. The paw she had wrapped up unsheathed it's claws and clamped down onto her body. Viper yelped from the pain, temporarily disrupting her focus, which was all he needed. In less than a second, he spun around enough in the opposite direction as she uncoiled, then was sent flying face-first into the nearest pile of debris.

The next one involved being blasted by a gale of wind, which was the first attack to send him flying a considerable distance away. Though regardless, he was able to land on his feet like the feline that he is. Crane soon caught up to him, hovering above him while flapping his wings.

"Tai Lung, can you just _listen_ for a second?! We're your friends! The way you're attacking us doesn't really spell out 'friendly'! Whoever or whatever is doing this to them, you need to fight it off, before you do something regrettable!"

 **"I've done plenty of things that can be considered 'regrettable'. Since I'm like this, I might as well consider adding to the list."** Tai Lung grinned before he crouched down for a moment, then suddenly leapt upwards, closing the distance between himself and Crane in no time at all. The latter squawked in surprise, but quickly recovered as Tai Lung was intent on striking at him midair. He attempted to kick at the snow leopard, though the snow lepoard shifted to the side and grabbed onto the leg. Grinning madly, he began speeding back towards with Crane frantically flapping his wings, until they both landed, with Tai Lung slamming Crane through the ground, leaving a crevice within the place of impact.

Tigress leapt towards Tai Lung and struck him in the chest with a palm strike while he was still grinning over Crane's crevice, and was sent skidding back a few feet like he had sent her. But she didn't let up from there, for she pounced again. Tai Lung easily caught it, and then began almost casually deflecting all of the other rapid punches coming his way, while Tigress' fierce eyes locked onto Tai Lung's calm yet bloodthirsty ones. After a moment of indulging her for a bit he caught her fist again, lightly twisting it back towards her. To her credit, she didn't appear deterred by this delay at all. It amused him slightly, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

To his surprise, she used her other paw to unsheathe her claws and jabbed all of them into his chest. He roared from the attack and his own focus disrupted, which Tigress took advantage of; she clenched her other fist and punched him in the abdomen, causing him to double over and leave him vulnerable to a vicious headbutt that caused a bit of ringing in his ears. He held his head and stepped back a bit while stepping backwards to regain his bearings, while Tigress glared towards him, not minding the blood on her paw at all. While Tai Lung was dazed, the others began to recover. Monkey and Mantis returned with slight limps, Viper uneasily slithers up to the others with a soft hiss, and Crane pulled himself out of the ground while coughing up a bit of dirt.

Besides those things, they were mostly fine.

Tai Lung wipe"d blood from his mouth while ignoring the wound on his chest, grinning after having time to acknowledge the situation as well as his sister's abilities, and even more impressed by her friend's willingness to stand against him despite his superiority. **"Alright then. This is a rather impressive turn of events...you all are definitely worst my time after all...however, don't you wish to face me on your own, Tigress? Finally overcome your brother with your own sense of skill and strength...?"**

"I'm not falling for that." Tigress stated strongly as she stands strong, lightly adjusting her scarf while her comrades stood alongside her. "The 'Furious Five' is a team name for a reason. Fighting together is not a requirement for us, it's our nature."

"Plus, a one-on-one with anyone of against you is kind of suicide." Monkey shrugged, earning a tail-slap from Viper.

 **"Ah. I see. Your honor towards** **camaraderie is vastly superior to your honor as a warrior. Not many wish to boast that. In that case...I'll stop pulling my punches...~"**

* * *

Shifu chose not to waste any time making his way to the Emperor, because he was more than concerned about what Pai Mei might actually do to him. His personal history with Pai Mei coincides with him attempting to murder the Emperor and prove himself to be the greatest Kung Fu Master of all time. Obviously he was incredibly deep into his hubris, to the point of freely letting it blind him. Though the moment hat hubris began endangering others, that was time for him to be taken down. And Shifu was the one to do so, and put him under arrest. But now, it looks like he got out and is causing even more harm to everyone than ever before. Which is why he's taking it upon himself to take care of the threat before it worsens.

 _As if things weren't already tense enough, I'm surely becoming slightly too old for this chaos...but then again, I'm always surrounded by you who seem to enjoy basking in exactly for the sheer joy of it...I suppose that explains Crane's sarcastic approaches to matters such as this...suppose they've been rubbing off on me in ways I'd rather not admit. But I can't really think about that right now, I have to get to the Emperor as quickly as possible-_

Shifu's eat twitched for just a second. That was more than enough time for him to stop in his tracks, just enough for him to avoid a kick that smashed a large crater into the ground. He narrowed his eyes as he reacted quickly, blocking an incoming kick with one of his own. He narrowed his eyes as he noticed the one who was heading to attack him. It was his desired target. He jumped away from the opponent in question, sliding back while looking defensive.

"Pai Mei..."

"Ahaha...you're still here, Shifu. How fortuitous!" Pai Mei cackled as his mustache danced along with the wind, as well as Shifu's cloak. "Thank goodness for that! It's great that you haven't already been killed in the explosion! I knew you'd find a way!" He narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't want to throw away my chance of killing you, _**with my own two paws!**_ " Pai Mei leaped forth as he struck at him with him with glowing paws. Shifu immediately knew the danger, and avoided the strikes at all costs. He retaliated with a skyward kick right when Pai Mei hovered over him. He landed on his feet while wiping his mouth away. "Your skills haven't dulled...good. Had you grown weaker, the victory wouldn't have been sweeter...but it would have been sweet enough."

"You're causing so much unnecessary chaos for petty revenge?!"

"Oh, it's not just MY revenge! My partners have their own reasons for doing this, and most of them d involve killing the Emperor and his family. But even if it hadn't been part of the plan, I would have done it anyway!~" Pai Mai grinned as he charged at Shifu again. "Because it would have been moore than enough to draw the likes of you off and kill you! And you've actually been making friends outside of your jurisdiction...after it's been completely destroyed, of course."

"I will not be guilt-tripped by that tragedy again. The best I can do is simply take responsibility and protect and lead the youths under my care." Shifu responded as the two exchanged fists again, though he was caught off-guard by Pai-Mei smacking him upside the head with his tail. Shifu recovered on his paws, though it was interrupted via kick to the back, sending him back once again. Shifu recovered regardless while balancing on his paws and kicking him in the head. Pai Mei jumped away from him and vice versa. "You won't crush me with words alone. In fact...yu won't be crushing me at all. Not with ambition as weak and petty as yours."

"Call my ambition weak, shall you?" Pai Mei cackled as he struck out at his hated enemy once again, a chaotic gleam in his eyes. "You seriously expect me to be swayed away from my desired revenge from something like that?"

"No of course not. You're far too mentally unstable to back down from anything regarding something like this." Shifu narrowed his eyes while standing strong. "On seriousness, why is it that you're working for whoever is responsible for this? What is their intense grudge with the Emperor? What has he done to whoever is responsible and why does the grudge run this deeply to place the entire Imperial City in danger?!"

"Do you truly wish to know? Let's just say that the fellow leader is someone who was deeply wrong by the Emperor, and they do wish for their retribution in the most painful of ways. I'm surely fine with them killing the Emperor, so long as they let me kill YOU. And they _COMPLIED!~_ " Shifu immediately dodged as Pai Mei kicked at him. This one was swifter than the rest, and Shifu was only able to dodge it by half a second. Though Pai Mei smirked despite missing the kick. "And that's exactly what I shall do!~"

Shifu blinked in confusion, until he looked at his side to see at least three glowing paw marks on his right side, and six on his left which began glowing brighter every second. His eyes widened as he noticed this mostly immobilizing him, though he did struggle or several seconds while Pai Mei watched from a distance with a sadistic grin of glee. Shifu groaned, knowing that he would have no choice but to brace for the pain, there wasn't much he could do about it.

 ** _Five-Fingered Blast Punch...curses!_**

A blinding explosion engulfed Shifu, and succeeded in yet another large crater within the city that took up a majority of the streets. The smoke cleared as Pai Mei grinned triumphantly while looking into the crater, where Shifu lies collapsed, his cloak in tatters, and his eyes went blank white. Smoke emitted from his body, and burning pain pulsed throughout his body.

 _...No...I...I mustn't give in...I can't sink into the darkness here...Tigress...Tai Lung...Po...Fenghuang...they...need me...I must...get up...but I..._

 _...Fufie Stay with me, please! You can't give in now! **SHIFU!**_

 _Mei Ling...no...I definitely can't fall...not when we just...I..._

...His heart stopped beating.

* * *

"Should be getting closer to the tower by now..." Po huffed as he was carrying Mr. Ping over towards the Emperor's Palace, where he was sensing the most disturbance throughout the entire city. It was quite risky for him to bring his father with him, especially since he didn't have his prosthetic anymore, leaving him with only one arm. Knowing this, Mr. Ping latched onto his back as best as he could so that Po didn't have to push himself too hard. Po has already been through a lot at this point, he didn't really need this added to his list of problems. "I don't know what's going on, but we've gotta get to that Palace! The feeling's not goin' away, so I wanna see what's causin' it as soon as I can!"

"I don't get it, but I'm trusting you, son!" Mr. Ping nodded while looking over Po's head. They were getting closer to the Palace, not really knowing what might be ahead for them, except that they were going to approach it with seemingly reckless abandon. Unfortunately those that usually do the rational thinking aren't nearby, so they were temporarily on their own for the time being. As they were slowly gaining on the Palace, heading right into it's courtyard, his eyes widened as he briefly tapped Po's shoulder. "Po! Look ahead!"

"What is it?" Po asked as he too looked ahead. He looked surprised when he could see his friend Lu Kang tied to some strange chair with an even stranger contraption connected to his head. Lu Kang looked confused and maybe even scared for everyone involved in this, and was gravely concerned for their safety. "Lu Kang? What hap-" He began, but his eyes widened as he noticed that Shen was lying a few feet to the side, looking charred and beaten to near-death. He immediately made his way towards him and wrapped his one arm under his head, lifting it up. "Shen...? SHEN! What happened?! Who did this to you?!" He asked rapidly, lightly shaking him and hoping he would answer soon.

"...Panda...?" Shen groaned as he cracked open one uninjured eye to see the bear standing over him with concern in his eyes, and a lack of prosthesis. "You...bloody moron...I just got you that thing and you already let it get destroyed...?"

"Nevermind that, I'm more worried about you! Who did this to you, buddy? C'mon, we need to get you and Lu Kang outta here-"

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen, Panda."

Po lifted his head and turned around to see a siamese cat standing a few feet behind him with her hood finally pulled back, her blue eyes staring into his jade ones as the solar eclipse officially began in full. She sighed while shaking her head, which made Po narrow his eyes.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed with you. Many of those with weaker wills immediately fell under my spell. I didn't sense much IQ from you so I thought that brainwashing you would be easy. But it turns out that even among those decades older than you, your willpower is truly and surely monstrously large. Unfortunate that it will not help you."

"Who are you? What do you want? And why did you beat up my friend?" Po asked seriously as he gently sets Shen down and turns his full attention towards the opposing enemy, readjusting his scarf. "What's your game, Ms...uh...Miss...what's your name again?"

"My name is Pang Bing. As for what I'm doing and why I'm doing it? Well, I _could_ kill you. Or I could tell you my whole plan and reasoning coming up with it and _then_ kill you." The one known as Pang Bing pretended to think over it, until she chuckled and shook her head. "No. I think I'll settle for simply killing you.

"...That escalated quickly." Po commented nonchalantly. His eyes widened as he suddenly picked Shen up and jumped away from a powerful blue blast that created a crater within the ground. Po again sets Shen down while glaring back at Pang Bing. "Hey! Don't you think you hurt him enough for one day?! Leave him alone already!"

"I don't need to read your mind to know that this man used to be your enemy. The one who personally lead the slaughter of your people because of something he feared _might_ happen. And yet here you stand before him, defending him from any more harm." Pang Bing narrowed her eyes. "Why...would you defend someone like that...?"

Po narrowed his eyes. "Look, all I see is someone hovering over the body of one of my beaten friends, and that's the only thing I'm focused on right now! Those questions you just asked have nothing to do with it!"

"...Fine. I don't wish to understand your foolish way of thinking. You feel like a complete man-child and yet I cannot bring you under my control, like many others, while you _should_ have been one of the easier ones to brainwash. That's fine though. Truly. I'm a woman of improvisation." Pang Bing snarled as her eyes began to glow and she began levitating in midair, glaring down on the panda.

"Panda...exercise caution...she's an incredibly powerful mystic..." Shen coughed as Mr. Ping hopped off Po's back and tended to Shen, dragging him away to a somewhat safer distance.

"So she has some special powers? Thanks for the heads-up, buddy." Po nodded as he prepared to fight. One-armed or not, Po wasn't backing down from this. _I don't really get her because she's definitely not gonna tell me. But she's seriously intending on hurting everyone in the city, even outright kill most of them. I gotta take her down ASAP!_

Pang Bing slowly raised her paw as her eyes glared a brighter blue. "Very well. If you will not be my slave, then I have a far more efficient role for you...as a **_corpse._** "

* * *

 **As usual, this took far too long to get out. Mostly due to laziness or some bits or writers block, or my focus simply being on other stories. Bleh.**

 **But one thing that CAN be assured, is that the next two chapters will be big in many ways. And you'll expect a great showing from our cast doing their best, because each of their battles are FAR from being over. Not to worry, the promised moment will be coming soon. And they'll be pretty long chapters too, so hopefully that'll _somewhat_ mitigate things.**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...By the time this battle ends, the foretold Dragon Warrior will _finally_ be born. **


	79. Emperor's Rule: Part Three

Fenhgunag landed among a bit of rubble, wondering what else she could do. Everyone was still scattered and still fighting among themselves. Many of them were simply trying to keep themselves alive, while others were actively trying to kill one another. Not only did she consider the latter a waste of everyone's time. But since there wasn't much else she could do about it aside from hoping her student fixed the issue, she placed herself in charge of pushing away the numerous distractions that would gather around him. And the ones slowly approaching surely fit that unfortunate category.

"This is a complete waste of my time..." Fenghuang said dully as she looked at her opposition. It was again, the Five Elements trying to obstruct her progress, which is very annoying for her current mindset. "How about you twerps move aside and I'll be on our way. Refuse to do what I say...and I might have to break you. What'll it be?" She finished right as she dodged Earth's kick merely by ducking under it. She sighed in annoyance. "Whatever."

Earth tried punching him with everything he had. Fenghuang scoffed at the attempt as she raised her wing and caught the fist rather effortlessly, before spinning him around for a moment and kicking him hard in the ribs, sending him flying across the landscape. She then moved swiftly with precise dodging while avoiding many water strikes from Water, before she appeared right behind him and sent him flying with a harsh kick to the back. She then swiftly dodged the other three. Wood tried to stab her with multiple wooden spikes, Metal attempted to impale her with a metal sword, and Fire nearly burned her feathers...though it did succeed in burning her clothes a little bit.

The owl lifted her head as she huffed. "Alright then... _ **my turn**_."

Any minimal hopes for victory were crushed into nothingness from that uttered line.

Fenghuang moved quickly as she ruthlessly strikes Fire by kicking him in the wing, shattering the bones within into pieces, before kicking him in the head, sending him into unconsciousness, Then she turned and dodged another wooden spike from Wood, them swiftly moving up to him and kicking him across the city just like she did Earth, only he flew even farther since he was much smaller and therefore lighter. And for the last one, she turned slowly and then gathered chi within her wings, before throwing a **Thundering Wind Hammer** towards Metal. It crashed into his chest, nearly crushing his lungs before he crashed through a nearby fallen wall, making it collapse completely and fall on top of him.

Fenghuang huffed as she folded her arms and looked up towards the sky. "They were under control...but they still weren't any match for me. Not even a little bit." The owl scoffed while she opened her wings and began flapping them again. "Regardless of that, I still have work to do. I have to help out in other places..." She said while flying off into another directions, hoping she would be of competent use somewhere else...

* * *

Tigress could inevitably be praised for one thing even more than her strength...her fierce tenacity.

To be fair, so were her dear friends. All of them were standing up to someone far superior to them in skill and combat, and yet they weren't backing down. Respectable. Tai Lung was far too strong for them, but they would _**NOT**_ stop trying. Any pain he would be putting them through would be infinitely more preferable to all of them than allowing him to get away and attempt to harm anyone else that might not be able to take it. Tai Lung can beat them down as much as he wishes, he wasn't getting past them without possibly killing them.

The likes of Crane and Mantis were not really excited about that possibility. Still, they would not back down. They couldn't.

Tigress grunted as Tai Lung kicked her back, her feet skidding along the ground, before she fell over and held herself up with her paws, breathing heavily. The others forced themselves to stand and charge towards Tai lung to confront him once again. He was somewhat prepared, but their assault grew more ruthless. Crane stopped right beforehim and his wings gave one powerful flap, sending a powerful gale towards Tai Lung that sent him flying across the land. He eventually landed on all fours, skidding across the ground. He wasn't given much time to breathe, as Viper swiftly slithered to him with Mantis riding on her head, before he jumped up and kicked the snow leopard in his head.

 _They're continuing to work in unison not taking any chances with trying to confront me one on one. Commendable._ Tai Lung thought as his was a bit dizzy from Mantis's kick. Viper siwftly wrapped herself around his ankles before he could move anymore, which left him open to a double kick from both Tigress and Monke, knocking him further away from them and sending him flying through more debris.

"Alright, things aren't going too terribly. We're actually managing to stall him for an extended amount of time. We're not getting crushed as easily..." Crane sighed tiredly. "Suppose the trick is to not give him time to counter. His reaction time is just as ridiculous as his strength and speed."

"Just say it, man. We're basically hoping to get lucky...and that hasn't always been on our side...so this is gonna be great." Mantis sighed while hopping along with the others.

Tai Lung, in the meantime, casually cracked his neck and stood back up on his feet, rolling his arm a bit with a smirk. Tigress was the first to reach him, standing across from him with complete seriousness. **"Why so tense, Tigress? Are you worried about your odds?"**

"I don't care about the odds. We're going to beat you, sooner or later. You won't leave our sight otherwise." Tigress declared.

 **"Oh? Dear sister, wouldn't you rather gain the honor of defeating the mighty Tai Lung all by yourself?"**

"I'm not an idiot, brother." Tigress narrowed her eyes. "I know I'm not strong enough or skilled enough to trade blows with you by myself. So I'll rely on my comrades to help me fight you. I'm not going to be shamed for relying on my friends."

 **"Don't be so quick to praise those friends of yours, Tigress. Compared to other long-lasting friendships, yours haven't even been around for a year. You expect me to believe that you have such a powerful bond between you all that surpasses other years-long bonds?"**

"We're not interested in impressing everyone, Tai Lung." Tigress stated strongly, before she soon charged forward and continued her attack. Tai Lung grinned as she struck at him with multiple punches towards his head, which was countered multiple times with his paws, before he pushed one of them alone before catching both of her paws, only for her to harshly headbutt him right in his nose, slightly breaking it. She then ducked as Monkey suddenly leaped over her head and kicked Tai Lung in the same struck nose. He roared in a fit of pain, which only increased when Monkey increased his flurry of kicks before finishing with a double-kick and bouncing off Tai Lung's head, which left Tigress to rise again and uppercut her brother in his jaw. A few flips backwards after, he landed on his feet while tenderly rubbing his jaw...almost looking a bit amused.

 _Well...this seems relatively suckish. He seems more amused than anything else._

Tai Lung grinned as he stood up and stretched his arms before rolling his arms once again as the rest of the Five caught up with Tigress and Monkey and got into fighting position once again, while remaining wary of Tai Lung. Crane in particular seemed a bit anxious from Tai Lung looking like he could still go without looking the least bit tired. Though he surely wasn't going to stop fighting because of it...though he still dearly wished for a break. Mantis and Monkey shared this view, but decided to stay silent, they didn't want Tai Lung to see how frustrated he was making them.

Viper sighed a bit, before shaking her head and glaring at Tai Lung. "Don't get discouraged boys. We're bound to do some serious damage sooner or later. Either way, we can't give in."

"Obviously..." Crane sighed softly while shaking his head and lifting his hat slightly. "Either way, this is painfully problematic..."

Monkey grinned. "Aha. So it's like p-"

"Darn it, I know what you're about to say, and if you finish it, I'll start fighting **_you_**."

"Just trying to lighten the mood...seems pretty tense.~"

"Can we not retract our attention from the buff snow leopard trying to kill his horribly?" Viper deadpanned slightly while not taking her eyes off Tai Lung.

"He's not THAT buff...okay he's kind of buff..."

Tai Lung grinned as he began leaning forward, his feet cracking the ground slightly which signified an increased push, and launched himself towards them and throws a strong punch towards Tigress. She immediately threw her arms up to defend against it, though it failed to hold up. The guard failed her and she was knocked over a few feet away. He soon swiftly turned towards the others, with his eyes glowing slightly. None of them liked the look, and for good reason.

 **"She's relying on the rest of you so highly...again, commendable. But, I'd rather keep this little dispute between family. Sooooo~"** Tai Lung lunged forward again.

Viper narrowed her eyes while he did so, which soon turned to wide saucers as she saw his paws begin to glow a ghostly blue. _I know that move! It's-!_

 ** _Pulse_**

She didn't finish her thought, as she suddenly felt her entire body freezae up, down to her facial features. She fell down on her side, completely paraylzed down to the tail.

" _ViPER!_ " Crane, Monkey, and Mantis shouted in unison.

 **"Don't be so stressed now, fellow fellas. You can rest along with her."** Tai Lung grinned as he swiftly dealth with the rest of them. Monkey and Mantis were both swift to try and avoid most of his strikes, but it only took one blow each to connect to the former's abdomen and the latter's neck for them to fall to the ground, unmoving. Crane was the remaining one unparalyzed, as he flapped his wings and went airborne while figuring out what happened.

 _That definitely looks familiar. That must be his **N** **erve Attack.** This is seriously bad...strike once and I'll be completely out of it. Tigress wasn't bluffing, we're totally outmatched... _He could see Tai Lung smirking up towards, tauntingly gestuirng for him to come and test his luck. Crane shook his head and steeled his gaze. _But even so...I have to try! Have to get creative like Po...I know!_

 **"How long are you going to stand up there, Long-Legs?"** Tai Lung smirked while folding his arms. **"Come now. You don't want to be known as 'Crane the Coward', would you?~"**

"Being pragmatic is NOT the same as being cowardly! I'll show you how!" Crane declared as he flapped his wings. Thinking back to his previous experiences, along with taking inspiration from **Thundering Wind Hammer** , but keeping it swift, narrow, but nonetheless deadly. He thinks this as his wings began glowing green, and his eyes narrow with intense focus.

 ** _Air Thust!_**

Tai Lung's eyes widened as Crane swiped his wings multiple times, sending a barrage of spinning green blades of wind chi towards Tai Lung. He counted a total of six. He flipped over the first two and barely managed to dodge the third one. However, he was tripped up by the third wind blade slashing at his left knee, causing him to wince; though what prompted a pained roar from him was during that distraction, the last two wind blades sliced at his chest, leaving a two deep gashes that formed an X. While he was reeling from the damage, Crane dived at him talons first, and dug them right into the new scars, which caused an even _**louder**_ pained roar, before Crane flapped his winds and sent him flying back with a powerful gale.

Tai Lung gritted his fangs as his eyes slitted even further, his growling becoming more savage and his fur further resembling a feral animal than it did before. Crane landed a few yards in front of him, his talons now coated in blood yet his own gaze remaining steeled towards Tai Lung. **"I expected _Tigress_ to give me this much damage...not _you_. It appears that I shouldn't underestimate you anymore...I'll kill you first, _after_ I tear off your legs AND your wings!" **

"You don't scare me!" Crane paused. "...Okay, actually, you _really_ scare me. But that's not going to keep me from fighting. I'm a member of the new Generation Furious Five for a **reason**." Crane declared strongly.

Tai Lung snarled at this, until he looked a bit further behind Crane, only to look with surprise. Tigress had been acting ater being punched back, moving over to her three downed comrades and precisely, swiftly undoing the paralysis done by the **Nerve Attack** , starting with Viper, continuing with Monkey, and ending with Mantis. All of them gasped as they caught their breath and got back on their feet-sans Viper, for obvious reasons-so they could rejoin the fight.

 _I see...he was keeping me busy so Tigress could undo their paralysis...didn't think Shifu would teach her how to do that...must not have come up as a problem solver until now..._

Tigress was finished, as she moved to the front alongside her friends, narrowing her eyes. "Stupid brother. You say you want to keep this so-called 'dispute' between family. Unbeknownst to you, I'm fighting both alongside them, and against them. With the ones beside me, against you. I'm not letting my family getting torn apart more than it already was. I'm not allowing it, understood?"

 **"Hnnngh..."** Tai Lung narrowed his eyes, but Tigress was not intimidated into backing down, not in the very least. He was correct that this was surely a matter between family, and he was part of an ever-growing one.

She raised her fist and clenched it tightly. Her aura was glowing a faint yet powerful silver. "As such, it's my responsibility as your 'precious little sister' to knock that stupidity out of your skull...with a great dose of _**tough love**_."

* * *

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _This...this can't be the end...can it...?_ Shifu thought as he was staring into complete darkness. How long has he been there? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Further beyond. He truly could not tell just how much time has passed since his heart stopped beating. By many accounts, he could cohnsider himself dead. If he were able to, he would have sighed in disappointment. Was this really how the legend of Master Shifu was going to end? Was he seriously going to die after everything he's been through? After things were finally beginning to turn up for him? Maybe they wouldn'tn get easier, he simply became strong enough to bear them.

After all of that, was this seriously how it ended for him? It couldn't be. He had so much more to do, and there were many things he still didn't get to say. Things he should have said already, but was too hesitant to. He should have acted quickly, been more careful, more precise. But he was never able to do it quite right until recently, and even then it was pretty rough. He was just beginning to reconnect with the people that he should have reunited with in the first place. No amount of honor was worth giving up friends, no matter how dubious they were. He had hoped he'd be able to do more for everyone...

...the more he thought about this, the more he was intending to reject his current fate. He twitched just slightly as he began opening his eyes. He could see a brief light approaching him in the distance. He twitched even more while narrowing his eyes slightly. _No...no. This can't be how it ends...there's just no way that my journey just ends here. Not at Pai mei's paws...I simply cannot allow something like that to happen. I mustn't. Oogway wouldn't want things to end for me here. Tigress is also counting on me. I also must be there to guide my son like I should have in the first place. I want to continue being alongside my best friend, Taotie...And Mei Ling...there's no way I can simply leave her again after she just got me back...that would lead to an even graver dishonor._

Shifu slowly opened eyes while fully clenching his fists. There was no way he was simply going to roll over and die here. He can't, he won't.

He _refused_.

What would happen next, he would later either amount to luck, or fate. But Shifu's inner willpower allowed him to deter death for a few more precious minutes, which was enough for his life to be saved that day by someone he least expected, but would nonetheless be etnerally grateful for.

 _...Zap..._

 _"Come on...!"_

 _...Zap...!_

 _"Don't do this to us, old man! You gotta get up right now and give us a helping paw!"_

 ** _ZAP!_**

Shifu gasped as he took deep, extended breaths after shooting up and grasping his chest. He could feel his heart steadily beginning to beat again. He looked towards the one closest to him, sensing the chi of the one who saved his life.

Bian Zao.

"Finally, you're awake..." Bian Zao sighed as he lowered his hooves while breathing heavily. It was clear how much chi exerted trying to revive the elder Master. "Geez...making me use up a lot of my chi trying to get your heart beating again...I'm really gonna need some tea after this...and a long nap..."

Shifu simply gazed at the warthog in amazement, quickly deducing what just happened. **_Jin Tian's Tempest_** _is primarily an offensive technique...and yet he was able to channel it into something that requires precision and patience in what is currently stressful enviornment...Bian Zao is much more impressive than he really lets on..._

"SHIFU!" Taotie shouted, having been kneeling next to Bian Zao over Shifu, was shocked, yet overjoyed that Shifu actually managed to be saved by his son of all people. He resisted the urge to rub this in Shifu's face, and simply pulled his friend into a relieved hug. "You scared us really badly, Shifu! You can't go terrifying us like that! It's too much! Especially when the likes of me and Mei Ling just got you back!"

"Ugh...my solemn apologies...Taotie...I didn't mean to worry you..."

"Don't worry about it...we have bigger things to attend to." Bian Zao sighed while weakly pointing towards the commotion ahead of them. Shifu turned to the pointed direction, seeing Pai Mei fighting someone else, and it brought great worr to Shifu's face when he realized exactly who it was. Mei Li was furiously attacking Pang Bing with everything she had, which was proving to be quite a chore for the Master. She briefly looked towards Shifu himself, who seemed to acknowledge her right that moment. A flash of immense relief struck within her eyes before she continued her assault, attacking the fugitive with everything she had, much to his grave irritation.

 _Damn that accursed warthog! He turned a purely offensive attack into a supportive one!_

Taotie sighed as he acknowledged that everything was going well for the time being, until he panicked a bit and pushed Shifu out of the way, before jumping to the side. A kick smashed the ground behind them, and the attacker was revealed to be Junjie, who stood back up with his arms behind his back and narrowed anger eyes.

"You all should not have gotten involved in this." He stated seriously, barely containing his frustration.

"Your grudge is verginging dangerously on complete foolishness. You're really willing to go through such great, ludicrous lengths just to have revenge? You have much greater uses for your time." Taotie narrowed his eyes while helping Shifu to his feet, already knowing that the others would need his help to further handle this intense threat. "You should just give up while you still can. Don't make this any worse for yourself, and for everyone as a whole."

"I will not be talked down upon by the likes of you!" Junjie shouted as he sprinted towards Taotie with an intent to kill. Though his path was immediately blocked by Shifu swiftly appearing in front of Taotie and attempting to kick him away. It barely missed him, causing him to jump back, skidding across the ground. Shifu stood up and brushed himself off while narrowing his own eyes.

"I could care less about your apparent eternal grudge towards me, but I can't abide you harming innocents in your crusade to sate it. The victims resulting from it will be in more pain than either of us." Shifu declared as he rushed towards Junjie, and they both engaged in a kick parry that picked up much wind around the both of them, and very nearly knocking Taotie off his feet. Bian Zao, however, simply yawned as he sits by, content that he's done his part.

Pai Mei was absolutely _**livid**_ with this turn of events, while Mei Li was smirking briefly during the battle. They parried a serious of punches before eventually catching each other's fists. "Why did you have to interfere?! He was _DEAD! **We were actually about to kill him!**_ "

"You want to know how and why he beat you last time, Pai Mei? It's because it _really_ helps to have some grips on your sanity. Since you obviously don't have yours, your sadistic impulses leaves many an opportunity for us." Mei Li declared casually. She then ducked, and Pang Bing immediately found Shifu leaping right over her head and towards him with a high kcik elicting a feral scream from him as he found himself kicked in the eye/ He bounced along the ground before landing on his feet, nursing his eye. Mei Li snickered, tilting her head. "Aw...did that hurt? Well that's a tiny bit too bad, pang Bing. For you see, I've induced quite a bit of dirty tactics. Aiming for the eye~"

"Not exactly an honorable tactic, but none of us really have the time for that, do we? You made sure of that." Shifu declared as he and Mei Li effectively switched places with one another, with the latter seeking to deal with Junjie. A silent nod of agreement between then was shared between them at that moment, and they focused on their switched opponents. "Now Pang Bing, if you're through trying to hurt me through my loved ones, we'll truly settle our differences."

"...Hehe...fine. No matter. I'll still kill you, Shifu. And your precious friends will be next!" Pai Mei madly declared.

"Unlikely to happen." Shifu said confidently. "Though by all means, do try. You'll only be reunited with humiliating defeat..once again at _my_ paws."

* * *

Po was pretty used to the concept of magic within the world. There are many pepople capable of wielding mystical arts, and they tend to be incredibly powerful, which is definitely the case here when it came to this Pang Bing person. He was already aware that this fight wouldn't really be in his favor, because it was pretty obvious that she knew what she was doing with said powers, which is even further emphasized about the presence of the eclipse above them, shrouding them in darkness and granting her more power. I included Lu kang being strapped to some strange device, and according to the witch, he was the sacrifice for that incredible boost of power. The same power that floored Shen without any visible effort. Fai Suan was more of an annoyance compred to Pang Bing, but a big enough annoyance to be threatening.

To put things simply, he was having a bad time. And his father Mr. Ping had to watch from a safe distance. He was feeling rather mixed about this, but chose to simply focus on the battle.

"This is getting a bit out of hand...and rather suckish as a whole." Po said as he swiftly dodged another blue bolt from Pang Bing, landing on his feet with some degrees of difficulty. Having one arm was certainly NOT helping his case. If anything, it made things more difficult for him. Though credit can be given to his own tenacity; he certainly wasn't going to let that stop him from fighting. Mr. Ping would rather have Po stop fighting and see to his wounds, but he trusted him. Plus, he knew nothing he could say or do would prevent Po from doing what he needed to. "Hey! How about you be a pal and stop trying to kill us!"

"Why would I ever dlisten to that advice?" Pang Bing scoffed as she attempted to blast him again, which he nimbly avoided by rolling to the side and then jumping backwards. The bolt created a crater in the ground to signify it's power. She narrowed her eyes at this. _He's much more agile than one would expect..._

"Give it up, Panda! You can't win this no matter how hard you try!" Fai Suan declared confidently as he threw multiple balls of purple fire towards Po, which were also swiftly dodged with careful precision, though he took great care to not let a single ember touch his scarf. "Come _on_! How can someone so fat move so quickly!?"

"Lots of training." Po replied simply, not really minding the insult that much. He then sees another purple fire ball coming. He smirked as he grabbed his hat and channeled a bit of chi into it, before using it to catch the fireball-finding the resulting look on Fai Suan's face priceless-and throw it back at him with twice the force. Too shocked to react, the fireball smacked right into him, knokcing him back and singing his mustache and his face overall. "Ha! Direct hit for me!~"

"Don't sound so proud of yourself." Pang Bing huffed as another bolt struck down on Po from above, which he was barely ablve to avoid with another roll to the side. "You can't count a few streaks of luck as actual victories. That's certainly not how it works."

"You really amount some of the wins I've had to dumb luck? In that case...you're not entirely wrong. Sometimes I'm just lucky, other times I make my own luck. Whichever works best." Po rubbed his neck. "Oh, and of course, a few of my wins were simply because I worked for them."

"Whatever helps your confidence..." Pang Bing rolled her eyes as yet another bolt shot forth, which Po again nimbly avoids. "Though you cannot expect to stop me no matter how hard you try. You're too far beneath me to even make so much as a dent."

"That's a lot of underestimating you're doing towards me. I tend to be full of surprises." Po said with a casual shrug. "But it's alright. I'm used to that kind of thing. It kind of works in my favor, really." He says rather cooly as he throws a **Mystic Spiral** towards her, which she smirked and dodged by simply levitating to the side. Though she was left blindsided when the projectile returned in a circle and smacked right into her back, causing her to crash into the ground. "Yeah, see? Kind of like that."

"Nnnnggghhh..." Pang Bing clenched her fists while looking up towards Po, her eyes glowing brightly.

"...Huh. You kind of look mad. Are you mad?" Po asked with genuine curiosity.

 _ **"HAH!"**_ Pang Bing thrusts both paws outwards, sending him flying with a powerful burst of mystical energy.

" _Guessing that's a yesssssssss!?_ " Po yelled, before crashing in a heap among more debris. He was groaning, seeing Pang Bing levitate above him and flick her wrists; two much larger pieces of debris from the arena crashed down upon him with the gesture, burying him beneath most of it.

"You're such an annoying nuisance. Be wise for once and **DON'T** get back up." She snarled as she lifted yet another large piece of debris, and slams it down on the other two, which further crashed down upon Po, picking up even more smoke than before. She lowered her paws and shook her head. _He was not worth all of that effort. At the very least, he can't do anything more._ She mentally declared as she turned and moved back towards the Emperor's Palace, quite prepared to finish her business with Lu Kang. Then, she'd go and kill the rest of his family, further completing her revenge.

Mr. Ping and Shen watched the onslaught from afar, and went into hiding before she found them again. Mr Ping, not one to lose faith, looked back towards the large heap of rubble while keeping Shen close to him. He resisted his parental urge to immediately rush out to where his son was buried, it would only get him and Shen killed when Fai Suan and Pang Bing caught them. They could only delay that outcome at the moment.

 _Come on, Po...you can still fight...I know you can!_

 **(Po's Mindscape)**

 _...I'm pretty sure I just got buried...that's totally not cool._ Po pouted in his mental scape, folding his arms. Then he noticed, that he had his arm within his mindscape. He briefly thought that was neat, even though there wasn't much significance, since he knew it wasn't real. He was taking getting knocked unconscious surprisingly well. _Well...this sucks. I can't really be unconscious right now, I have things to do, and fights to finish. But I'm not really gonna wake up on my own, and I'm definitely trying to._

 _ **"Your performance is rather lackluster right now."**_

Po blinked at the deep, unfamiliar voice in his head. Actually, it _did_ sound familiar to him, now that he thought more about it. He turned around and noticed the great being that's glowing golden and bringing a brilliant light throughout the space. He looked up at the grand being before him...

A golden dragon. A golden dragon with the same jade eyes as he does.

"...How long have you been here?" Po asked while innocently scratching his head. "I mean, I know that I don't do a lot of thinking, but I'd like to believe that I'd remember someone like you being in here."

 _ **"Well, to put things in basic terms...I'm you. Another part of you."**_ The dragon responded quite easily, not surprised by Po's lack of surprise. Fitting, that they're kind of the same person. _**"Or, to put things a bit more specifically, I'm your chi. A different kind of chi than what you usually use. A chosen few have to kinds of chi, and I represent your second chi, the chi of the Dragon Warrior."**_

"...Eh?"

 _ **"...Eh?"**_

"What do you mean, Dragon Warrior? I heard quite a few of my friends and others I've met talk about that title so many times...am I the Dragon Warrior?" The golden dragon nodded, which caused Po to groaned. "Agh, dammit. That's gonna make things awkward for me and Tigress. It'll probably be worse with Tai Lung..."

 _ **"You believe me that easily?"**_

"Well, you're another part of my true self, aren't you? Why would I lie to myself about something like this?" The other being conceded to the fair point, as Po scratched his neck. "So...what's the deal about that?"

 _ **"The universe has waited long enough for the Dragon Warrior to appear. So without you knowing it, the righteous soul within you responded to the universe's wishes, and your Dragon Warrior chi-represented as a dragon, which is me-to call be awakened in a time of dire need."**_

Po tilted his head."Righteous...? I wouldn't really see myself as that, probably. I can be pretty selfish."

 _ **"That's fine. No one can be COMPLETELY selfless. If some does live like that, then they cease to live for themselves, and have no personal reasons to live."**_

"Hey, Fenghuang taught me that one!"

 _ **"Exactly. Now, there's much for you to do Po. Now that you've understand the basics of the destiny placed on you, it's time for you to get back into the fight."**_

Po nodded while he tilted his head with a raised eyebrow. "...Still a bit weird that the universe is so intent on the Dragon Warrior revealing himself that it would have my chi talk to me."

 _ **"The universe works in mysterious ways. Some more than others."**_

"I can see that." Po nodded softly as he turned around and lightly slapped his cheeks. "Alright, I'm waking up! I've got a fight to finish as soon as I can!"

 _ **"Right. Now that you've awakened another part of your soul, I'll return to your subconscious as your new set of chi. Trust me when I say that I'm not that needed. I'm kind of you after all. Ya got this."**_

"Yeah I do!~"

 **(Real World)**

Pang Bing stopped while making her way back, and turned around towards where she buried Po. She sensed a great increase of chi all of a sudden from the debris, and her eyes widened. "What...what is this?! That can't possibly be the panda, can it...?"

"There's no way. You outright buried him in many layers of debris." Fai Suan waved off the idea, disbelieving of such a thing. "There's no way he cou-"

 ** _CRASH!_**

Both of them paused as they saw a golden flash of light emit from multiple holes of the debris, until a much larger one was punched through, making an exit for the one they attempted to entomb within. Both of them were surprised to see the panda fly out of said hole, and land right in front of them with a mighty stomp, before standing back up and brushing himself off.

"Hey there. Still alive!~"

"How? _**HOW?**_ "

"Those are both very good and amazing questions. Though I kind of feel like I have a bigger priority to follow. Which is defeating you and putting an end to this chaos." Po said with a tip of his hat. He then held out his stump of an arm, and they watched in disbelief as golden chi formed on said stump, which eventually took form and turned into a chi prosthetic, in the form of a dragon's claw.

Pang Bing looked flabbergasted, eyes flashing. "What...what is that...?"

"Oh, this? This is my inner power." Po said with a wide grin while getting into a fighting stance, his chi arm pulsing with golden light. "And with it, _**I'm gonna turn the tides.**_ "


End file.
